The Rosshill/Roscam Residents Association has criticised the decision by the Chief Executive of Galway City Council not to fully adopt the recommendation of the Office of Planning Regulation (OPR ) to omit the LDR zoning on the Roscam Peninsula from the Draft City Development Plan 2023-2029 and to return the area to its pre-2005 Agricultural-High Amenity G zoning.
Speaking following the release of the CEO’s report on the submissions on the draft city development plan, Chair of the Residents Association Philip Harkin said they are very concerned by the decision of the CEO not to follow the recommendation of the Office of the Planning regulator (OPR ) on this important green space and protect the unique historical and environmental assets from unwarranted and unsustainable development.”
“In changing the LDR zoning to R2 the CEO has engaged in semantics and has failed to give effect to the substance of the OPR’s recommendations. R2 zoning is just LDR by another name and is not the Agricultural High Amenity zoning the Planning Regulator recommended.”
“The OPR has highlighted that the draft plan has zoning for over 11,000 houses when even the most optimistic forecasts suggest the maximum housing need is 6,000 units.
“We don’t suffer from a lack of zoning, what we suffer from is land banking. Analysis has shown that to date during the life of the current plan 2017-2023, less than one in four of the houses given planning permission were actually built.”
The Rosshill/Roscam Residents association is calling on the CEO and City Councillors to fully adopt the substance of the OPR’s recommendation to zone the lands in question to G Agricultural High Amenity.
“COVID-19 has highlighted the need for better planning of open spaces, and the role of liveable cities in enhancing our wellbeing. The Roscam peninsula is one of the last largest open green spaces on the eastern side of the City. Good planning is fundamental to our long-term wellbeing” said Residents chair Philip Harkin.
