The County Donegal Draft Development Plan 2005 contained 92 control point towns and villages. The issue of Control Points generated a considerable amount of submissions during the consultation period following the publication of the Draft Plan with a total of 114 submissions relating to control points. Of these 64% requested that control points remain the same, 34% requested extension and 4% requested retraction.
The Material Alteration to the County Donegal Draft Development Plan 2005 published on 1st March includes changes to the following control point settlements: Ballintra, Carndonagh, Milford, Culdaff, Mountcharles, Dunkineely, Moville, Bundoran, Tievebane, Dungloe, Frosses, Carrick, Maghery, Rathmullan, Ramelton, Kilmacrennan, Termon, Glen, Cashelard, Buncrana and Magheraroarty. These changes include both extensions and retractions of control points and include additional control point settlements that were not in the Draft Plan.
What does this mean?
Control points are locations on approach roads to towns and villages that demark the limit for urban and suburban development, e.g. within the control points, multiple housing developments will be considered whereas outside these control points, multiple housing developments would not be considered. Provision of control points facilitates the growth and expansion of towns and villages, but does not provide for zoning or phasing of development, nor does it provide for infrastructure to facilitate any such expansion. If housing developments are constructed at the farthest control point limit first, this could lead to the appearance of housing developments in a rural area isolated from the adjoining town or village, with undeveloped rural areas between.
It is proposed that Control Point towns and villages be subject to a housing development quota whereby the number of new houses (within schemes) shall not be permitted to exceed 50% of the number of houses existing with that town or village at the time of adoption of the plan over the lifetime of the plan. Where a development quota has been met for multiple housing within a town or village, no further multiple developments can be considered until a new County Plan or Local Area Plan is adopted.
Now is the appropriate time to consider the implications of control point extensions in your County and to have your input to the proposed changes. The Council will welcome all comments either for or against the proposed changes. Make sure you do not miss this opportunity to shape the settlement pattern of your County.
Submissions can be made to the Council on or before the 31st March 2006:
Write to:
Central Planning Unit,
County House,
Lifford,
County Donegal.
Or email to: planreview@donegalcoco.ie
END
For further information contact:
Gerry Richards
Senior Planner
Central Planning Unit,
Tel: 074 91 72307
Or
Anne Marie Conlon
Communications Officer
Donegal County Council
Tel: 074 91 72207
Mob: 087 9192275
Email: amconlon@donegalcoco.ie