Draft Broomfield Local Area Plan

The Broomfield Draft Local Area Plan (LAP) went on public display on Thursday December 3^rd, 2009 and will be open for submissions until Thursday 14th January. The link to the Fingal County Council web site where the public notice and Local Area Plan can be viewed is

http://www.fingalcoco.ie/Planning/PlanningItemsOnDisplay/BroomfieldLocalAreaPlan-ends14012010/

This draft LAP was presented to the Howth/Malahide Area Committee on Tuesday 1^st December. Cllr Peter Coyle stated that he has major reservations about progressing this Plan at this point in time. Among the points of concern that he raised at the meeting include:

1) The LAP is on public display over the Christmas period, which is inappropriate for seeking public inputs

2) With the new draft County Development Plan due out on 21st January, it would be more appropriate to look at the general area again including the adjacent lands, where Planning Permission was refused by An Bord Pleánala (Planning Application Ref. F06A/1859)

3) The upgrade of the Malahide Regional Drainage Scheme to cope with this development (and meet existing local problems) is not expected to be completed until 2013.

4) Flood Risk Management. The LAP report itself (p.51) states:

"The proposed LAP lands are located within the catchments of the Sluice River and one of its tributaries, the Hazelbrook stream, which have both been designated as High Priority watercourses under the Fingal East Meath Flood Risk Assessment and Management Study (FEM-FRAMS). FEM-FRAMS is a strategic level catchment based flood risk assessment and management study of 19 rivers and streams. The study is being carried out to meet the requirements of the EU Floods Directive"

Given the flooding problems in Kinsealy, Kinsealy Lane, Chapel Road, and Old Portmarnock, why advance this LAP ahead of the FEM-FRAMS report, which is due for completion in 2010?

5) It should also be noted that although the draft LAP states: "The current bus service to the area is good" An Bord Pleanála stated in its refusal for the Kinsealy Lane adjacent development land that "The site of the proposed development is located in an area lacking public transport facilities"

I note however that:

"The Local Area Plan provides for the provision of a bus terminus”!

Cllr Peter Coyle states that, having had on-going negotiations with Dublin Bus about improved local bus services, the suggestion that they are likely to introduce a new service terminating on the Back Road, Malahide is unreal.