Minutes 2023

Minutes of Special Meeting of Sligo County Council held at 2.00 Pm on Monday 2nd October 2023 in The Council Chamber, County Hall, Riverside, Sligo To Consider The Proposed Draft County Sligo Development Plan 2024-2030


COUNCILLORS PRESENT:

Baker, Bree, Casserly, Clarke, Connolly, Fox, Gibbons, Gilroy, Healy, Maguire, Mullaney, Mulvey, O’Grady, Queenan, Taylor and Walsh.
(R) = participated in the meeting remotely

 

OFFICIALS IN ATTENDANCE:

  • Mr. Martin Lydon, Chief Executive
  • Mr. Jim Molloy, Director of Services
  • Ms. Emer Concannon, A/Director of Service
  • Ms. Dorothy Clarke, Director of Service
  • Ms. Marie Whelan, Head of Finance
  • Mr. Frank Moylan, Senior Planner
  • Ms. Mihaela Davidescu, Senior Executive Planner
  • Mr. Barry Ward, Executive Planner
  • Ms. Leonora McConville, Executive Planner
  • Ms. Sinéad Branley, Meetings Administrator
  • Ms. Pauline Lavelle, Staff Officer
  • Mr. Francis Conboy, IS Technical Support Officer.

 

CATHAOIRLEACH:

Cathaoirleach Councillor Gerard Mullaney, presided.

 

APOLOGIES:

Apologies were received from Councillors MacSharry and O’Boyle.

 

ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEETING:

The Cathaoirleach welcomed all present to the meeting.

 

1. CONSIDER PROPOSED DRAFT COUNTY SLIGO DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2024–2030:

The Members were advised of the following format to commence the meeting:

  • Introduction by Frank Moylan, Senior Planner
  • Overview of Draft Plan and Process in two stages
    • Short presentation highlighting some of the headline issues to be addressed in the CDP
    • Outline of the Draft CDP in terms of structure and main content (Volumes 1 – 4) by Frank Moylan, Senior Planner
  • Followed by Members’

The Draft Plan, once agreed, will go on public display for a period of ten weeks and submissions will be accepted from the public.

Mr. Moylan outlined the background to the Plan and the preparation process in accordance with the requirements of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended). 

Mr. Moylan stressed the importance of the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy (RSES) influencing the content of the Plan. This Council has also recently adopted the Sligo 2030 Plan and it is fortunate that the Census 2022 figures have recently been published, which can be reflected in the preparation of the Core Strategy in the population figures for the town and county and highlights that Sligo is on its way to achieving the population projections set out in the NPF.

Mr. Moylan outlined some headline changes contained in the Draft Plan and some issues which need to be addressed and for which various actions, policies and plans are contained in the Draft Plan.

Once the County Development Plan is adopted, the preparation for the Sligo & Environs Local Area Plan will then commence.

The proposed Draft County Development Plan was submitted to the Members on 14th September 2023 and comprises of twelve documents

  • Volume 1 – Core Strategy
  • Volume 2 – Urban Development
  • Volume 3 - General Policies
  • Volume 4 – Village Plans
  • Appendices (9 no.)
  • Landscape Characterisation Map
  • Housing Strategy
  • Draft Sligo Local Transport Map
  • Wine Street Car Park Masterplan
  • Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)
  • Appropriate Assessment (AA)
  • Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA)

Following the public display period, the second Chief Executive’s Report will be prepared and issued to the Members for consideration.  There will be a further opportunity at that time to make amendments and this should be towards the beginning of the next year.  A Special Meeting will also be held to consider the second Chief Executive’s Report early in 2024.

Mr. Moylan outlined the main changes to the Draft Plan compared to the current CDP 2017-2023.

Members were advised that they may make amendments to the proposed Draft Plan by resolution.  Any such amendments must be submitted in writing, by way of a written motion and submitted at the meeting.  However, any material changes to the Draft Plan would have to further assessed against AA and SEA provisions which would therefore delay the publication of the plan.

