Ballymore reviews county draft development plan as submission deadline nears.

A good attendance in Ballymore Eustace recently for an information meeting on the Kildare County Draft Development Plan. Hosted by Deputy Fiona O’Loughlin and Cllr Rob Power, members of the local Community Development Association (CDA) were present along with local residents, including several from the local voluntary and sporting sector. Whilst the population of Co Kildare has spiralled in the past 20 years, Ballymore has recorded only a small increase in recent years with no major residential development since the village opposed major development in the 1990’s. “At local cumann meetings, the closure of local shops and the lack of social or private housing for the next generation is repeatedly voiced. This past week, I received a letter from the principal of Scoil Mhuire, Mairead O’Flynn which stated her concerns over an expected fall in pupil numbers from 2017” said Deputy O’Loughlin. Cllr Rob Power gave a presentation which addressed the main objectives of the county development plan in relation to Ballymore, one of 15 villages addressed in Chapter 2. Of particular interest were areas designated for ‘new residential’ and ‘infill’ within the village centre which could accommodate housing, enterprise or recreational amenities. [caption id="attachment_104369" align="alignnone" width="169"] Siobhan O'Rourke, KCC and Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin[/caption] “Ballymore’s recommended population increase is 3.7%of the county growth. The current population is just over 870 so in terms of local growth, the draft plan allows for up to 25%.  That’s roughly 210 people, with an average of 3 per household, 70 houses but note, that’s a rough estimate of the growth allowed over the 5 year life span of the plan”. The lack of a pedestrian bridge over the River Liffey was raised, and noted that a metal bridge has been consistently approved (in theory) over the years but funding and further planning has never advanced. Cllr Power suggested in the interim that traffic lights similar to those at Caragh Bridge was a possible solution. [caption id="attachment_104370" align="alignnone" width="300"] Zoning map for Ballymore Eustace in the Kildare Draft County Development Plan[/caption] Both Cllr Power and Deputy O’Loughlin said there was greater emphasis on the integration of social housing (10%) within all housing developments; previously, developers evaded Part V in favour of investing in infrastructures but now KCC wants to actively incentivise the integration within residential development. Deputy O’Loughlin added that whist it was “not enshrined in legislation, the 4% levy charges have to go into the relative locality and there’s always the possibility of negotiating land for other usage”. The consensus from the floor was that there were several small pockets of land within the village marked as ‘infill’ and that it was a shame these weren’t utilised for housing. It was also felt the land known locally as ‘Doran’s Meadow’ was in a far better location for development than the contentious ’40 Acres’. A community playground and the extension of the River Walk were also discussed. [caption id="attachment_104371" align="alignnone" width="300"] Mary Darker and Jacinta O'Rourke at the Ballymore Eustace meeting to discuss the draft co dev plan[/caption] “I understand there are two underlying ‘fear factors’ in the community. One, that should all lands marked residential be developed at once, Ballymore will face an onslaught of over-development whilst the second concern is that no development  at all means the ongoing fate of local traders or shops closing and the continuance in the reduction of public services. I trust Rob’s breakdown of the projected growth within the draft development plan will allay the first of those issues”. Cllr Power encouraged locals to express their views for the development of the village before the submission deadline on July 13 at 5pm. Eric Frith of the CDA reminds locals that whilst they will have an opportunity to comment on the next review of the draft plan, it will only be on the changes submitted, not previous content. Submissions on the draft development plan closes at 5pm tomorrow, Wednesday 13 July. You can [caption id="attachment_104368" align="alignnone" width="300"] Catherine Darby, Margaret McDonald (CDA) and John Darby at a meeting in Ballymore Eustace to discuss the draft county development plan[/caption] submit your opinion/comments online via the following form, link: http://kildare.ie/…/CountyDevelopmentPlan20…/SubmissionForm/