The Sallins Local Area Plan is due to be adopted on 26th January (next Monday) and as far as most of us were concerned, it was a done deal. The draft plan was issued last June, submissions were invited over the Summer, amendments were made accordingly, and a final round of submissions (on the amendments) were taken in November.

There was a small degree of Flanagans Ball with a few amendments stepping in again and out again over the rounds of consultation, but the plan was considered done and dusted at this stage and all that remained was the official stamp at the next council meeting.

The land in question – proposed Amenity in line with resident submissions

So it was with some curiosity that residents of Sallins Pier and Sallins Wharf picked a flyer off their mats last weekend. The estates (where I live myself) had been successful in a campaign to have the bypass rerouted from running through them the previous year, and in the area plan a very significant number of residents had made submissions for that green space to now become amenity for the use of the estate – formalising a precedent that already existed for several years, where the residents not only used that green space but paid for its upkeep through maintenance collections by the residents committees. Some history here.

Anyway the flyer was from the developer / landowner. The green space having been reserved for the bypass, was never actually aquired by the council and remained the property of the original developer. Now whilst a compulsory purchase would have arisen had the bypass gone ahead, no such provision exists for the amenity zoning and hence something of a grey area is created.

So the developer has proposed that residents agree to reverse out the amenity zoning in exchange for concessions in a development scheme on the land if residential zoning is reinstated. Now whilst I can appreciate the landowner is not best pleased with the situation, surely a dialogue would have been better instigated last Autumn when they were attempting to appeal the residents submission rather than now, 6 days before the plan is due to go live.
Also while the flyer mentions an appeal on the zoning, it does not mention that appeal has already been made and has already been rejected by the county manager. Finally whilst a similar situation exists in Castlesize estate, in that case there appears to have been an acceptance of the position, rather than an attempt to reverse, via draft plan or otherwise.

To recap some of the reasons behind the amenity zoning are as follows:

- That green space is used daily by residents for amenity, for kids to play, to walk dogs, etc etc
- The green space has and continues to be maintained by residents own monies and efforts
- The carriage way into the estate was never designed even for the existing number of houses
- Further development on that space would strain the infrastructure on exising houses
- There is a lack of open space within the village; green space is at a premium
- The county manager and planners have recommended the space become amenity

Now at this late stage of the game the only way the county managers decision can be reversed is if a majority of councillors vote to overturn the residents submissions at the next full meeting Monday coming 26th Jan. The members are listed here. (Cheat sheet with just contact details here – kildare_county_councillors)

I am sure their phones will be busy in both directions over the coming days..