The City Manager Joe Gavin was branded a hypocrite and accused of double standards in the wake of a decision to halt the adoption of a Local Area Plan that would have paved the way for a substantial development at Farranferris.

In a controversial decision at this weeks City Council meeting the City Manager said it would be "highly irregular and totally inappropriate for the Council to adopt a Local Area Plan prepared on behalf of a property owner".

Had the motion been passed, procedures to amend the City Development Plan to accord compliance to a privately prepared Local Area Plan would have gotten underway. However, Mr Gavin put a stop to any such plans citing the clear procedures currently in place for the making of a Local Area Plan by the Planning Authority.

Fine Gael TD Bernard Allen reacted angrily to the decision saying the manner in which the City Manger had blocked the proposal was "nothing short of incredible". Speaking to the Cork Independent, the TD said, "I'm extremely unhappy with the decision. According to the City Manager councillors forwarding the motion is illegal. I am calling for the manager to come clean and show his hand.

"I've lived for 30 years in the Northside and we've heard many promises over the years. This area has been continuously neglected and, quite frankly we are sick of it. Why did the manager obliterate two pitches, a GAA and soccer pitch, in Shanakiel to accommodate housing? The pitches at Farranferris were never public grounds, so where is the issue? If this project fails I will hold the City Manager personally responsible. He is not acting in the best interest of the people of the Northside. I'm sick of his double standards."

The initiative was to include environmental enhancement, community initiatives, job initiatives, provision of amenity schemes, regeneration of housing schemes and securing the provision of substantial private and affordable housing.

According to Mr Gavin, "The motion submitted purports to 'acknowledge that the consultation to date has included the steps necessary to consult the public before preparing a Local Area Plan'. This is not correct. The Planning Authority has not carried out any consultation whatsoever with regard to preparing a Local Area Plan for Farranferris."

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment