Roscommon Town LAP – Confirmed Ministerial Direction

Following on from the Draft Ministerial Direction issued on 4th September 2024 and the associated public consultation process, the Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, on the 20th December 2024, issued a final Direction to the Planning Authority under Section 31 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (As Amended) (‘the Act’). This Direction concerns the zoning of two parcels of land, which were the subject of the initial Draft Ministerial Direction.

The Direction sets out the following:

Delete the following Material Alterations from the adopted Local Area Plan such that the Local Area Plan boundary and subject lands revert to as indicated in the draft Local Area Plan:

(i) Material Amendment MA 45 – the subject land to the north east at Roxborough reverts to not zoned and outside the Local Area Plan boundary, from Strategic Industrial / Enterprise Zones inside the Local Area Plan boundary;

And

(ii) Material Amendment MA 46 – i.e. the subject land to the north east at The Walk and Cloonybeirne reverts to not zoned and outside the Local Area Plan boundary, from New Residential inside the Local Area Plan boundary,

And apply all necessary consequential updates to the text of the plan consistent with the foregoing.

STATEMENT OF REASONS

I. The Local Area Plan includes a material alteration to extend the draft Local Area Plan boundary and zone additional New Residential land at The Walk and Cloonybeirne which is located in a peripheral and non-sequential location, the majority of which is located outside the CSO settlement boundary of Roscommon Town, inconsistent with the Strategic Objective and Policy Objective CS 2.10 of the County Development Plan for the future growth and development of Roscommon Town to ensure that growth occurs in a sustainable and sequential manner while prioritising a low carbon, compact, consolidated and connected pattern of development, and with Policy Objectives CS 2.5 and TV 4.18 of the County Development Plan for the compact growth of Roscommon Town and to support the regeneration of the town centre and brownfield/infill lands and the consolidation of the urban area, and with objectives RPO 3.1 and RPO 3.2 of the RSES for compact growth, and fails to have regard to the policy and objective for the sequential approach to zoning under section 6.2.3 of the Development Plans, Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2022) (the Development Plans Guidelines).

II. The Local Area Plan includes a material alteration to revise the draft Local Area Plan boundary and zone additional land as Strategic Industrial / Enterprise Zones at Roxborough, which is located in a peripheral, non-sequential and unserviced location outside the CSO settlement boundary and Local Area Plan boundary for Roscommon Town. The material alteration is therefore inconsistent with the Strategic Objective and Policy Objective CS 2.10 of the County Development Plan for the future growth and development of Roscommon Town to ensure that growth occurs in a sustainable and sequential manner while prioritising a low carbon, compact, consolidated and connected pattern of development, and with Policy Objective CAEE 8.18 of the County Development Plan to ensure that land use and transport infrastructure are integrated to develop more sustainable settlements and is not made, in so far as possible, in a manner consistent with inter alia the Climate Action Plan 2024 and the achievement of the GHG emissions reduction targets of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015, as amended, and fails to have regard to section 6.2.5 of the Development Plans Guidelines that the evidence and rationale underpinning the zoning of land for employment purposes must be clear and strategic in nature, and fails to consider the sequential test and accessibility under section 1.4 of Appendix A of the Development Plans Guidelines.

III. The Local Area Plan has not been made in a manner consistent with, and has failed to implement, recommendations of the Office of the Planning Regulator made under section 31AO of the Act.

IV. The Minister is of the opinion that the Local Area Plan as made is inconsistent with the objectives of the Development Plan of the area, which is a requirement of section 19(2) of the Act.

V. The Minister is of the opinion that the Local Area Plan as made is not consistent with the objectives of the RSES, contrary to section 19(2) and section 27(1) of the Act.

VI. The Minister is of the opinion that the Local Area Plan as made is not consistent with National Policy Objectives 11 and 33 of the National Planning Framework.

VII. The Minister is of the opinion that the Local Area Plan as made fails to set out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

VIII.  The Local Area Plan is not in compliance with the requirements of the Act.