3rd July 2003

PRESS RELEASE

GREEN PARTY SAYS 'NOT ANOTHER ACRE' IN DUN LAOGHAIRE DEVELOPMENT PLAN SUBMISSION

The Green Party has called for an end to the rezoning of high amenity land in the proposed Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Development Plan. The Party has made a detailed submission to the Council this week outlining its proposals for the next County Development Plan.

"There is already sufficient land zoned within the County to provide housing for
the next five years", stated Eamon Ryan, the Green Party TD for Dublin South.
"We want the councillors to resist pressure from the Manager to rezone large
chunks of vital green belt.   We do want affordable housing but the rezoned area
around Kilternan is not the right place to build new estates.  The local road
network can't take the traffic, the local schools don't have the places and the
public transport system is almost non-existent."

"The rezoning of agricultural land halfway between Bray and Shankill also runs
against all the best planning practise.   Given that some 740 acres of
undeveloped land are already available toch could provide some new 15,000
houses, we say that not one additional acre of land needs to be rezoned for the
lifetime of the new plan.

The deadline for submissions from the public to the next Dun Laoghaire
Rathdown Development Plan was the 1st July last. However there will be an
opportunity to comment on the Plan  when the amendments are put on public
display in the autumn. The next County Plan shall run from 2004 - 2010.

The full text of the Green Party submission is available at the link below: http://www.ciarancuffe.com/DunLaoghaire/DunLaoghaireDevelopment
Plan/FinalSubmission.htm

ENDS