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Submission to Meath County Council
on
The County Meath Draft Development Plan
2000
June 26, 2000
Dunboyne Combined Residents
Association
Submission to Meath County Council
Re: County Meath Draft Development Plan
2000
Table Of Contents:
Introduction
Dunboyne is a village to be preserved, protected and enhanced. The
environment of Dunboyne is unique, inherited and which the present community
is obligated to sustain. Dunboyne wants development but not of the kind
that will damage its historical characteristics, the quality of life of
its community or the irretrievable loss of its environment. Development
is not just about expansion and adding yet more material structures and
substructures. Development must no longer be developer lead. Professional
Planners and elected politicians are obliged by the dictates of democracy
and the European Principle of subsidiarity to attend to the voice of the
communities they represent - communities that are most affected by the
decisions taken.
Dunboyne Combined Residents Association (DCRA) has sixteen affiliated
Residents Associations representing 1,345 households amounting to approximately
4,000 plus people which is more than 80% of the present population.
This community expressed its ideas for the development of Dunboyne
when DCRA submitted last July to Meath County Council its document entitled
"Towards a Dunboyne Development Plan 2000" and its supplementary document
entitled "Survey of Trees with Special Amenity Value" which was submitted
in February 2000. Having further consulted with our membership on the
County Draft Development Plan for Dunboyne we are now pleased to submit
this further statement of our expectations for our village.
MCC Draft Development
Plan for Dunboyne
13.1.7 Future Development Potential
DCRA is in full agreement with MCC Draft Development Plan when it
says:- "Given the recommendations of the Strategic Panning Guidelines
for the Greater Dublin Area it is envisaged that this (i.e. the
future development of Dunboyne) should be directed at the consolidation
of the town and addressing key housing needs local to the area rather
than absorbing the town into the metropolitan area of the nearby Fingal
area."
General Development Issues (13.2.0)
13.2.1 Urban Form
Change "…on the north side of the Fair Green" To "on the north side
of the Village Green"
Transportation (13.2.2): It is a matter of urgency
that the Ring Road from the N3 to the Summerhill Road & Maynooth Road
is completed as soon as possible.
Planting and banking is required along this route as a barrier to
noise pollution for residents in the immediate area.
If it is not possible to construct this road in the short term then
steps must be taken to divert heavy traffic from the centre of the village.
Future Development Plans (13.2.4): Para 2: Dunboyne
Castle: Dunboyne Castle and lands are a village and regional heritage
and should be conserved for amenity, tourist, community and leisure purposes
to help make Dunboyne the eastern gateway to the heritage rich Royal County
of Meath.
Specific
Development Objectives (13.3.0)
DB 1: We are pleased that Dunboyne is recognised
as a village and its preservation proposed.
DB 9: To preserve items and structures
due to their local historical or architectural interest.
Add to list: Bennetsbridge - a medieval structure - also
known as Paudgeen's Bridge. The green at the centre of the village.
The row of small houses in Barrack Lane. The Mill on Mill Farm. The
chestnut tree at the entrance to Kilbrena & the "Big Tree" in
the centre of the village. Avondale Terrace. St. Mary's Terrace.
The Tower at the west of St. Peter's Church of Ireland Churchyard.
The water tower at the railway bridge at Station Road - a relic of
the steam train era which should be preserved as a piece of industrial
archaeology.
DB 14: Change "Dunboyne estate" to "Dunboyne Castle Demesne"
and add:
To conserve the environmental character of Dunboyne village requires
the preservation, maintenance, regeneration & enhancement of the
urban forestation of the village.
DB 16: We demand that the area designated green belt in the 1994 County
Meath Development Plan be now designated Strategic Green Belt in compliance
with the Strategic Development Plan for the Greater Dublin Area. (Refer
Below: Reasons Why the Dunboyne Green Belt Must be Retained)
To be added:
- That Dunboyne Castle and lands be developed as a public park for
amenity, tourist, community and leisure purposes.
- That the footpath from Garnet Hall be extended to the soccer pitch
on the Summerhill Road. The reason for this is that the road is very
narrow and is used frequently by pedestrians, cyclists and especially
by young people traveling to play soccer.
- That a footpath be extended on the Rooske Road to Rooske Graveyard.
- We object to the proposed high density building on the 25 acre
residential development at Courthill unless 25% of the area is designated
as open space for amenity and community use. This development should
not proceed until a rapid transport facility is available to the village.
- The triangle at the junction of the Rooske Road and Station Road
was formerly the site of a listed building that was destroyed by fire
and later reduced to rubble. A letter to Mr. John Bruton TD dated 3rd
February 1999 from Mr. D. Foley Administrative Officer MCC stated: "The
planning Authority considered that this site is at a critical and strategic
location in the village and that any development on this site should
provide for a civic type building for the benefit of Dunboyne and its
residents." A Heritage Centre would be an ideal facility to locate here.
