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Local Papers Commentary
Dr. Caulfield calls for de-listing of An Taisce.
Dr. Seamus Caulfield, a leading Irish Environmentalist, has called for the de-listing of An Taisce as a designated body under the Planning Act, as he believes that “this once highly-respected body has forfeited its right to the position of responsibility granted to it by the department of the Environment”. He added that he fully supported the call from Mayo County Council to have An Taisce de-listed. Mr. Eamon Ó Cuiv, Minister for Rural Development has also condemned An Taisce in a separate development, for what he described as their “appalling time-wasting tactics” which result in interminable delays in the planning process nationwide. He made this comment in reference to An Taisce’s opposition to a 20 euro cost on anybody wishing to make a submission or objection to a planning application. Dr. Caulfield of Céide Fields fame stated that An Taisce no longer deserved the right to be listened to because of “its extreme attitude in relation to rural settlement which is unsupported by valid statistics or other research”. The most compelling reason of all for the body’s de-listing was An Taisce’s refusal to accept the term “village” which had a wider meaning in Ireland than in Britain. He added that “One third of the population of this state live in dispersed rural villages and should not be subjected to accusations by self-appointed judges of being both parasites and selfishly anti-social". Dr. Caulfield hoped that the recent decision by Mayo County Council will lead to “this once-fine organization which was An Taisce, entering into a rational debate on this most important issue” and that by doing so it would “regain the high respect in which it was once held”
In response to the developments, An Taisce called on Mr. Ó Cuiv to resign for his “Voodoo planning theories”.
Decision on Lough Lannagh Development postponed for six Weeks
The entire draft development plan for Castlebar has been put on hold for six weeks as the decision by Castlebar Town Council as to whether houses may be built on the Newport Road side of Lough Lannagh has been postponed until after the town planners, Brian Meehan and Associates and Gerry Mitchell and Associates, present their action plan to the council at their May 9th. meeting. The Action Plan plan will examine in detail all aspects, from potential for development, recreational and open spaces and good planning for the area, and so will be of major benefit to the councillors in their considerations according to Mr. Gerry Mitchell. Fifteen land-owners in the Newport Road vicinity have offered to donate immediate lakeside lands to the council for amenity use subject to being allowed to build houses on their lands further up. Councillor Johnny Mee said that “The impression I get from the vast majority of people living in the area is they don’t want houses there”. He proposed that no decision be made until the Action Plan was considered. This proposal was supported broadly by the councillors with the decision being postponed as a result, until May 5th.
146 houses refused planning permission on the Westport Road
Two Separate applications to build a total of 146 houses at Westport Road, Castlebar have been refused planning permission by the Acting Town Manager, Ray Norton, which brings to 500 the number of houses refused planning permission in Castlebar in recent times. The applications- one by Ms. Carmel Mc Donald to build 91 houses at Knockaphunta, Castlebar and a second by Mr. Padraig Irwin to build 55 houses, a guesthouse and a restaurant at Knockaphunta, were refused by Mr. Norton, citing grounds of sewerage problems, without the matter ever appearing before the Town Council’s members for discussion or ever having been placed on the Council’s agenda. The move was condemned by the councillors at last weeks meeting of the Town Council and they expressed their outrage that such an ambitious project by two long-standing members of the community should be dismissed in such a fashion. As a result, the Castlebar councillors have submitted a ‘Section 4 Notice’ calling on the Town Manager to grant permission for the proposed housing developments.
© Copyright 2006 by the author(s)/photographer(s) and www.castlebar.ie
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