Councillors vote down objections by state bodies for rezoning in Tullow
Carlow County Council offices Photo: John Courtney
AT the May meeting of Carlow Co Council, councillors voted down objections raised by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the National Transport Authority and the Office of the Planning Regulator to the rezoning of land in Tullow for development.
The land being considered for rezoning is part of the ‘District Town Plan for Tullow’. Objections were raised specifically to the proposed rezoning of land at Tullowphelim and Roscat.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) made a submission setting out its concerns about safety, as some of the proposed rezoning locations are located on the N81 where there is a speed limit of 80kmh. TII said that these plans ‘raise concerns in terms of safety and capacity of the national road network’.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) made a submission ‘expressing serious concerns’ about how some of the land being considered is ‘relatively remote from the town centre’ and means that ‘development at this location would likely to be car dependent owing to the lack of sustainable transport options connections’.
The Office of the Planning Regulator’s (OPR) submission stated that as the locations being proposed for rezoning are on the periphery of Tullow, they would constitute an ‘unnecessary linear expansion along the N81 into the rural hinterland’.
After these submissions were announced, councillors expressed dismay and disbelief at the points they raised.
While cllr Brian O’Donohue thanked the agencies for the detailed submissions they had made, he said that: “The councillors of the Tullow district cannot agree with the submissions of the TII, NTA and OPR.” He went on to say that: “The TII, NTA and OPR seem to believe that if it is not perfect, it’s out.”
He also said that the councillors had no choice but to zone these sites for housing. “While it’s most unfortunate to have disagreed with the executive and our senior planners, we feel our reasons are justified,” cllr O’Donohue said.
When it came to the objections raised because of the speed limit on the N81, cllr O’Donohue said that many wanted the speed limit lowered there anyway, as there is a crèche on that part of the road, and he said that it was the Tullow councillors’ opinion that the TII should take action to lower the speed limit there.
Expressing disbelief at the NTA’s submission, cllr O’Donohue said: “The mind boggles at some of their commentary,” as despite Tullow being the third biggest town in the Carlow-Kilkenny area, every household is car dependent because of a lack of public transport.
Cllr O’Donohue’s remarks on behalf of the Tullow Municipal District councillors were seconded in the chamber by his fellow Tullow councillors.
When it came to voting on the objections, 16 councillors voted against, while cllr Adrienne Wallace and cllr John Cassin abstained.
