The Galway County Council has this week reached a compromise on plans for the future development of Nan Burke's field, a 13-acre plot in Oughterard which had been earmarked for social housing in the draft development plan for the town.

Following heated exchanges on Monday councillors voted by a majority of four to zone eight acres of the field for housing, along with seven acres for community and educational facilities and three acres for town centre development. It is understood the majority Connemara councillors had backed a separate proposal for the land to be subdivided into eight acres for amenity, six acres for housing, and three acres for town centre zoning.

Nan Burke's field was bought by the local authority some years ago for 1.1 million IrPounds, and the original intention had been to use the entire 13 acre field to provide a mix of social, affordable, and sheltered housing. It is understood some 80 people are currently seeking social or affordable housing in Oughterard village.

However the proposals to use the field for housing ran into opposition from local residents, with many requesting that the field be used for community and recreational facilities rather than housing. Some 300 people made submissions regarding Nan Burke's field following the publication of the draft plan last year, with the majority calling for the field to be used to provide community facilities for the village. A number of submissions also objected to the use of the field for social and affordable housing.

At Monday's meeting Cllr Seamus (sic) Ó Cuaig hit out at the pressure which had come to bear on local councillors when the local area committee considered the submissions and the subsequent manager's report on the plan.

"When this plan started I noticed a campaign to prevent housing in Nan Burke's field, and as usual the local councillors were targeted and I wouldn't like to be in their shoes when the campaign started," he said. "I think this is a matter of principle because it affects the whole county in the attitude of this council to people hoping to get social and affordable housing. Eighty people want housing in Oughterard and we mustn't forget that. The profile of people looking for housing has changed." Cllr Ó Cuaig proposed that eight acres of the field be zoned for housing, with seven acres for recreation and the remaining two acres for village centre, and this proposal was seconded by Cllr Seán Ó Tuairisg.

"We did come under a lot of pressure and we can see from the amount of submissions the level of concern," Cllr Ó Tuairisg told the meeting. "Thirteen acres of social housing would cause concern because it could be a ghetto. I have said a mix would be very acceptable to me, but it might not be acceptable locally."

Cllr Connie Ní Fhatharta also supported the motion, saying that if less land was provided for housing the council would not be in a position to provide affordable housing in the area.

Cllr Tom Welby strongly refuted claims that residents in the town were against further social housing developments.

"If you look at the submissions the majority of those are related to amenity," he said. "Over a number of years the county council has built approximately 120 houses in Oughterard. We have no community facilities to cater for the 120 houses. The Clann resource centre are renting a facility in Oughterard. The HSE is looking for two acres, the rugby club need land, we are trying to provide land for the school, and we are looking for sheltered housing. We have a soccer club that is trying to buy land three miles outside the town on a little narrow country road. We are going to be causing a lot of situations where people will be driving out to community facilities three or four miles outside the town."

Cllr Welby, supported by Cllr Sean Kyne, proposed that six acres of the field be zoned for residential use, along with eight acres for community facilities and three acres for village centre.

Councillors eventually voted, amid heated exchanges, to adopt Cllr Ó Cuaig's proposal for the field.

A raft of rezonings were also made in Monday's discussion, along with re-routing of roads and the removal of car parking objectives from two sites in the village. Director of services Paul Ridge warned councillors that the plan contained excessive levels of residential zoning.

"The population required would be as high as 10,000 which is far bigger than Oughterard can become," he said.

Some 250 acres have been zoned for residential development in the village. The amendments to the plan will now go on public display and further public submissions will be invited.

Una Sinnot Galway Advertiser 13/4/2006

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