A local councillor has labelled the rezoning of lands at Greenogue Industrial Estate as “irresponsible”. People Before Profit Councillor Madeleine Johansson made the comments following the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-2028 meeting. The lands are located north of the Greenogue Industrial estate in Newcastle, Co Dublin and comprises of 50.98 hectares which were previously zoned for Rural use. At the Development Plan meetings councillors voted to rezone the lands for Enterprise and Employment which would allow an expansion of the Greenogue Industrial estate. The lands comprise of parcels of land that have been identified as Flood Zones by the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment. South Dublin County Council planners recommended that the lands should not be rezoned.
Cllr Madeleine Johansson commented: “I think it’s incredibly irresponsible to rezone these lands for industrial development when they have been identified as Flood Zones. We know that one of the impacts of Climate Change is the increased frequency and severity of flooding events. We have a responsibility to protect and mitigate against disastrous flooding events, and one of the ways we can do that is to limit development in areas that are at risk of flooding.
“In 2011 the Camac river burst its banks and many homes and businesses were destroyed by the flooding. These types of events are likely to increase as Climate Change continues and escalates. The promises of jobs in the short term should not be used as an excuse to cause harm to our communities and the environment in the long term.”
