Fears there may not be enough recreation space in Longford town as housing density grows

Concerns have been raised about the housing density levels in the Longford town area plan amid fears there may not be enough green recreation spaces.

Louise Kiernan, a senior planner with Longford County Council informed councillors at a local authority meeting the draft plan has now been completed following a six week public consultation period which concluded on October 18.

She said in the county development plan for Longford town they have 35-to-40 dwellings per hectare and in the local area plan it is listed as 40 dwellings per hectare.

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"We are taking the upper end of that, I have to take account of the national guidelines, I have to put it into the plan and it's the lower end of that that we have used because the guidelines will actually be starting at 40 and we are trying to tailor it as much as we can for Longford town," she added.

Ms Kiernan said it will not affect areas that are zoned for recreation or leisure activities in residential areas.

She stated the population figures for Longford town in the county development plan were listed as 10,992 people.

"Looking at the (Census) statistics we have not grown as much (as we expected)," she said. "We had a 25% (estimated) growth from our 2016 figures to 2027 and we have only grown by nine per cent since then so we still have a lot of head room to grow further."

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Ms Kiernan said there is a policy in the local area plan that when the core strategy is reviewed in the county development plan that the local area plan will take account of that.

"So, that will offer a layer of protection there as well and it will be subject to review," she added.

However, Fine Gael Cllr Peggy Nolan insisted she has "major concerns" about the density levels and she believes a different approach may be more appropriate for Longford town.

"One size does not fit all, people move to the country because they want extra space and green space," she said. "And with the density we have set now it's not clear how much green space we can have."

Cllr Nolan stated she also had concerns that the 2022 Census figures for county Longford were 'wrong'.

"We all see that and now everything is being based on the growth in that and we started at a base that was wrong and that is a concern as well," she added.

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Cathaoirleach, Cllr Seamus Butler stated he noted the dwelling densities have increased but he questioned whether urban city densities are suitable for provincial towns like Longford.

"We leave out green areas that normally would have been included in housing developments," he said. "But, I think it's important for elected members to realise that we will have another bite of the cherry on this in a big way."