Kildare County Council
Re Draft County Development Plan
Tuesday 24th May 2022
I wish to make the following observations in relation to the Draft County Development Plan which has been on display.
No. 1 – While recognising the need for additional density for housing in certain parts of the County particularly in large centres of population and in the centre of large towns and villages, the overwhelming direction of this plan is towards excessive density.
This density which taken together with the Draft Plan’s HNDA figures indicating a massive drop in home ownership together with an increase in social and supported housing accommodation will have a profound impact on the demography of County Kildare. Indeed the projected housing breakdown taken together with massively increased densities will inevitably give rise to a lack of social cohesion, cause difficulties with community integration and will create an urban environment that is entirely alien to the Ireland and Kildare we have known. These matters require serious consideration and I would suggest significant adjustments.
No 2 – 3.13 Sustainable Rural Housing – It is interesting to note in this regard that while the Council aims to plan for sustainable communities and to reinforce our rural communities, the obstacles faced by people seeking permission in rural areas are already members of the existing rural community. Urban generated rural housing demand has not for several years been accommodated by rural housing policy and I agree with this approach. In your paragraph on Zone 2 – Stronger Rural Areas, you posit the idea the facilitation of rural generated housing applications will be dependent on the viability of smaller towns and rural settlements, this is undoubtably code for forcing applicants who meet the rural housing policy criteria to abandon those areas and available lands in favour of relocating to within towns and villages. As such this is contradictory position for the Council to adopt and is one which will prove unimplementable. i.e. qualifying rural applicants with own land available will be advised to purchase expensive sites or houses in rural towns and villages thereby placing them in an impossible situation. This matter needs to be totally readdressed.
No 3 – Table 3.4 Schedule of Local Needs Criteria – Category A Economic – Two terms are used to describe a farmers activity i.e. their main employment or a significant part of the applicants livelihood. This phraseology will inevitably lead to confusion. I would propose that ‘main’ be deleted and significant part be included as main criteria.
Many thanks.
Best regards,
Seán
Seán O Fearghail TD
Office of the Ceann Comhairle
Dáil Eireann
Leinster House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2