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MEATH CRONICLE ARTICLE - June '00

BY Ann Casey

A group of Dunboyne residents say they feel betrayed by their public representatives following a decision to include the rezoning of 180 acres in the village in the Draft Co. Development Plan. The Dunboyne Combined Residents' Association (DCRA) has hit out at the decision to include the rezoning of land in the vicinity of the railway station for housing. Chairman Jim MeGrath says his association always sought to preserve the green belt between Dunboyne and Clonee, including the land immediately east of the disused railway line. He said the residents' association submitted a document on planning in Dunboyne to Meath Co. Council last year, clearly stating, that they, wanted the preservation of the greenbelt.

He also recalled a meeting, which was held with candidates for the Dunshaughlin electoral area in May of last year, prior to the local elections, at which full support was given by the elected representatives to the principle of retaining the green belt. "Imagine our shock and disappointment when 180 acres of green belt land for rezoning appeared, in the Draft Co. Development Plan," he said.

He said there seemed to have been no dissent by any of the councillors to those proposals. Mr. McGrath said that DCRA has in its membership 16 residents' associations representing 1,345 houses and more than 5,000 people in Dunboyne. "We are not prepared to stand idly by and let our Councillers turn this village into an urban sprawl and in 10 years or so have it renamed Blanchardstown West," he said. He also explained that the association had submitted proposals to the council for the Dunboyne Castle site to be used for amenity, tourist community and leisure purposes. Mr. McGrath called on the people of Dunboyne to write to the council, objecting to the destruction of the green belt and supporting the proposals for the Castle.

Colr. Oliver Brookes said that a green belt would be retained between Dunboyne and Clonee, as it was only the land around the disused railway line that could be rezoned. He said there was a serious need for housing and all towns in the area needed to take their fair share. He supported the retention of the remaining land between the village and Clonee as a green belt, pointing ot that it was a wide tract of land. He added that he had recommended that the land immediately beside the railway line be zoned for park and ride facilities.

CoIr. Nick Killian said the land in question was currently zoned agricultural and no decision would be made on it until later in the year. He said that a number of proposals for rezoning land around the village had been made in the Draft Development Plan, but no decision would be taken until the end of the year. He said that he would be taking on board what the resident's were saying.

CoIr. Mary Bergin said it seemed that there was some confusion among residents regarding the Draft Development Plan, which has recently gone on public display. She explained that it would be on display until 30th June, during which time any person can make representations or submissions regarding the proposals in the plan. She said that the process was open and participative and the elected representatives must consider all submissions prior to the final adoption of the plan. She said she felt she had a civic duty to consider all submissions.

Colr. Brian Fitzgerald pointed out that there was an obligation on the councillors to rezone further land in Dunboyne, as a very large number of young people who were born and grew up in Dunboyne were in need of housing. He pointed out that the draft plan was zoning another 30 acres of land for amenity purposes and there were plans to develop a linear bank along the river, which would be a boundary for future development on the Dublin side of the village. He felt there was a lot of misinformation going around that there were plans to rezone all of the land between Dunboyne and Clonee, but this was absolutely incorrect, and there would still be a substantial green belt.

Colr. Conor Tormey said that in order for the proposed railway line to go ahead, there needed to be more housing in Dunboyne and around the railway line. He stressed that there would still be a large green belt between the river and Clonee. 'We want to create affordable housing for the people of Dunboyne, Clonee and Batterstown," he said, pointing out that people could still make submissions on the plan.