Public invited to have a say on review of County Development Plan
The public can have their say on the future development of County Westmeath when a review of the Westmeath County Development Plan commences this month.
The public will be invited to make submissions on a range of issues, including housing, urban design, transport, economic development, infrastructure, green infrastructure, cultural heritage, rural development, tourism, and environment.
Residents, retailers, institutions and businesses, as well as community and sporting groups are asked to get involved, and area director, Barry Kehoe said at a council meeting in January that “the more participation in this plan the better”.
“The council executive will be looking for strategic direction from elected representatives at the end of July,” said Mr Kehoe. “That will be the opportunity to raise the issues that we need to consider and put policy in place for. We will have a new draft County Development Plan in your hands by mid-October and it will go out to consultation.”
However, a number of councillors took issue with the fact that pictured on a handout to elected representatives in council chambers was a wind turbine logo. Cllrs Tom Farrell, Una D’Arcy and Ken Glynn wanted it removed. “When you do things like this, when it’s put into the logos, you’re inferring at a subconscious level you want this on our landscape, but we really don’t want these.”
Cllr Ken Glynn seconded that by saying “we’ve been very united in relation to this – no turbines”.
With regard to the settlement strategy and housing, Cllr Paddy Hill raised a motion that had come before the council some months ago.
“A lot of Westmeath is a high amenity area, and I think there’s far too much high amenity area in north Westmeath, and that has consequences for people looking to get planning,” he said.
“Cllr John Shaw and I brought forward a motion here back some months ago asking for a variation to change the County Development Plan and we were told that we didn’t have the authority to bring it forward. Now I accept that, but the minister’s reply also said the members can request the executive to bring forward such a variation. You’d expect that executive would adhere to the members’ wishes, as each of the members of this council supported that motion.
Chief executive, Pat Gallagher, clarified that, at the time the motion was tabled, the councillors had decided to seek legal advice themselves as to whether they could indeed seek a variation to the plan.
Submissions
The deadline for submissions is April 12 at 5pm. There will be further opportunities to make submissions when the Draft Plan is presented in 2018, and the draft will be amended by the elected representatives. Email cdp@westmeathcoco.ie or in writing to Administrative Officer, Forward Planning, Westmeath County Council.