Duffy calls for all land within the former town council boundaries to be zoned for housing

Ballina Municipal District councillor Mark Duffy has called for land within the former town council boundaries to be zoned for housing.

This comes as Cllr Duffy called the Government’s housing policy an ‘unmitigated disaster’ that has ‘left a legacy that will negatively impact Ireland for years to come’.

The Mayo councillor has said there is ‘still hope’ to address the problem, but will require ‘strong political will’ to overcome.

Cllr Duffy referenced the North West Regional Assembly, according to which county Mayo is meeting just 30 percent of its housing needs. 

“Logically, this suggests we should zone at least 300 percent of the land for housing to meet demand and support developers eager to solve the housing crisis,” commented the Independent councillor.

He continued: “Why? Because some land zoned for residential use remains undeveloped due to landowners' personal, financial, or agricultural reasons.

“However, with the government's recent backtracking on the residential land zoning tax, there are now zero incentives for these landowners to develop their zoned land. While some landowners oppose zoning, many others are keen to have their land zoned residential to develop housing projects.”

Cllr Duffy said he is of the opinion that all land within the former town council boundaries should be immediately zoned for residential use. 

“Some estates built during the Celtic Tiger era were on the outskirts of towns, not ideal, but now established. Government policy, through active travel measures, aims to connect these estates with dedicated walking and cycling infrastructure. 

“If this is the case, then surely lands closer to town centres should also be zoned for residential use, as they would benefit from environmentally friendly active travel solutions,” he added.

Cllr Duffy gave the example of attempting to increase zoning ambition in Ballina, and explained that constraints by housing targets set in the county development plan were in place.

“If the power indeed lies outside Mayo, one might think joining the North West Regional Assembly would help. However, as one of Mayo's representatives there, I've found that even here, our ambition for housing development is curtailed, with the power seemingly residing elsewhere,” he commented.

“Only the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) and Government Ministers can address this madness,” concluded Cllr Duffy.

As public consultation is now open for the draft National Planning Framework (NPF), Cllr Duffy has called on the people of Mayo to have their say and help ‘drive ambition, allowing Mayo to deliver on housing developments that meet local needs and attract our friends and families back from abroad to prosper in their home county’.  

To find out more, see the NPF website.