Such a centre would function not only as a local facility but could
make a contribution to Meath tourism by directing tourists further into
Meath. It would also contribute significantly to maintaining the identity
of Dunboyne as a Meath town whose origins go back to pre-christian times.
Because of Dunboyne's proximity to the Dublin Metropolitan border we
regard the provision of a Heritage Centre as essential and fully support
the provision of such for Dunboyne.
Reasons Why the Dunboyne Green
Belt Must be Retained
- The Strategic Planning Guidelines (SPG) say that development in
the Hinterland Area is to be concentrated into designated "Development
Centres". Elsewhere development is to be strictly limited to local needs
as opposed to regional needs.
- To develop on the lands east of the old railway line between Dunboyne
and Clonee is contrary to the SP Guidelines because the location selected
was designated as the Green Belt in the County Development Plan '94.
This should now be regarded as 'Strategic Green Belt' in order to prevent
precisely the sort of development that is proposed.
- The proposed development of the lands east of the old railway line
is contrary to the logical development of the village. The clearly defined
features that should form the 'stop lines' for development are the old
Dublin-Navan Railway to the east and the proposed Clonee By-Pass Extension
and R.157 Relief/ Ring Road to the west. Once the boundary of the old
railway line is breached the pressures to extend development further
with each subsequent development proposal, would result in the total
abolition of the Green Belt. This would result in Dunboyne becoming
absorbed into the metropolitan area of the nearby Fingal Area contrary
to 13.1.7 of the Draft Development Plan. As a consequence the planning
principle of providing a division between settlements would be abandoned
as per the Strategic Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area.
- The proposed development of the lands east of the old railway line
is contrary to the policy statements in the speech made by the Minister
for the Environment and Local Government when introducing the guidelines
"---- The local Authorities will need to put mechanisms in place to
ensure that there is a clear distinction between urban and rural areas
so that these Green Belts will be respected. This means resisting dormitory
settlements along transportation routes." The Draft Development Plan
for Dunboyne (13.1.3) acknowledges that Dunboyne is tending to develop
as a dormitory town. This should now stop.
- The proposed development of a number of infill sites in the village,
together with the suggested rezoning of 25 acres at Courthill, plus
other lands already rezoned from the 1997 Dunboyne Development Plan,
gives the potential to increase the present population from 5,000 to
7,000 - an increase of 40%. This is sufficient to cater for local needs
for at least ten to fifteen years. Any additional rezoning beyond that
for local needs would be contrary to the SP Guidelines.
- It should be noted that the recent Government audit has said that
enough zoned and serviced sites are available to satisfy housing requirements.
This is an added reason why County Meath should not rezone land to satisfy
overspill from the Dublin Metropolitan Area.
- The need for housing for people living in the rural areas surrounding
Dunboyne is well catered for with the proposal to provide graigs/crossroads
type clusters. To combine this excellent new initiative with the housing
co-operative concept as mentioned in 3.3.5 of MCC Draft Plan would meet
the needs of first time buyers who are unable to afford to purchase
most of the houses recently built in the area. It would also make it
unnecessary to rezone huge tracts of land just to satisfy the open housing
market.
- To rezone the Dunboyne Green Belt for building is contrary to the
Strategic Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area - Review and Update
2000 - which says: "In overall terms the approach should be to accommodate
population, household and employment growth in line with the Strategic
Planning Guidelines, that is, within the Metropolitan Area and the designated
Development centres."
- The Strategic Planning Guidelines recognise that large parts of
Greater Dublin Area will need to be protected from development other
than development necessary to meet local needs. This need for protection
will be greatest close to the Metropolitan Area and between that area
and the principle 'development centres' of the Hinterland Area. Therefore,
the Strategic Planning Guidelines call for the establishment of 'Strategic
Green Belt' areas in Development Plans aimed at restricting land use
within these areas and securing a clear distinction between urban and
rural areas.
- The boundary of the Metropolitan Area is clearly shown on the map
on page 116 of Strategic Planning Guidelines and Dunboyne can be seen
to be situated just within the Hinterland Area and in a location which
the Strategic Planning Guidelines specifically identify as requiring
special protection to prevent overspill from the neighbouring Metropolitan
Area.
- We would draw attention to the fact that in Section 3.1.1 of Meath
County Development Plan 1994 entitled 'Pressure Areas' it is stated
that 'it is intended that the area adjacent to the Dublin County boundary
and indicated on Fig 4, will retain existing uses and will not be absorbed
into the land use structure of the Greater Dublin Area'. The area shown
on Figure 4 extends west from Clonee as far as the disused railway line
at Dunboyne. We would therefore expect that this area would receive
the special protection demanded by the Strategic Planning Guidelines
and be clearly defined on future MCC Development Plans as 'Strategic
Green Belt'.
