Councillors in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown are to vote tonight on a controversial rezoning to allow for a retirement village at the foot of the Dublin Mountains.
An Óige, An Taisce and local residents’ associations are among 67 individuals and organisations objecting to the rezoning.
Councillors will be asked to vote on a variation of the local authority’s county development plan that will specifically rezone a seven-hectare site on the outer side of the M50 at Ticknock near Sandyford to allow a retirement village to be “permitted in principle”.
The land is zoned to “protect and improve rural amenity and to provide for the development of agriculture”. If the rezoning is agreed, it will be available for “residential (independent, assisted and convalescent living), ancillary medical and related uses, associated retail, pharmacy, restaurant, care centres, community facilities and village centre uses”.
Despite the advice of county manager Owen Keegan to reject the variation, councillors had agreed to initiate the process in July 2011. It was put out for public consultation in September.
There were 100 submissions received, with 67 objections, 24 in support of the development and nine described by the council as neutral in a report from Mr Keegan circulated to councillors.
The promoter of the retirement village, Rod McGovern, said the facility would create 200 full- and part-time jobs and all of the services required by the elderly would be provided on site.
