Limerick residents express fear at loss of estate’s green space

RESIDENTS living in an estate in a Limerick village have expressed concerns over plans which could see housing permitted on a green space.

Almost 20 people based at The Village estate in Adare have written to Limerick City and County Council to request that a proposal to rezone a green play area from open space to residential in the upcoming Adare Local Area Plan be rejected.

As part of the Local Area Plan - which once passed will govern what can and cannot be built in and around Adare - it’s planned to change the use of the area from open space to new residential.

As things stand, houses generally cannot be built on land which is designated as open space - and any planning application can be refused on this basis.

However, if this status changes to new residential, it increases the possibility housing applications would be approved.

The issue has been cast into focus this week, with councillors set to meet on Thursday to discuss the adoption of this new development plan.

One resident who has contacted the council stated the green space is used by children and older residents as a “safe space to exercise, walk and mingle along a path which is maintained by residents.”

They said the green - in use since 2008 - serves 69 houses which 85 children call home, and is maintained by the residents.

Land Registry documents reveal that the green is in the ownership of Tizzard Holdings Ltd, a company which is named as the applicant on the €30m redevelopment of Adare Manor in 2015 upon its purchase by JP McManus.

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Prior to 2015, the green area was in the ownership of Adare Partners, which had an address listed at Adare Manor.

It was this company which in 2005 secured planning permission to develop 276 homes at The Village in Adare. But with the onset of the economic downturn, only 69 of these were actually built, which makes up the current Village estate. It left this green space, which in 2015 was rezoned to open space. This move came despite a fresh attempt in the years leading up to it to develop housing on the green.

Although it’s the role of councillors to adopt, reject or amend the development plan, council chief executive Dr Pat Daly has recommended the patch of land be rezoned residential, save for a part of the land measuring 0.217 hectares which remains a green space.

This rezoning, Dr Daly wrote would be “in line with the principles of compact growth and to insure an efficient use of serviced land”.

“The zoning of this site for residential use as presented in the draft plan is supported by an assessment in the Settlement Capacity Audit and in line with the principles of proper planning and sustainable development, providing for compact growth and ideally located close to community services,” he wrote in a briefing documents to be considered by councillors this Thursday.

“Further based on site history it is clear this area was never identified or designated as an area of open space for The Village development,” Dr Daly added.

Separately, the Adare Local Area plan also contains a provision that land within the grounds of Adare Manor be rezoned for tourism-related development. In a letter to council, agents for Tizzard Holdings Unlimited Company - the owner of Adare Manor - said it supported this redesignation.

“Our client acknowledges and welcomes the new tourism and related land use zoning now applied to a substantial portion of the Adare Manor Estate lands. This zoning is important in the context of the Ryder Cup event. It will facilitate the hosting of the event and ensure that land use requirements arising in advance of the event can be addressed under the terms of the new Local Area Plan,” they stated.

They also requested three other patches of land within the grounds of the resort also be rezoned for tourism-related development.

If passed, the Adare Local Area Plan as proposed will be valid until 2030, when a new strategy for the area will be drawn up.