Roscommon land zoned for housing against council advice

Zoning a parcel of land in Cortober, on the edge of Carrick-on-Shannon, for housing “completely flies in the face” of proper and sustainable development, according to the chief executive of Roscommon County Council.

At a recent special meeting on zoning, Cllr Leah Cull proposed that a parcel of land at Knockadalteen, Cortober be zoned for residential developments.

A submission from the owner of the land said that the parcel was currently zoned for agriculture, close to Cortober, and adjacent to public water and wastewater services.

The submission also stated that half of the road frontage of the site fell within the 50 km/ph zone with the remainder within the 60 km/ph zone.

The council recommended that the land should remain unzoned and outside the Cortober boundary.

During the meeting, Cllr Leah Cull proposed that the site be zoned for new residential developments, saying she had submitted a detailed proposal on the matter.

In this, she said she addressed the site’s location, which she said was very favourable for housing and was well served.

“We really need to make more positive and proactive decisions when it comes to Cortober,” she said.

Her motion was seconded by Cllr Tom Crosby. Cllr Valerie Byrne also lent her support.

“I think we should be promoting lots of development in Cortober so that no body the far side (County Leitrim) thinks they can come over this side, like they did in Athlone,” Cllr Byrne said, referring to the 2015 proposal for Westmeath to incorporate Monksland.

Cllr Liam Callaghan agreed that the land in the area was very restricted due to a number of reasons, including the planned bypass.

“We in the Boyle area would be neglectful in our duty if we didn’t see some bit of ground to develop in that area,” he said.

Council chief executive Shane Tiernan said the proposal “completely flies in the face” of proper and sustainable development.

“We need to be careful,” he said. “If this is zoned it will certainly be flying in the face of planning policy nationally and our own county development plan, so it will raise flags.” 

Director of services Mark Keaveney said that the plot of land, a “huge” 5.5 hectares, was removed from footpaths and services, and located on a bad stretch of road.

“It is just not a suitable portion of land in any respect,” he said. 

The council’s recommendation was not proposed, but Cllr Cull’s proposal was adopted.

Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.