Motion to rezone green belt fell – no development for next six years
By Aideen O'Flaherty
DEVELOPER Hibernia REIT “remains committed to Newlands Farm”, after a motion for rezoning the site from agricultural to residential use was unsuccessful last week.
Motions in support of retaining the Newlands Farm site as a ‘green belt’ were carried at a County Development Plan meeting last week, meaning that for the next six years – until the next County Development Plan – the site will continue to be zoned for agricultural use.
The green belt between Kingswood and Clondalkin
Hibernia’s plans for the site included the development of approximately 3,500 residential units, a sports hub, the restoration of Katharine Tynan House and a 41-acre ‘green corridor’.
These plans, however, were predicated on the site being rezoned for residential use in the upcoming South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-2028.
Separate motions, tabled by Tallaght Central councillors Teresa Costello (FF) and Cathal King (SF), for keeping the site zoned for agricultural use in the upcoming County Development Plan were carried.
In his motion, Cllr King King described Newlands Farm as a “unique wildlife habitat in an urban setting” and as being “the lungs of Tallaght”.
Two Independent councillors, Alan Hayes for Palmerstown-Fonthill and Ronan McMahon for Rathfarnham-Templeogue, submitted a joint motion seeking to rezone the site for residential use.
However, as the motions for keeping the site zoned for agricultural use were carried, the Independent councillors’ motion for rezoning fell.
An artist impression of Hibernia’s plans for a sports hub
When asked for his response to the motion falling, Cllr Hayes told The Echo: “I do question the ecological value of the land.
“I don’t believe it’s providing the breadth of biodiversity that we’re being told it does by residents and other politicians interested in keeping it as it is.
“It’s used for a mix of livestock and cereal production, which is relatively unproductive agriculture.
“Pesticides and weed killers are used for cereal production, and cattle produce methane.
“I fully appreciate that there are people who are concerned about the loss of an open space on their doorstep, but I don’t believe the ecology of the site is bound so solidly in science.”
Explaining his reasoning behind submitting the motion for rezoning, Cllr Hayes said there is a demand for housing in the locality and he believes it will continue to be a growing problem in years to come.
“Our population is increasing,” he explained, “so we need more properties.
“In the last census, from 2011 to 2016, the number of 25 to 34 years old who were deemed head of the household dropped by over 66,000.
“Where did those people go? It means they have either moved away or moved back home.
“By there not being more housing delivered, we continue to have more people living under one roof in intergenerational households.”
Reflecting on the result, Cllr Hayes added: “The County Development Plan is for the next six years, but we’re not looking 15 years ahead.
“We’ve been told that enough land has been zoned for residential, but what if people aren’t building on it? Should we not be considering the rezoning of land for developers who will build houses?
“Anyone who’s in primary school now, in three County Development Plans’ time, they’ll be an adult.
“They’ll probably want to get out of the family home, but where will they live? If we keep saying no to developments in our areas, we force our own children to move further from where we live.”
Cllr Ronan McMahon said he took an interest in the development as he was raised in Tallaght and his family’s links to the area “go back generations”.
When asked if he was disappointed that the motion for rezoning was unsuccessful, he said: “I was happy that we had a frank and open discussion in the meeting.
“There were positives and negatives for both sides. The issue I have is that we have a bad need for housing and we need housing developments to move quickly.
“How did the people of Tallaght feel 50 years ago when the land was being rezoned… [if they were against it] places like Belgard, Kingswood and Seskin would not have been built.”
A Hibernia spokesperson told The Echo: “Hibernia REIT is considering the decision of councillors at last week’s meeting but remains committed to Newlands Farm.”
