Since taking ownership of the old woollen mills in Ballymore Eustace, we have supported the objective of conserving the ecology of the site, not least for the amenity value of the community. This is demonstrated most tangibly by our facilitating the "5K walk" through our lands for the benefit of the community and public in general.
The proposal to zone ALL of our lands (with the exception of the mill buildings) as F for the provision of open space, amenity and recreation is in appropriate. The area currently proposed zone F includes long established fields and agricultural facilities that we have restored by us for the purpose of continuing agriculture practice, most recently for grazing organic sheep, dexter cattle and escarot. Soon the fields will be used to produce organic adjunct crops for use in the whiskey distillery.
Being land in private ownership, where agricultural activities are active, the public are discouraged from using these fields as an aminity. They are encouraged to enjoy the areas indended and improved for the '5k walk'.
Furthermore, the zone includes existing buildings that meet the proposed objective (V BE3) to encourage redevelopment or restoration of derelict, vacant or underused buildings within the village centre. Zoning F would frustrate this objective.
Therefore, we submit that the fields (highlighted in our enclosed map) should be zoned 'I' for agricultural use. Agricultural use maintains the open space for the valuable food production while maintaining the benefit of ecology and visual amenity. Imposing zone F would frustrate the valuable enjoyment of our private land and undermine our efforts to make this heritage site sustainable. It is appropriate for the areas used in the '5k walk' and mature woodlands be zoned 'F' since they are used as open space, amenity and recreational provision.
Zone the fields under agricultural use as agricultural use.
The lands are not available for enjoyment by the public as amenity, open space or recreational provision, being in active agricultural use with derelict and vacant buildings that could be reused. Imposing zone F on these fields would undermine our efforts to restore the site to a sustainable new use. The balance of lands are appropriately zoned F being open space, amenity and recreational use.
