'A good day for Laois' as 257 hectares of land rezoned for 8,000 new homes across county
Laois councillors have approved the rezoning of 25 land banks around the county totalling 635 acres, to residential use.
It will allow for another 8,000 houses to be built, pending planning approvals, all to cope with a growing population amid the continued housing crisis.
The 88 zoning changes cover 25 settlements, mainly around Portlaoise, but also in Portarlington, Mountmellick, Graiguecullen, Abbeyleix, Stradbally, Ballinakill, Durrow, Ballyroan, Rathdowney, Timahoe, Ballylynan, Killeshin, Emo, Mountrath, Killenard, Ballybrittas, Emo, Vicarstown, Rosenallis, Clonaslee, Castletown and smaller rural settlements.
The rezoning is effective immediately in the Laois County Development Plan 2021-2027, and is done on request by the Government to address the housing crisis. Director of Services for housing and planning, Angela McEvoy noted that the request made for more housing in Laois was proportionally the third highest in the country.
Laois County Council CEO Michael Rainey called it a “good day for Laois”, at the special meeting held on Tuesday, June 9 where he and his planning team had laid out their responses to submissions on the proposed rezonings for approval.
“We have been called on to deliver a very large variation, on a scale never seen before. We responded to that call from the Government.
“I follow from Cllr Dwane’s statement on infrastructure. It now behoves the state to back our ambition in terms of housing, in structural investments. It is more than the Portlaoise northern orbital route, more than the Mountmellick bypass, it's also the social infrastructure, it’s the recreation, the education, the medical.
“We’ve done our bit, providing over 8,000 units for the next four years. We will be starting immediately next year on our next county development plan which will probably see a growth in that zoning,” the CEO Mr Rainey said.
Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley while welcoming the rezoning, had urged infrastructure with it.
“We can’t just keep building house after house after house and have no amenities.Sports facilities, schools, roads, the whole lot. We have a growing population. It’s left to the department to decide whether we get the funding. We’ve done our job here, it’s absolutely vital that we have infrastructure as well. It’s very hard being asked as councillors to put the cart before the horse,” she said.
The approvals were not without disagreement, particularly one contentious 11.39 hectare (28 acre) site off the Dublin Road in Portlaoise.
It received 25 submissions from residents of Dun Masc estate, objecting to the use of Dun Masc as an access route. The land could be accessed through Heathfields estate and from Higgs Lane.
Cllr Catherine Fitzgerald proposed omitting the zoning, but no other councillor would second her. She had checked first that rejecting that site would not delay the overall rezoning of the plan.
“You’d be talking about opening two big estates onto this land,” she said.
On getting assurance that access roads will still be a matter for future planning applications, the rezoning of the site was proposed by Cllr Paddy Buggy, and seconded by the Cathaoirleach, Cllr Barry Walsh.
“I needn’t look for votes in there now,” Cllr Buggy said.
Meanwhile Cllr Aisling Moran had lobbied to get a site for one extra house in a Killeen housing estate rezoned despite it being on a flood zone.
“That field never flooded. The river is a stream 9 inches deep, down a four or five foot ban, there is no way it could flood, not in a million years,” she said.
However the CEO told her they have to follow state policy on not building on flood zones.
“We have no choice. One of the big criticisms of local authorities in the media, was when they zoned land subject to flooding. We have to be very cautious with all the future impacts of climate change,” Mr Rainey said.
Cllr Barry Walsh added that no one on a flood zone can get house insurance.
Other submissions included some from developers and landowners either looking to get their lands zoned for housing, or wanting it kept as is. The councillors supported Laois County Council’s recommended rezonings for the majority of them.