Kilbeggan area councillors are to hold a special meeting to discuss the Local Area Plan for Ballinagore, after they expressed concern about aspects of the plan.
The county manager’s report on the Ballinagore Local Area Plan will be brought before the full council for approval later this month; however, the four councillors who represent the Kilbeggan area had a preview of the latest amendments to the plan last week and their initial reaction was disappointment.
“I am disappointed with the report. There was tremendous interest in the plan, and after 27 submissions the manager is telling us to adopt the plan with practically no changes. We are being told it’s the people’s plan,” said Cllr Joe Flanagan.
Cllr Gerry Corcoran was concerned that the plan appears to focus on one side of the river to the detriment of the other.
“It was felt that for the future of the village both sides of the river should have the potential to be developed. There has been very little consideration of this. It is disappointing,” he said.
However, planning official Hugh O’Neill explained that the decision not to develop both sides of the river was predominantly due to the constraints of the waste water treatment system in the area.
The four Kilbeggan area councillors, Cllrs Paul Daly, Joe Flanagan, Gerry Corcoran, and Colin Arthur will meet to discuss the Ballinagore plan in the coming weeks.