Following further discussions, queries were raised by Members and clarified by the Planning Staff in relation to

  • Accessibility to the Draft Plan by members of the public and opportunities for queries by the public one the Draft Plan goes on public display
  • Contingency in the plan to deal with increased population in the county from the projections contained in the Draft Plan
  • Reason for zoning of some lands for mixed use as opposed to residential use
  • Timeline for the process once amendments are proposed
  • Reason for so many listed buildings in Enniscrone
  • Clarification on what percentage of zoned lands were developed
  • Concern on reduction of zoned lands in Ballymote
  • Concerns around Active Travel
  • Concern around 60HA reduction of zoned lands from current Plan
  • Queries on designation of villages that do not have waste water treatment plant infrastructure
  • Query on Flood Risk Assessments procedure
  • Queries on designated land at Sligo Airport
  • Query on lack of zoned lands in the North of Sligo town
  • Holding of workshop exclusively for planners, engineers, consultants and agents
  • Use of Material Contravention process for unserviced lands
  • Designation of towns as ‘support towns’.

Councillor Casserly informed the meeting that she wished to be disassociated with remarks/insinuations made earlier at the meeting in relation to there being another agenda or ulterior motive to the delay in the preparation of the Draft Plan, commending the professionalism of the planning staff on the preparation of the draft CDP adding that the process involves a vast amount of work.

Arising from the discussions, replies and proposals put forward, the Cathaoirleach dealt with the resolutions in the order they had been received by him:

Proposed by Councillor M. Casserly
Seconded by Cpuncillor. J. Queenan

AND AGREED

Having considered

  • the Proposed Draft Sligo County Development Plan 2024-2030, dated the 14 September 2023;
  • the associated environmental reports (Strategic Environmental Assessment, Appropriate Assessment, Strategic Flood Risk Assessment);
  • the accompanying Housing Strategy, Draft Sligo Local Transport Plan and Wine Street Car Park Masterplan,

prepared by the Chief Executive in accordance with section 11(5) of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended), it is hereby resolved to approve the Draft Plan as submitted by the Chief Executive, subject to any amendments, if any, agreed at this meeting.

Public notice shall be given of the preparation of the Draft Plan, and written submissions or observations shall be invited from the public for the further consideration of this Planning Authority before the making of the Plan in accordance with the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).

Proposed by Councillor M. Clarke
Seconded by Councillor. P. Taylor

“That Sligo County Council considering that, at the time of drafting this Development Plan (2024-2030), the rural planning Guidelines, the envisaged National Landscape Character Map and guidance had not been published, nor has the Northern and western regional Assembly provided a Regional Landscape Character Assessment and that Sligo County Council has not completed a landscape characterisation and appraisal study since 1996, hereby remove all characterisations on F Landscape Characterisation Map from the Draft County Development Plan until a new Landscape Character Assessment has been carried out or based on submissions received add in routes to the final plan.  The County Development Plan 2024-2030 can be amended to include characterisations recommended in such an Assessment.”

In relation to the above motion, Mr. Moylan advised that it is a mandatory requirement that a Landscape Characterization Map is included in our County Development Plan and to remove this element, as suggested in the motion, would constitute a material change to the Draft Plan. 

It was agreed to defer this motion to the next meeting on the County Development Plan, to be convened following the period of public consultation, in early 2024.

 

Proposed by Councillor. D. Gilroy
Seconded by Councillor. T. Walsh

“That Sligo County Council considering that Zoning has been removed from five villages within the county that do not have waste water infrastructure available within the life of this plan should not have a Green Belt Zone as there should be no Zones in these villages.  We therefore remove the green belt zoning from these.”

It was agreed to defer this motion to the next meeting on the County Development Plan, to be convened following the period of public consultation, in early 2023.

 

Proposed by Councillor. D. Bree
Seconded by Councillor. T. Healy

“That the following strategic objective be included after SO-TRA-6: ‘Support the re-opening of the Western Rail Corridor in order to deliver the Sligo – Claremorris – Tuam – Athenry Rail at an appropriate level of service and at a standard capable of facilitating passenger and freight transport and present an opportunity to provide an integrated rail linkage to the Ireland West Airport Knock’.”

It was agreed to defer this motion to the next meeting on the County Development Plan, to be convened following the period of public consultation, in early 2024.

 

END OF MEETING:

The business of the meeting concluded at 4.45 p.m.


Meeting Date 02/10/2023