Claim that Meath communities ‘left in the dark’ on major housing projects
A Meath councillor has said residents are being “left in the dark” about major housing projects, claiming that the current planning system for Large-scale Residential Developments (LRDs) allows developers to proceed without providing a “presentation” to councillors or the public.
Ashbourne Sinn Féin councillor Helen Meyer said a growing number of LRDs — developments of 100 or more homes — are progressing through the planning system with “minimal” communication to local communities.
Under the LRD process, introduced in December 2021, applications are now made directly to Meath County Council rather than An Bord Pleanála.
While the system requires extensive consultation between developers and the council, Cllr Meyer said she was informed that there is no requirement for developers to present their plans to councillors or the public.
She said that gap is creating frustration on the ground.
“There is a lot of anger and frustration when people are not informed about major developments in their towns,” she said.
“Developers need to provide a presentation to councillors at a minimum — and preferably to the public.”
The LRD process involves several steps before an application is lodged, including pre-application consultations, a formal LRD meeting with the planning authority, the issuing of an official ‘LRD Opinion’, and finally the submission of the full application.
Cllr Meyer said councillors are usually the first point of contact for concerned residents but often have no information to give.
“Those companies are coming into town not telling anybody what they are doing,” she said. “We are all in the dark about something that will impact the community.”
“As a local representative, people expect us to be informed. People come asking what is happening and I don’t know. We need to let people know about the impact so they can make alternative arrangements.”
She said the "lack of communication” becomes most apparent once construction begins.
“When there’s a big development going on, all the buses are delayed due to roadworks. The impact on commuters is huge.”
Cllr Meyer is now calling for community briefings on all major housing schemes, saying early engagement would help people make “alternative arrangements”.