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Councillor claims she is barred from crucial meeting

Tuesday, 16 September 2008

Members of several residents’ associations in South Dublin have expressed concerns after a Green Party councillor claimed she is being prevented from attending a meeting regarding a controversial council development near an environmentally protected area.
Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council is currently proposing to erect a temporary ice rink beside Booterstown DART station car park from October to January through the Part 8 planning process.
A massive number of local residents have objected to the proposals, which they claim could damage an environmentally sensitive area. They maintain that the development could be facilitated in a more suitable location nearby.
The council has received a massive 411 submissions on the proposals with the overwhelming majority objecting to the scheme.
In May of this year, the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley TD, designated the South Dublin Bay and River Tolka Estuary as a Special Protection Area (SPA). Included in the SPA is the Booterstown Bird Sanctuary at Williamstown Creek.
In a letter sent by the Combined Organisation of Booterstown Residents’ Associations (COBRA), the group pointed out that the rear of the ice rink encroaches onto Williamstown Creek, which is a Special Protected Area.
“Due to the fall off in ground level, the construction of the ice rink will require a large build up of hardcore material,” the letter stated. “This will require heavy machinery, diggers, compactors etc, at a time when the winter migration birds are arriving.
“This will have a significant negative impact on the wildlife,” it adds. “Timing of both construction phase and usage is set to cause maximum impact on migratory birds.”
In addition, COBRA maintains that 78 per cent of submissions sent to the council as part of the public consultation period supported the view that the nearby area known locally as the Circus Field would be a more suitable location for the development.
COBRA members had asked the Dún Laoghaire based Green Party councillor, Gene Feighery, to represent them at a forthcoming meeting between Blackrock ward councillors and council management on the ice rink proposals.
They asked Cllr Feighery to attend the meeting as a replacement for former Green Party Blackrock ward councillor Neasa Childers who recently resigned her council seat.
However, Cllr Feighery claimed she was being prevented from attending the meeting.
Fulfil
In an email sent to the cathaoirleach of the council, Cllr Tom Joyce (FG), and the county manager, Owen Keegan, Cllr Feighery stated: “I am a Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Councillor with a statutory function to fulfil throughout the county, not only in the Dún Laoghaire ward.
“The Green Party clearly has a mandate in Blackrock and residents have expressed a wish that the Green Party is represented at the meeting between the council executive and councillors to discuss the Booterstown marsh.”
She added that the exclusion of the Green Party from any such meeting would prove to be counterproductive.
COBRA committee member, Gerry McMahon told Southside People he was shocked to hear Cllr Feighery claim that she was being excluded from the meeting.
“Our feeling is that she has a mandate from a substantial proportion of our members in the Booterstown area, particularly on this issue, to step into the breach,” he said.
The cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire Rathdown, Cllr Tom Joyce (FG), said: “There is nothing stopping Cllr Feighery requesting a meeting with the county manager on the issue but she obviously hasn’t done that.”
He said that the resignation of Cllr Childers now leaves Blackrock with three councillors.
“They [the Blackrock ward councillors] requested a meeting with the manager, which was granted and then Cllr Feighery said she wanted to represent the Green Party in Blackrock.
“In my view, the three representatives from Blackrock had requested a meeting,” he added. “That meeting had been granted. Why then should somebody else be allowed to come to that meeting?”
A spokeswoman for the council said: “This issue has been tabled for discussion by the councillors at the council's organisation procedure and protocol committee meeting next week.”

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