Councillors claim County Manager is misleading an Bord Pleanala on Greystones Harbour development
At a recent meeting of Wicklow County Council, Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca and Labour Party councillor Tom Fortune accused the County Manager of misleading an Bord Pleanala in relation to the Greystones Harbour development.
Following a suspension of Standing Orders, Cllr Tom Fortune sought clarification from the County Manager, Eddie Sheehy, in relation to comments by senior officials concerning the use of council-owned land in Greystones to subsidise the Harbour development. He pointed out that the approximately 20 acres of land owned by the council in the town could be used for developing the residential element of the Harbour project.
Cllr Deirdre de Burca accused the County Manager of misleading an Bord Pleanala by not informing it of the availability of the council-owned lands in the town as an alternative site for the residential element of the project. “An Bord Pleanala wrote to the council asking it to outline any alternative locations as part of the Environmental Impact Statement that it submitted with the planning application for the Harbour development ” says de Burca. “However, the council responded to the Board by insisting that the Harbour location was the only location available. This clearly is not true”.
Both councillors supported a motion which called on the County Manager to write to an Bord Pleanala, informing it of the availability of council-owned land in the town as an alternative location for the residential element of the Harbour development. They later expressed their frustration at the fact that the County Manager ignored the motion and refused to respond to it.
“Once again the County Manager is showing his contempt for the expressed wishes of the elected representatives” say Fortune and de Burca. “He appears more concerned about whatever agreement he has reached with the council’s private sector partner, Sispar, which will see it developing a high-value waterfront location, than with trying to reach a compromise that will satisfy the concerns of a majority of Greystones residents. It is clear that the mechanism of Public Private Partnerships being used by councils in relation to major planning projects is actually prioritising the interests of the private sector at the expense of the public. This is not an acceptable approach to planning”.
