Dublin city councillors are being strongly urged to resist rezoning the last stretch of agricultural land within the city limits, even though it has already been bought by developers for major housing schemes.
Under the draft city development plan published last spring, more than 100 acres at Pellets town - between Finglas and Ash town - were rezoned for housing, because of its relative proximity to existing built-up areas. Since then, more than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for the land to be protected because it provides the only rural setting for the River Tolka and the Royal Canal within the city boundary.
"Builders are lining up to develop it," said Ms Pat Allison, a local resident and secretary of the Phoenix Park Racecourse Preservation Association. "If it goes, there will be no more agricultural land left in the city."
With the racecourse site already rezoned for housing by Fingal County Council in its draft development plan, Ms Allison said major housing schemes in nearby Pelletstown would add to the traffic problems in this part of Dublin.
To coincide with a city council planning committee meeting on the draft plan later today, objectors are planning a protest at Ash town roundabout this morning. Mr John Bowler, a local resident and environmental activist, said they had received "a lot of support" from local politicians across party lines because of the "unique rural quality" of the Pelletstown area. "Ideally, we would like to see it protected by a special amenity area order, such as the one proposed for Howth," Mr Bowler said last night. However, he accepted that this was a long shot because the land had already been bought up.
It is believed that two major housing developers have acquired options to buy the Pelletstown land. With increased densities likely to be applied, it could accommodate 1,500 homes. "Because of all the houses likely to be built here as well as on the Phoenix Park racecourse site and the grounds of Blanchardstown Hospital, we could have an extra 3,000 cars coming on to roads which can't handle such traffic," according to Mr Bowler.
Tentative plans would leave a strip of open land about 100 yards wide between the Royal Canal and the River Tolka. "Apart from that, it looks like an intense housing development," he added.
He said city councillors had been warned by Dublin Corporation's senior planning officials there would be a risk of incurring claims for compensation if the draft rezoning was not confirmed.
"Whether we win or lose, I think it would be bad for local democracy if the council rezoned this land because of any fear of developers and the speculative gains they stand to make on these deals." Asked if the area was not already well-served with open space because of its proximity to the Phoenix Park, he said the park was an artificial rather than a natural landscape and, in any case, it was dominated by cars.
"What we're looking at here in Pelletstown is the last intact river valley within the city limits," he said. "People need these kind of areas for their physical, mental and emotional well-being."
