30 April 2001                   

PRESS RELEASE

NEW TOWN PLAN UNSUSTAINABLE SAYS GREEN PARTY

Councillor Ciarán Cuffe of the Green Party has criticised a plan produced by Cosgrave Property Group which proposes a new town between Bray and Enniskerry on the Dublin-Wicklow Border.

Documents released under a Freedom of Information request to Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Council reveal that Cosgrave Brothers are proposing a massive scheme that would house 10,000 people in Ballyman, off the main Bray Enniskerry Road.

The Plan is currently under pre-application consultation, prior to the lodging of a full Planning Application.

"These proposals are completely unsustainable" stated Cllr. Cuffe. "The scheme would destroy an existing Green Belt, and would place too may cars on our roads. I am shocked at the scale of the plans. I am glad that Planners in Dun Laoghaire Rathdown expressed concerns about the scheme in their internal reports, as it represents the worst of suburban sprawl.

"The scheme appears to contradict the Government's Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area, as it would place a new town on high amenity lands.

"We need housing to be provided close to public transport routes, not on green farmland. I call on Dun Laoghaire Rathdown to publicly reject the plan and I have written to Mr. Derek Brady, the County Manager, urging him to do so immediately."

"We need smart growth in the right location, not more suburban sprawl."

ENDS

For further information contact:

Ciarán Cuffe  677 3372   or   087 265 2075