Councillors up in arms over draft planning guidelines

LIMERICK and North Tipperary county councillors will be lobbied by their counterparts in Clare County Council to oppose sections of the draft Mid-West Regional Planning Guidelines, following a special meeting on Monday.
Clare county councillors are up in arms over various sections of the economic blueprint, which they claim promoted retail and economic development in Limerick City at the expense of the Banner County.
Councillor Joe Arkins said the council should propose the deletion of certain paragraphs, replacing them with policies that protect rural development in Clare.
He was supported by Councillor PJ Kelly, who warned that if the draft document is adopted by the regional authority, then development couldn’t take place in Clare without having all of the necessary infrastructure in place first.
However, senior planner Gordon Daly and county manager Tom Coughlan cautioned against suggesting alternative wording as it could be viewed as an attempt by the council to re-write a regional strategy.
Councillors Kelly and Arkins stressed that councillors should have amendments prepared in advance, if substantial amendments are not made to the present document.
Gordon Daly presented councillors with 16 different concerns in a draft submission following the last meeting.
Councillor Patricia McCarthy expressed concern that the council is not giving enough importance in its own submission to the importance of Shannon Airport as an economic driver for the whole region. She said more emphasis should be placed on the impact of the airport and that it shouldn’t just be considered as a cargo hub in the future.
She was supported by Councillor P J Ryan. “I would be fearful they would try and force a cargo hub on us rather than what we have at the moment,” he said.
Mr Daly pledged that the passage relating to Shannon Airport would be re-written to take into account councillors’ views.
Councillor PJ Kelly, who has previously condemned population controls as being akin to “Mein Kampf”, suggested the council should be more forceful and “sharpen the blade” in a few places once its final submission is published.
He expressed concern about the lack of focus on the potential development of the northern bank of the Shannon Estuary.
“The Shannon Estuary has been identified as an area of development. There is no proposal in this report for foreign direct investment; it is all going into Limerick.
“If someone comes here with investment money, they should be given the ‘ceád mile fáilte’ and not told where they can or can’t go.
“Having gone over this document a few times, I wonder has someone been watching too many cartoons. This document talks about virtual planning. Virtual means unreal. Has someone taken leave of their senses?” he asked.
Councillor Tommy Brennan proposed once the final submission is completed by the council’s planning department, that it should be circulated again to councillors before it being sent to the regional authority.