Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I have a very long note on 80% draft development plans and so on. I was not aware that Deputy Ring would raise the specific issue of Westport House. Notwithstanding that, I do not intend to accept the amendments. Westport House as a heritage site is not an isolated case. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has indicated there is a number of places to be rezoned from non-development land use to development land use.

I am advised that because it is not an isolated case, there is no requirement to inform the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government about a local area plan if it relates to an area of the population lower than 2,000. There may well be more than 50 local area plans in draft form at any one time. As it is not an isolated case - I am not sure we should be legislating for one place anyway - I do not propose to accept the amendment.

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