Green Party Senator Déirdre de Búrca has criticised Wicklow County Council
for failing to include local heritage or environmental representatives on
the Greystones Harbour Liaison Committee.

According to Senator de Búrca she wrote to the the council’s Project
Manager, Mr Seán Quirke, several weeks ago to express her concern about the lack of specific heritage or environmental expertise on the local liaison
commmittee. She says that Mr Quirke informed her that he intended to invite
a local archaeological group to join the liaison committee.

“I am aware that An Board Pleanála directed Wicklow County Council to set
up this local Liaison Committee so that it could monitor how the conditions
of the Board’s planning permission were being implemented” says De Búrca.
“I was disturbed to see that in a recent flyer residents of Greystones were
told that archaeological works would be carried out in the Darcy’s Field
area in November. At present because there are no heritage or
archaeological interests on the Liaison Committee, it would be impossible
for the committee to monitor what is going on with the site”.

Senator De Búrca says that she cannot understand the council’s delay in
appointing local archaeological and heritage interests to the Greystones
Harbour Liaison committee. “I have written to Mr Quirke for a second time
and hope that I will get a response from him clarifying what is happening”
she says. “Darcy’s field and the surrounding area is potentially rich in
archaeological remains and it is important that the local community can
monitor the excavation works that are being carried out on the site”.

For further information please contact Senator Déirdre de Búrca on (086)
806 1450

Filed under:
Press Release by Deirdre