Response issued on 'future of green area' in Kilkenny amid recent outrage

The planning department of Kilkenny County Council have moved to assure residents in the vicinity of Loughboy Park that the future of the local green area is 'secure', following queries from Kilkenny Live.

Local householders had been expressing frustration in recent months with the level of consultation conducted in the area prior to the adoption of a variation to the county development plan to change the zoning of an area (.45 acres) of green space in the park ‘in order to accommodate housing suitable for older persons / persons with disabilities’.

This proposed variation to change the zoning to accommodate the project has since been adopted by Kilkenny County Council after being put before elected members at a plenary meeting in February.

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Following the adoption of the variation, residents reached out to Kilkenny Live to express their dissatisfaction with how the consultation process was handled before the proposal was adopted, and they sought assurances that no further rezoning of their local green area would occur in the future.

"The future of the green area is secure," a spokesperson for Kilkenny County Council stated when queried by Kilkenny Live.

"[The local authority] invested in the provision of a footpath/cycleway recently through the green area under funding through Smarter Travel.

"Up to 40 trees were planted in the open space area in 2024 again through funding under Smarter Travel. Going forward, the open space area is considered an essential part of the local, community providing for passive and active recreational use."

A huge bone of contention with local residents was the overall consultation process, prior to the adoption of the proposal.

"There was a lack of information provided to the wider community, with only a handful of houses receiving letters," contended one of the residents.

In response to the criticism, the local authority stated: "In relation to the proposed variation, the planning department followed the statutory procedure for proposing and making a variation to the development plan. 

"That involves a formal public notice in the newspaper and online and placing the relevant documentation on public display for a period of six weeks from Friday, December 6, 2024 to Friday, January 16, 2025 - and inviting submissions.

"The planning authority was then obliged to prepare a Chief Executive's report for consideration by the elected members.  The report was prepared and submitted to  the council members for consideration at the February council meeting, at which the councillors resolved to made [sic] the variation in accordance with the recommendation of the Chief Executive.  

"In addition to that, the housing section carried out its own engagement with the community prior to the public display  referred to above.  

"The housing section posted a letter to every house that shares a boundary with the site, which included the six houses in Cedarwood Park that adjoin the site (no. 1-6) and one in St Patrick’s Gate (no. 36).

"This letter invited the residents to make contact and attend a meeting with council officials if they wished to find out more about the proposal."

Also raised by the residents was bemusement as to why a public meeting was not held in relation to the plans, as a courtesy to the community, even if not required by formal statute, and that was put to the local authority.

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To that, the council stated: "You are correct in stating that for a proposed variation a public meeting is not required by  statute, but having regard to the pre-engagement by the housing section and the statutory requirement followed post that  engagement as part of the variation process itself, the issues of concern to the community were identified through the 15  submissions received to the process.

"Ten of these submissions were from local people including one from the local branch of An Taisce. The Chief Executive's report then addressed all the issues raised. This allowed for an open and transparent process to the variation.

"As part of the process, at design stage the housing section will engage further with the local community to explain and discuss the detailed proposals. Full details of the design are not available at variation stage as this dealt with the principle of housing at that location only."

References in that Chief Executive’s report in relation to ‘anti-social behaviour’ in the area were also contested by the residents.

When this was put to the local authority, they stated: "Graffiti is evident on the rear garden walls in at least four different locations. In engagement through the housing section, two of the four residents raised the issue of anti-social behaviour, specifically people/teenagers loitering in that location.

"Kilkenny County Council in the past erected an additional fence up at the corner of Patrick's Gate and the rear walls of Cedarwood Park previously, to eliminate access to a small corner of the park due to anti-social behaviour at that location."

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