Madam, - The final paragraphs of your balanced report headed "Councillor says rezoning bad for Monaghan" represented my concerns about the rezoning of far more land for housing than is recommended (The Irish Times, October 27th). However, I wish to emphasise that anyone deciding to relocate to Monaghan will be assured of a very warm welcome.
My point is that it is politically irresponsible to vote for extensive rezoning in small villages, especially when it flies in the face of compelling expert advice. I welcome the comments of Minister for the Environment Dick Roche (reported in your newspaper the following day) expressing concern about proposed large-scale rezoning in the draft development plan for Monaghan.
He also said he had seen the damage done by rezoning in advance of infrastructure in his own constituency of Wicklow over the past 30 years,which had "led to people struggling for schools and basic services".
The new M1 motorway has made Monaghan very accessible from Dublin and the zoning recommendations of the draft county development plan offer exciting opportunities for weary urban dwellers to move to this beautiful county. My concern is that departing radically from the recommended expert projections could damage the quality of life that makes our county so attractive.
The people of Monaghan will undoubtedly welcome newcomers, but it is unfair on everyone to lure large numbers of young families into any area of the country without a long-term planning strategy, essential services and infrastructure. - Yours, etc,
Cllr VINCENT P. MARTIN (Independent), Church Street, Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan.