Meath county councillors have unanimously agreed to rezone about 38 acres of land around the village of Stamullen despite warnings from council planners that the area lacks transport, shops, water and sewerage services.
The rezoning was approved after five local councillors recommended approval for a deal involving the zoning of 20 acres for housing in return for 18 acres to be zoned for community use. The council was told the 18 acres represented the best chance of attaining facilities for the village.
The land will provide GAA pitches and an athletics track, a community hall with meeting rooms, and five acres for a park along the Devlin river.
The main landowner was named as a company called Palladrone which, according to records filed with the Companies Office, represents Tony Fayne, Sandycove Road, Co Dublin, and Michael Simpson, Fortfield Drive, Terenure, Dublin.
The local area councillors who recommended the deal were Jim Cudden (Ind), Pat Boshell (FF), Tom Kelly (GP), Ann Dillon Gallagher (FG), and Dominic Hannigan (Lab).
Mr Hanningan told The Irish Times he wished it was not necessary to do deals to achieve facilities such as sports fields, recreation and community areas for the local population, but this was the case.
He said he believed the deal represented the best chance the locals had of achieving some level of "community gain".
However, county manager Tom Dowling criticised the deal, saying there was already almost 600 acres of zoned, undeveloped land in the east Meath area.
In a report issued to councillors before the meeting, Mr Dowling had said the number of requests for rezoning, coupled with the available zoned land and pockets of land recommended for rezoning in his own report, had the potential to "lead to a trebling of the residential population in Stamullen within a confined period of time.
"This has adverse implications for the amenity of existing established residents and results in the loss of character to the urban fabric of the area. This loss of character and excessive residential development within the area has been identified by local residents and community groups as being a key concern."
Stamullen has a population of 2,173, has few shops or sporting facilities, and its water and sewerage facilities have come under pressure in recent years, the council was told.
However, Cllr Hannigan said the proposed increase in zoned land would raise the population by a "modest" 30 per cent and provide much-needed facilities.
On being told of the additional zoned, undeveloped land in the area, Mr Hannigan said the deal for sports and leisure facilities was then all the more important.
He said the amount of land put forward for rezoning in east Co Meath would now total less than 100 acres, with about 44 acres of "community gain".
He had opposed many rezoning motions because there was no community gain, and he was happy with this outcome.
The proposals, which are now part of the draft County Development Plan, will not become actual zonings until March 2007, when the plan is due for final approval by councillors.