- The rezoning of the Green Belt is contrary to the principles of
Sustained Development because it clearly represents urban sprawl and
ribbon development. We refer again to the statement by the Minister
regarding resisting the creation of dormitory settlements along transportation
routes. The proposed development would create an increase in the demand
for transportation that would inevitably be provided largely by private
cars. This would add substantially to local commuter traffic and add
significantly to existing congestion. We have calculated that some thirty
square miles of coniferous forests would be required to remove the carbon-dioxide
generated by the commuter traffic concerned.
- The reason put forward for the rezoning of the Dunboyne Green Belt
is "future development" (DB16). This is a meaningless planning criterion.
This is development for the sake of development.
- When the Ring Road is constructed there will obviously be pressure
for development along its route.
- On best advice from a Transport Planning Consultant, should a rail
line be approved, it would reasonably take 15-20 years to implement.
In any event it will not be implemented in the life of this plan. It
would be premature to rezone before the railway line is provided. To
do so would mean that people would have developed travel patterns mainly
by car and eventually the rail line would not have the desired effect
of reducing road traffic. The possibility of a rail line must not be
used as a reason for rezoning lands in the Green Belt.
- Lands, which may be required if ever the rail line is re-opened,
will have to be acquired by compulsory purchase order if they are already
zoned for development rather than for agriculture. This would add significantly
to development costs of rail station and car-park facilities.
- The additional population arising from the proposed development
of the Dunboyne Green Belt would put intolerable pressure on the village's
community facilities, especially on school accommodation, that would
be detrimental to the education of the children of Dunboyne.
- The recently published Bacon Report, which has been accepted by
the Government, also suggested the creation of Special Development Zones
which would deliver housing needs for the Greater Dublin Area which
proposal obviously does not include Dunboyne.
- DCRA fully supports The Board of Management of Gael Scoil in their
objection to having their school located east of the old railway line.
- It is the view of DCRA that the Draft Development Plan for Dunboyne
is contrary to the Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin
Area and could leave it open to legal challenge.
- The development of the Green Belt is contrary to the wishes of
all the sixteen Dunboyne Residents Associations.
- We wish to put it on record that, prior to the local elections,
DCRA sought, and received, unequivocal commitments from each of the
Councillors concerned that on being elected he or she would act in accordance
with the expressed wishes of DCRA with particular reference to the protection
of the Green Belt, and to the preservation of Dunboyne Castle Estate.
Conclusion:
A planning decision that
- irretrievably destroys a village identity,
- that permanently damages its landscaped environment,
- that brings about a deterioration of the life-style of its people,
- that can lead to the destruction of its traditional community life,
- that inevitably increases traffic congestion and consequent pollution
and
- that ignores the will of the majority of its residents
IS
- bad planning,
- bad decision making,
- an abuse of the democratic process and
- unacceptable.
The decision finally rests solely with elected representatives and,
in the light of the public undertakings given by them, and the requirements
of the Strategic Planning Guidelines, it is inconceivable that land east
of the old railway line should be rezoned.
Clonee Draft Development Plan
- Because the proposed industrial development of the 250 acres north
of Clonee and the further housing development of 20 acres south of Clonee
village lie within the Dunboyne Green Belt many of the above points
given under the heading "Reasons why the Dunboyne Green Belt Must be
Retained" apply and therefore we object to both developments.
- Clonee is neither a Primary nor a Secondary Centre for development
as per the Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area.
The boundary of the Metropolitan Area is clearly shown on the map on
page 116 of the Strategic Planning Guidelines and can be seen to be
situated just within the Hinterland Area and in a location which the
SPG specifically identify as requiring special protection to prevent
overspill from the neighbouring Metropolitan Area.
- In the light of the above it is quite impossible to reconcile the
SPG requirement for a strongly directed development centre at Navan,
providing high level employment activities, with Meath County Council's
proposal for a major industrial development at Clonee.
- The selected location for this proposed industrial development
is clearly within the defined 'Strategic Green Belt' area for the region
as indicated on page 91 of the Strategic Planning Guidelines.
- It is surprising that no information is given under Objectives
for the County at large in Section 3.2.3 Industry and Employment in
MCC's Development Plan that would serve as an explanation for the proposed
development or for the particular choice of location.
- Since MCC recognise that the proposal is of sufficient importance
as to merit an 'Area Action Plan' it is surprising that this had not
been initiated before the proposal went on display.
End/25.06.00
Contact:
Jim McGrath, Chairman, Dunboyne Combined Residents Association,
9 Elton Drive, Millfarm, Dunboyne, Co. Meath
Tel: 01.8252189.
Email: mcgrathjim@esatclear.ie
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