MEATH - Councillors who rezone land

[Jock_the_Waster]

Her father.

interesting that, you reminded me of an article written by Sarah Carey a while back....

my county councillor father recalled a meeting of Meath County Council back in the 1970s. A councillor was pleading the case of a farmer who had applied for planning permission for two houses on his land.

The farmer owed the then Agricultural Credit Corporation a lot of money - a not uncommon predicament in an era of high interest rates and wildly fluctuating land prices. He also had a daughter. His plan was to sell off one site to pay his debts and build a house for the daughter on the second. Though the councillor wrung his hands and embellished the sorry state of the farmer's finances, Michael McFadden, the official in the planning department, was unmoved. "Bad debts make for bad planning," he declared.

'McFadden has long retired and though my father still quotes him, too many forgot the axiom. In fact, county councils themselves were guilty of granting permission in order to pay debts - their own. A county like Meath that experienced a massive population explosion but no matching increase in central exchequer funding found itself under particular pressure. Levies paid by developers to the local authority on grant of permission were a tempting source of finance. Many suspect that some permissions were granted with the levy rather than the merits of the application in mind. Planners are now faced with applications knowing that a refusal could visit financial ruin on the developer'

'In fact, county councils themselves were guilty of granting permission in order to pay debts - their own. A county like Meath that experienced a massive population explosion but no matching increase in central exchequer funding found itself under particular pressure. Levies paid by developers to the local authority on grant of permission were a tempting source of finance. Many suspect that some permissions were granted with the levy rather than the merits of the application in mind'

"Cllr. William Carey For"

I wonder from where Sarah divined her wisdom was it from William at the Dinner Table?

I wonder have Councillors progressed to MATERIAL CONTRAVENTIONS in these straightened times?



INDUSTRIAL LAND - because there is such a shortage

http://buckplanning.blogspot.com/200...imself-as.html

[121.5]

was originally in The Irish Times

Sean Dunne's casting of himself as a victim a bit rich - The Irish Times - Wed, Jan 07, 2009

The variation was approved on the proposition of Councillor Nick Killian and seconded by Councillor Charles Bobbett (Roll call vote: 22 for, 1 Against, 3 Abstain, 3 absent )

Councillor Vote
Cllr. Charles Bobbett For
Cllr. Joseph Bonner Absent
Cllr. Patrick Boshell For
Cllr. Oliver Brooks Absent
Cllr. Phillip Cantwell For
Cllr. William Carey For
Cllr. Shane Cassells For
Cllr. Eugene Cassidy For
Cllr. Jimmy Cudden Abstain
Cllr. Jenny Darcy For
Cllr. Anne Dillon-Gallagher For
Cllr. John Farrelly For
Cllr. Jimmy Fegan For
Cllr. Brian Fitzgerald Against
Cllr. Michael Gallagher Abstain
Cllr. Peter Higgins For
Cllr. James Holloway For
Cllr. Owen Holmes For
Cllr. Tom Kelly For
Cllr. Nick Killian For
Cllr. Noel Leonard For
Cllr. Michael Lynch For
Cllr. James Mangan For
Cllr. Liz McCormack For
Cllr. Seamus Murray For
Cllr. Patsy O'Neill For
Cllr. Bryan Reilly Absent
Cllr. Joe Reilly Abstain
Cllr. Tommy Reilly For

[socialdemocrate]

What party was the sole councillor who had principles from?

brian fitzgerald, he used to be a labour TD but then left the party when democratic left joined "on principle", he's from the local area near batterstown and is well known as a man who "cant be bought" by the local infamous land developer. I've had my own falling out iwth fitzgerald but i've never doubted his integrity

[anewbeginning]

The planning and corruption Tribunals only looked at one small area of the country, Dublin.

The other councils are at least as bad as the Dublin councils were, and perhaps are still as bad, given no tribunals looked into them.

I don't want to say there was corruption involved in this particular case. However it would be naive to believe that corruption is not endemic in several councils around the country today and in the past.

Maybe it's time for someone to put up another reward in return for information on planning corruption, this time outside of Dublin.

[orbit]

With the Green Party in power

that view will be turned into an Industrial Area.

Can you believe it?

Well, have you checked into it? Gormley has already overturned some wacky rezonings.

[Jock_the_Waster]

The planning and corruption Tribunals only looked at one small area of the country, Dublin.

The other councils are at least as bad as the Dublin councils were, and perhaps are still as bad, given no tribunals looked into them.

I don't want to say there was corruption involved in this particular case. However it would be naive to believe that corruption is not endemic in several councils around the country today and in the past.

Maybe it's time for someone to put up another reward in return for information on planning corruption, this time outside of Dublin.

Meath defintely needs to be examined.

[Solutions]

Most councillors will vote along the recommended lines of their party colleagues from the electoral area in question. So the guys outside the Dunshaughlin area were just doing the sheeplike thing.
The general done thing is not to cause any disturbance in your colleagues little nest egg,... sorry,... electoral area.

The Dunshaughlin councillors are the ones to focus on.

Maybe the planners and administrators need to be examined.

Very suspicious that everyone saw fit to force it through by allowing another vote simply because the chairperson had not called a result.


The greatest harm done to this state by the planning tribunals was the creation of the perception that corruption is a thing of the past.

[Jock_the_Waster]

As Sarah Carey or was it her father, Councillor 'For' Carey quoted?

[SIZE="3"]"Bad debts make for bad planning"[/SIZE]

but Sarah definitely wrote the following:

In fact, county councils themselves were guilty of granting permission in order to pay debts - their own.

Levies paid by developers to the local authority on grant of permission were a tempting source of finance.

Many suspect that some permissions were granted with the levy rather than the merits of the application in mind.

Interesting

[Dillinger]

Batterstown has a pub, a petrol station and a church. That's it. There's hardly another building in it.

While not ugly I don't think even the residents would describe it as pretty.

It really is the modern Irish village.

You just described Tallaght, before it was ruined.

[Jock_the_Waster]

No councillor has replied to me yet.

hmmm, I know the email worked because I received an auto response from one of them.