Ministerial sign-off for Westport Local Area Plan
THE Westport Local Area Plan 2023-2029 has received final approval.
A number of key changes proposed by local councillors are included in the plan, which was signed off by Minister of State Alan Dillon.
The development plan process has been criticised by Westport Councillor Peter Flynn, who said there are learnings for the future.
The process started in 2023 and after 'serious battles' with the senior executive of the council and the Office of Planning Regulation (OPR), nearly every change proposed by the local councillors (Brendan Mulroy, Christy Hyland, Johnny O'Malley and himself) were adopted, he noted.
Key changes since the draft issued in 2023 include a master plan for Roman Island, extension of the town boundary to Belclare junction, the inclusion of land on the West Road and Horkan's Hill as fully serviced residential land, inclusion of land on the Lodge Road (conditional on footpath and street lights) and Carnaluragn as residential reserve land if required, dezoned green area at Springfield from residential to recreational, and important objectives around affordable housing/sites and town centre living.
Councillor Flynn paid credit to Minister Dillon for agreeing with some of the strategic reserve lands (with previous planning permission) and he also thanked the planners in the council for their assistance along the way.
“All of these changes,” he noted, “could have been done before the first draft was issued and saved tens of thousands of euros.”
Key learnings, Councillor Flynn said, are that local councillors, stakeholders and the community should be involved in the process from the start.
The OPR, he noted, never visited Westport during the process. “They should have no role in any key decisions,” he stated.
The plan, he continued, should be based on the 'real population', not numbers seven years out of date.
And the mandate of local councillors had to be respected by the council's senior executive.
He concluded: “This is a hugely important strategic document for Westport. Let's hope it is respected and we move Westport forward in a positive way.”