Brighter Barna future

Date Published: 27-Sep-2007

An “innovative” draft local area plan for Barna was adopted by councillors this week which will reward developers for providing land for community services and bring an end to the creation of overnight millionaires due to rezonings.

All but very minor changes to the planners’ recommendations were accepted by councillors in the five-year plan, which paves the way for a boardwalk, national school and sports facilities — as well as 1,800 residential units — to be built.

However the settlement strategy in the County Development Plan means that a maximum 500 units are allowed in the area by 2009, of which 220 have so far been built.

The new plan for Barna marks a new and novel approach to land use zoning. Instead of allocating single zonings for small pockets of land, the…..