Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca has criticised a proposal by Greystones councillors to rezone a large site at Charlesland for a massive out of town shopping centre of 20,000 sq metres, retail warehousing of 16,000 sq metres and retail and car showrooms. The proposal also included 210 residential units with floor areas of up to 220sq metres. The rezoning motion was proposed by Cllr George Jones (FG), seconded by Cllr Kathleen Kelleher (FF) and supported by a majority of councillors present at the meeting.

"This rezoning motion represents the worst kind of developer-led planning" says de Burca. "The land is owned by Zapi and had been zoned by the council's planners for integrated employment and community services, including a primary school facility. However, Zapi had been in discussions with local Greystones councillors about zoning the land for a massive out-of-town shopping centre and for residential development. This proposal was sprung on councillors like me for the first time at Monday's meeting and despite the total opposition of the planners, a majority of councillors voted to support it".

De Burca points out that the proposed retail development will be approximately one third of the size of Dundrum Shopping Centre which is the biggest of its kind in Europe, and half of the size of the proposed retail development on the Bray Golf Club lands. "The planners pointed out that the location of this massive shopping centre is in conflict with national and county policy on retail development" she says. It will be more than 1.8 miles form the core retail area of Greystones and will certainly destroy the existing retail base of the town".

The Green councillor also pointed out that the proposed 210 large residential units proposed were surplus to requirement and would push the population of Greystones up by 600 people at least. "The Draft Greystones Local Area Plan told us that there are over 100 acres of undeveloped existing zoned lands in Greystones and that to zone more would be to push the population levels up over the 2010 target of 21,000" says de Burca. "Yet councillors chose to ignore this advice and to give Zapi lucrative residential development on their lands in addition to a massive retail development".

According to de Burca the rezoning motion also included a site reserved for a recycling centre, a site for a Garda station and a turn-key Enterprise centre. "This is a very high price to lay for these community facilities" says de Burca. "And we have been warned by the planners that once the rezoning has been adopted by the councillors, the developers may not deliver on the promised infrastructure and that there may be little the council can do to oblige them to deliver".

The amendments to the Draft Greystones Local Area Plan are going out on display towards the end of September for a four week period. Cllr de Burca is encouraging members of the public to go and view the amendments and to make submissions to Wicklow County Council on them.