Cllr O'Shaughnessy pushed for the project - but insists he doesn't know the developer.
| Ireland On Sunday | Date: 17th October 2004 | By Frank Connolly, Senior Reporter |
BUILDER PADDY Mordaunt's proposal to build a hotel and leisure centre alongside one of the country's most beautiful and popular beaches could spell environmental disaster, planning officials have bluntly warned.
Brittas Bay, with its EU blue flag, its miles of clean, white sand and its rolling dunes, is one of the great unspoilt natural resources of Co. Wicklow and has been a summer playground for thousands of Dubliners and local residents for generations.
But the planners' grim warning didn't appear to bother the majority of county councillors too much last Monday evening when, during a marathon nine-hour meeting, they voted in favour of the development by 14 votes to nine.
It wasn't as if they had not had enough time to reach a mature decision. After all, this was the second meeting at which this and 16 other controversial rezonings had been discussed. The previous one had lasted 18 highly charged hours and this one was equally acrimonious.
Nor could they have been anything other than acutely aware that they were the focus of national attention. Normally, Wicklow Co. Council meetings are attended by one reporter from the local weekly newspaper.
On Monday night, there were nine reporters lined up in the press gallery - and there were even television satellite trucks parked outside.
Senior planner Paddy Hooper could not have been more specific. Road access to the site was inadequate, there were no proper water and wastewater services and there was a real threat to the local freshwater supply. In addition, a scenic view was at risk.
None of this, however, seemed to cause the majority of council members - right across party lines - even a moment's concern.
What is even more intriguing is that the proposer of the motion, Cllr.. Jimmy O'Shaughnessy, and its seconder, Cllr. Pat Doran, both said they had no idea of the identity of the developer behind the scheme when they voted for it.
Cllr. O'Shaughnessy said he came across the submission in documentation about the new Wicklow Development Plan and, as a former resident of the Brittas Bay area, thought a new hotel and leisure complex 'a good idea'.
Cllr. Doran claimed to be equally ignorant of the developer's identity and said he was approached by fellow Fianna Fáil councillor Dr Bill O'Connell of Arklow about the proposal, which he enthusiastically welcomed.
Although they clearly never discuss his plans for Brittas Bay, builder Paddy Mordaunt -believed to be a keen Fianna Fáil supporter - happens to sit beside Cllr. Doran at meetings of the Arklow Harbour Commissioners board, on which both men serve.
They are both also on the visiting committee for Shelton Abbey open prison near Arklow. Mr Mordaunt was chairman of the Harbour Commissioners until recently and is currently vice-chairman. A successful builder, he has undertaken projects in Wicklow, Carlow and Laois.
Mr Mordaunt is also one of a handful of landowners in the garden county who stand to make millions from a series of highly contentious rezonings that have been forced through the council against the staunch opposition of planning officials.
Monday's meeting confirmed seven out of the 17 controversial rezonings originally carried at a now-infamous 18-hour meeting of Wicklow Co. Council on July 12 last. Two of the original rezonings were quashed and the remaining eight will go before yet another meeting on November 1.
There will be no opportunity for further procrastination at that meeting: the development plan -which will dictate planning policy in Wicklow for the next number of years - must be approved by midnight on November 2.
Little wonder that local Fianna Fáil TD Dick Roche has been forced to admit that 'cynicism about planning in Wicklow is rife'. As newly appointed minister for the environment, however, Mr Roche now faces the task of dispelling that cynicism.
With most of Co Dublin now developed or at least already zoned for future development of one sort or another, the rolling farmland of Co. Wicklow to the south of the capital has become the new Klondyke for developers.
Improved road access to Dublin has made development land in the county hugely valuable, particularly those tracts of land that adjoin the N11 dual carriageway.
For example, 10 acres of land owned by farmer Roy Byrne beside the main road at Ballybeg, Rathnew, jumped in value from €20,000 per acre to more than €200,000 per acre as a result of Monday's decision to rezone the site for retail warehousing or other commercial purposes.
Councillors insisted on voting through the rezoning even though planners told them the only direct access to the site is a country lane where two cars cannot pass. In July, they had wanted to rezone a further 10 acres as well.
The original proposal was submitted to the council on behalf of Mr Byrne by planning consultant Pat 0'Connor, who is also a Labour activist and who canvassed for Arklow-based Labour councillor Nicky Kelly in recent elections.
In all, Mr O'Connor made 44 submissions to the July meeting - of which some 17 were successful.
Mr O'Connor was also involved in another controversial rezoning bid, originally proposed by Nicky Kelly at the council's July meeting and passed, which revolved around an ambitious plan to build film studios and retail warehousing on 172 acres at Ballyhenry near Rathnew.
The owner of the lands involved is multi millionaire local businessman Joe O'Connell, who makes artificial Christmas trees and patio heaters at a factory in Kilcoole, is worth an estimated €20m and owns a large tract of land in the area - some of which was used as a location for Hollywood blockbuster King Arthur last year.
'A scumbag and a pathological liar'On Monday night, however, councillors voted by 14 votes to eight to reverse the rezoning after discovering that a claim in the original submission that the proposal for a new film studio was supported by the owners of Ardmore Studios in Bray was false.
A decision to rezone land for a medical step-down centre and a nursing home on 12 acres at Leamore Upper in Newcastle was withdrawn by Cllr. O'Shaughnessy following opposition by local residents. This was another setback for Cllr. Kelly, who supported the proposal by Mr Smullen and hotelier Paul Caprani.
Among those who most commonly appear in the Yes lobby are councillors Blake (FG), Bourke (FG), Byrne (Lab) Doran (FF), Doyle (FG) Jones (FG), Kelly (Lab), O'Connell (FF), O'Shaughnessy (Lab), Ruttle (Ind), Vance (FF) and Whittle (FF).
Only two councillors have repeatedly opposed the rezonings. They are Deirdre de Búrca of the Greens - who was caught recording last Monday's meeting - and former Labour member Tommy Cullen. At Monday's meeting, Cllr. Cullen accused his former Labour Party colleagues of being 'up to their necks' in rezonings. When it was discovered that Cllr. de Búrca was taping the meeting, only Cllr. Cullen came to her defence.
She said she decided to tape the meeting because at the July session she had been called 'a scumbag, a pathological liar and a bitch'.
|
Cllr O'Shaughnessy pushed for the project - but insists he doesn't know the developer. |
|
Additional Info.
The site is located in the townland of Castletimon, about half a mile from McDaniels towards Dunganstown, on the left-hand side of the road.
 |
This web site was last modified: |
 |
| News Page | Main Page |
Please contact the Webmaster if you wish to add your website or if you have any queries, suggestions or broken links to report.