Ardee 2040 Plans Face Scrutiny Over Mapping and Consultation
Serious Concerns Raised Over Ardee 2040 Submission
Serious concerns have been raised over Louth County Council’s submission to An Bord Coimisiún Pleanála in relation to the Ardee 2040 Regeneration Project, with claims that the plans now under consideration differ materially from those presented to the public during consultation.
Michael O’Dowd, a member of the Ardee Railway Memorial Park Committee, has questioned the integrity of the planning process after identifying what he described as significant discrepancies between maps used during public engagement and those included in the council’s formal submission.
“People Were Consulted on One Set of Maps”
Speaking on the issue, Mr O’Dowd said that residents were consulted on one version of the plans as recently as October, but An Bord Pleanála is now being asked to make a decision based on a different layout altogether.
“People were consulted on one set of maps in October. An Bord Pleanála is now being asked to decide on a different one,” he said.
According to Mr O’Dowd, these changes are not minor or technical adjustments but go to the heart of how land within the Railway Park area is proposed to be used.
Ardee Allotments Removed – Then Reinstate
One of the most striking examples highlighted relates to the proposed community allotments. Mr O’Dowd said that during public consultation last autumn, community allotments had been removed from the plans presented to residents.
However, in the documentation now submitted to An Bord Pleanála, community allotments have reappeared as a central feature of the proposal.
At the same time, Mr O’Dowd said there is no longer any reference to a Memorial Garden, despite its established role as a place of remembrance for families across Ardee.
Ardee Car Park Size “Quietly Expanded Again”
Further inconsistencies were identified in relation to car parking provision at the site. Mr O’Dowd said the size of the proposed car park had been reduced following public feedback, amid concerns about scale, traffic impact and sustainability.
Yet, in the plans currently before the planning authority, the car park has once again been expanded, returning to a size previously acknowledged as unsuitable.
Taken together, he said, these changes demonstrate that the proposal now under consideration is fundamentally different from the one the public was asked to engage with only months ago.
Questions Over Meaningful Public Consultation
Mr O’Dowd warned that accurate and consistent mapping is essential to meaningful public participation in the planning process.
“When the public is consulted on one set of maps, only for materially different maps to be submitted for approval shortly afterwards, the consultation process is fundamentally undermined,” he said.
“These are not technical tweaks. Community allotments were removed and are now reinstated, the Memorial Garden has disappeared altogether, and a car park that was scaled back after consultation has been expanded again to an unsustainable size. That is not meaningful consultation.”
Omission of Key Site Features Highlighted
Mr O’Dowd also raised concerns about baseline documentation supporting the application, claiming that key features on the site – including a grotto and a historic well – were not identified in the supporting studies.
Baseline reports are intended to capture all environmental, cultural and community assets on a site, and Mr O’Dowd said their omission raises serious questions about the reliability of subsequent assessments.
Call for Planning Authority Scrutiny
Mr O’Dowd has now called on An Bord Coimisiún Pleanála to closely examine whether the Ardee 2040 submission complies with statutory planning requirements, including fair procedures, transparency and proper public engagement.
“The integrity of the planning system depends on consistency and trust,” he said. “When maps change and community uses appear or disappear without explanation, that trust is seriously damaged.”
While stressing that the committee is not opposed to regeneration in principle, Mr O’Dowd said the council should reconsider its approach to the Railway Memorial Park element of the project.
“There are many positive aspects to the wider Ardee 2040 plan and we have no issue with those progressing,” he said. “But the proposals relating to the Railway Park should be withdrawn and brought back for meaningful consultation with the community.”
