A row within Meath County Council over the removal of a motion about land zoning from last week’s monthly Meath County Council has been defused after a special meeting of the council held yesterday. At last week’s meeting Independent Cllr Brian Fitzgerald walked out of the council meeting in protest at the removal of a motion he had put forward. The walkout was followed by a demand for a special meeting on the issue.
County Development Plan (as extended by law) for residential and related development (to include mixed use development of housing and other such development|) in the Meath County Development Plan 2021-2027. To remove any restriction on development of lands zoned for residential and related development (to include mixed use development of housing and other such development) restricting the development of such lands to after 2027. For the avoidance of doubt this motion relates only to those lands previously dezoned and/or restricted to development after 2027.
The demand for a special meeting had been signed by a combination of members of all members and groups including Cllr Fitzgerald, Sean Drew (FF), Gerry O’Connor (FG), Carol Lennon, Nick Killian and David Gilroy (last three Independent). All signatories were of the view that housing needed to be distributed in a way that local people living and growing up in their local area would have a realistic chance of having a home in their own parish.
Cllrs Drews and Joe Fox (FG) reminded other councillors of the meaning of the motion before the council. They were asking the chief executive to “prepare a report” to look at lands that had been rezoned but that appeared not to have been taken on board by those opposing the motion. Sinn Fein, with a number of FG councillors including Cllr Paddy Meade and Sharon Tolan, along with Cllr Ronan Moore of the Social Democrats opposed the motion . They expressed concerns about the issue of building on flood plains. When Cllr Gerry O’Connor said he would organise a meeting with a Government Minister, Cllr Fitzgerald said he appreciated that, that the council should not be split the members and that the motion would not be withdrawn.
Chief Executive Kieran Kehoe said that he got the impression that all councillors wanted the same thing – to deliver houses. He said there was an onus on the Minister to provide a variation to the county development plan. That would mean over 2,942 units per year extra for three years multiplied by 50%, giving a target of 13,200 units.
The meeting ended amicable, some may say, much ado about nothing, but the message was understood and accepted.
