Local Councillor, Shirley O’Hara, has formally requested a Local Area Plan be developed for Rathcoole. Despite the Council Management stating that this was not necessary, Cllr. O’Hara pushed her motion to a vote which was supported by her fellow Councillors in the Clondalkin, Newcastle and Rathcoole area. There are currently multiple planning applications and approved planning permissions in Rathcoole ranging from Stoney Lane all the way up to Broadfield. Plans even include a controversial large-scale housing proposal by the Council itself. According to Cllr. O’Hara no one is looking at these plans holistically, and instead Rathcoole is being developed in a piece-meal way, which is creating traffic chaos and putting pressure on the local schools.
“In my view, the way Rathcoole is being developed is not sustainable and it’s not good planning. None is looking at all the planning applications in Rathcoole holistically. A Local Area Plan is something residents have been asking for quite some time and I agree that it’s the best way to plan for the future of Rathcoole,” explained Cllr. O’Hara.
“Newcastle has an Area Plan and so does Fortunestown in Citywest, but Rathcoole, which is also a developing village, does not. I know we’re getting ready to do the next Development Plan and I know that zoning for Rathcoole will be included in that, but I don’t think that’s good enough to have to rely on the County Development Plan to decide how this village grows. I think we need a vision for how Rathcoole should be developed; because right now it’s being developed in a piece-meal way, which is creating traffic chaos and putting pressure on the local schools,” said Cllr. Shirley O’Hara.
In its response to Cllr. O’Hara, South Dublin County Council stated that the County Development Plan is an appropriate policy context for Rathcoole, and pointed out that the current Development Plan does not include Rathcoole as an area that requires a Local Area Plan.
“There’s a lot of anger in Rathcoole about how their village has been developed and creating a Local Area Plan would at least give locals the opportunity to help shape a vision for the development of Rathcoole and provide better transparency around the strategy for building of homes in the area. That’s why I pushed my motion to a vote, because I didn’t believe that the residents I represent would be happy with the Manager’s report. The next step from my perspective will be to table a motion to ask that the next County Development Plan includes a Local Area Plan for Rathcoole,” concluded Cllr. O’Hara.
