John Gormley, TD (right), Minister for the Environment, Heritage & Local Government, has said he cannot comment directly on current Garda investigations into planning and re-zoning matters in County Waterford.Gardaí have interviewed all of the elected Waterford county councillors and some council officials, following an allegation of planning irregularities.
This evening senior Gardaí in Dungarvan (the county town of Co. Waterford) have stressed that there is no cloud hanging over the councillors or council officials, and they have done absolutely nothing wrong.
Superintendent Tom O'Grady said the councillors and officials were interviewed as part of their investigations and nothing more.
The Minister has confirmed that his department will be writing to Waterford County Council about the proposal to re-zone 300 acres of land outside Dungarvan (above) from agricultural to industrial use. He said that he is concerned with the scale of the proposed development, adding that he believes there are some problems with the infrastructural capacity in the area. He also said it is not in keeping with the regional planning guidelines and the government's Spatial Strategy.The Emerald Islander
3 comments:
Well so the rezoning has been mentioned however what will be the criteria for building? For a country as beautiful as Ireland can they not set some parameters on what kind of structures are built. And furthermore why not refurbish buildings that are already there instead of trying to intrude upon the landscape. Finally what is all the talk all the way around the bush why do they not just cut to the chase instead of speaking in generalities.
Quite right. If all the existing buildings would be renovated in a proper and environmentally friendly way, there would be little need for new ones. People could live in very beautiful old houses, but with the benefit of proper insulation and modern conveniences. And on top of it such refurbishment work would create a lot of skilled jobs as well as apprenticeship places.
In many other European countries this is the way things are done. But in Ireland we seem to have the compulsion of choosing always the worst possible solution. So expect more housing estates without any character, where all houses look the same and the only ones laughing all the way to the bank are the developers, building contractors and estate agents.
Perhaps it is time for the people to make more noise, talk seriously to our TDs and the other elected representatives, and tell them what we really want. Making a mark on a voting paper is not enough to have a functioning democracy.
so then what are the parameters for refurbishment of a property. For example how would one go about refurbishing an older home and getting approved by the housing authorities? Would that involve such a length of time and money that it could not be done in this lifetime? Or would there be grant monies in place to restore an original building? What would it take to declare a home "historic?" It just doesn't make sense to ruin the landscape.
Post a Comment