Cllr Calls For Power To Name Housing Estates, Currently Decided By Council's "Naming Committee"

Thursday, 29 May 2025 14:47

By Martin Osborne

At present, names are reviewed and approved by the council’s Estate Naming Committee, who meet twice a month to assess proposals as part of the planning compliance process.

Give councillors the final nod when it comes to the naming of housing estates.

That's the call from Fianna Fail Cllr Suzanne Doyle.

The current policy, last updated in 2018, offers guidance to developers on choosing estate names that reflect local heritage - favouring names rooted in geographical, historical, or cultural significance.

At present, names are reviewed and approved by the council’s Estate Naming Committee, who meet twice a month to assess proposals as part of the planning compliance process.

The group includes library staff and planners.

Using the names of living people or the recently dead is not usually permitted at these meetings except in "exceptional" circumstances.

Cllr Doyle believes argues local councillors and other members of municipal district committees, who know an area’s history and quirks, should be given a greater role in confirming estate names.

It’s not just about honouring local heritage, Doyle suggests, but about common sense and clarity.

With duplication still a regular issue, she believes a bit of local insight might help ensure names are both distinctive and meaningful.

There is, however, a minor roadblock.

Under the Local Government Reform Act 2001, naming estates is classed as an “executive function” which means it falls squarely under the remit of the council's staff, not its elected members.

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