Wicklow County Council Faces Questions Over Status Of Local Area Plans

Wicklow Sinn Féin TD John Brady has argued that the Wicklow County Council Planning Strategic Policy Committee has serious questions to answer.

Its follows revelations that the Planning SPC failed to perform its core statutory function of ensuring that local area plans are up to date.

Its failure to do so has led to planning for hundreds of homes across Wicklow being turned down by An Bord Pleanála

This includes 329 homes in Blessington, a further 352 homes in Rathnew, and with further questions being raised in the Arklow area.

In a statement Deputy Brady said "In both instances local area plans were allowed to lapse in 2019. A full five years ago. This cannot be passed off as an oversight or some obscure admin difficulty.

They had five full years to fulfil their role, which includes ensuring that the local area plans were up to date, which would have addressed the key roadblock preventing the building of hundreds of homes across Wicklow.

The whole matter raises serious questions as to what the six elected representatives were doing on the Planning SPC for the duration of the last Council."

 However, councillor Edward Timmins has refuted the accusations from Deputy Brady.

He stated: “Clearly Deputy Brady does not understand the planning process. If the Blessington local area plan had been put in place it would reduce or stop house building in Blessington. This is because it would have to be based on the old National Planning Framework. The new National Planning Framework, which the Blessington plan would have to adhere to, is currently being finalised and is based on the 2022 census. The Blessington plan has commenced and will be finalised in tandem with the new National Planning Framework which will facilitate housing construction in line with demand.