The Minister of State for Local Government is to issue a direction on the Kenmare area development plan, claiming it’s not in compliance with national policy.
The Kenmare Draft Local Area Plan 2024-2030 had gone out to public consultation and received 230 submissions from the general public.
Councillors in the Kenmare MD reviewed these submissions and had voted to zone certain lands in the area as residential.
Kerry County Council officials at the meeting warned councillors they had zoned too much land, and would face a backlash from central government.
During a marathon, eleven-hour meeting back in January, councillors reviewed submissions from the public on the draft area plan.
Prior to this meeting, The Office of the Planning Regulator had made recommendations on the plan and specifically asked the council to reduce the amount of zoned land in Killorglin, Kenmare, and Waterville.
Many of these submissions requested more lands to be zoned, and councillors repeatedly requested the council to zone these lands.
During January’s meeting, council officials repeatedly warned councillors that zoning additional lands would be against the regulator’s recommendations and this would have consequences.
The Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Alan Dillon, has now notified Kerry County Council he intends to issue a direction on the draft Kenmare MD Local Area Plan.
The Minister directed the local authority to de-zone certain lands in Killorglin and Cahersiveen that the plan had designated for uses including residential, mixed, and industrial.
The notice from the Minister says the plan has not been made in a manner consistent with, and has failed to implement, the recommendations of the Office of the Planning Regulator.
The Minister writes he is of the opinion the plan is not consistent with national policy objectives.
Minister Dillon writes he is of the opinion the plan fails to set out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, and it’s not in compliance with requirements from the Act.
The public can now make submissions or observations on the draft Ministerial direction, for more information on the draft Ministerial direction, and for information on how to make submissions or observations, please click here.
