Proposed changes to the Mayo Development Plan, including a New Core Strategy adn Settlement Strategy, are now out for public consultation. The proposed Variation of the Development Plan sets out the population and new household requirements for the County and identifies that there is a significant excess of residentially-zoned lands in most towns. Submissions on the Development Plan Variation can now be made to Mayo County Council.
Mayo County Council has published a Variation to the current Mayo County Development Plan 2008-2014, which covers all of County Mayo, except the towns of Castlebar, Westport and Ballina. The Variation includes a new Core Strategy that sets out the revised population projections and household requirements and, consequently, identifies that there is significant over-zoning of lands for residential development in 6 no. towns.
Table 10 of the Variation indicates that there is excess residential zoning in Ballinrobe, Ballyhaunis, Charlestown, Claremorris, Kiltimagh and Swinford, totalling 244 hectares in all.
The Variation states that the relevant town plans (Local Area Plans) will have to be reviewed to address the excessive residential zoning within a year of the new Core Strategy being adopted. It states that the mechanisms to deal with the over-zoning could include dezoning, rezoning and phasing.
Whilst the County Development Plan does not, itself, include land use zoning, the proposed Variation is likely to result in significant changes to zoning in the main towns in the County. However, the details of any zoning changes in the 6 no. towns mentioned above will be subject of separate publicity following the adoption of the new Core Strategy.
The proposed Variation and associated documents are available to view on the Council’s website at http://www.mayococo.ie/en/Planning/DevelopmentPlansLocalAreaPlansandStrategies/MayoCountyDevelopmentPlan2008-2014/#d.en.16514
Submissions may be made until Friday 12th August 2011.