Planning Regulator rejects Westport councillor's amendments to Local Area Plan

AN objective in the draft Westport Local Area Plan to allow for one-off housing for sons and daughters of Westport people on land zoned for residential housing has been rejected by the Office of the Planning Regulator.

In January, Westport councillors agreed to make a number of amendments to the draft Westport Local Area Plan 2024-2030 in order to zone extra land for residential use.

The councillors included an objective to facilitate single dwelling houses for 'people with a genuine housing need, sons and daughters of long-term Westport town residents or any individuals in permanent employment' living within the boundary of the local area plan.

Fine Gael councillor Peter Flynn who proposed the amendment stated that he was doing so as young Westport people cannot afford to buy in Westport and they should be given the opportunity to build their own home.

While the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) stated that changes to the draft Local Area Plan are 'generally acceptable and welcomed', they added that a number of the material alterations introduced by the elected members are contrary to regional policies objectives of the Development Plan and draft Local Area Plan.

One of the recommendations made by the OPR was not to include the objective to facilitate single dwelling housing which they stated would 'significantly weaken the policy rural housing framework'.

“It [objective] would promote sporadic development rather than plan-led development which is focused on compact growth and regeneration within the existing built-up footprint of the settlement,” the OPR stated while making a recommendation that the local authority make the Local Area Plan without the objective included.

The councillors had also made amendments to rezone three sites at the West Road, Ardmore / Carrownalurgan and along the Lodge Road at Monamore from agricultural to residential.

In response the OPR stated that there was that there is more than sufficient land zoned to meet the projected housing target for Westport and rezoning an additional 20 hectares of land without 'any evidenced based justification' will be contrary to to the objectives of the Development Plan and Regional Policy Objective (RPO) in the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES).

As a result the OPR recommended that the planning authority is required to make the plan without the material contraventions relating to these three sites..

The councillors also proposed to extend the plan boundary from Ardmore to Belclare Junction and zone all lands within the boundary extension for agriculture.

This was also rejected by the Office who stated that extending the boundary would 'facilitate a pattern of urban sprawl' while also expressing concern for the Clew Bay Complex Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

“This approach encourages further agricultural development and one-off housing in an unserviced rural area adjoining a SAC which is contrary to policies and objectives of the Development Plan and RSES which seek to protect European Sites,” they stated.

The Office recommended that the planning authority make the Local Area Plan without extending the plan boundary.