There is considerable local anger at the decision of Fingal County Council to grant planning permission to Uxbridge Ltd for a major new village centre development in Castleknock. The council granted permission for the new development subject to 33 conditions including a requirement that the development be reduced by one storey throughout. This will necessitate the removal of medical centre, some office space, the green roofs, two commercial units and 17 of the 47 proposed apartments in order to reduce the height and density of the overall development. Permission has been granted for the controversial supermarket. Over two hundred local people objected to the development.

‘The council has taken account of the some the concerns of local residents by reducing the height and scale of the development and by reducing the number of apartment permitted to thirty from forty-seven. However, this decision is satisfactory and it permits the construction of a large new supermarket on the site which will choke the village with traffic and will result in extensive spill-over parking in neighbouring estates. Moreover, the council has done next to nothing to improve the design and finish of this most unattractive development.’

‘There is growing anger locally at this decision. While the council has made some concession to the local community, they have sided with the developers in the main. Fine Gael will consult with local residents groups with a view to lodging an appeal with An Bord Pleanala in the coming days.’

Please find below the fold a letter myself and Cllr. Eithne Loftus sent to An Bord Pleanala in support of the Deerpark Residents’ Association appeal against Fingal Council decision to grant planning permission to a further development at the former Phoenix Park Racecourse.

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Fine Gael spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, has said that Fianna Fáil does not want a serious debate on the solution to the banking crisis. He was responding to the comments of An Taoiseach in Tullamore yesterday and the Minister for Finance speaking on RTE’s This Week programme today.

“It is clear to me that neither the Taoiseach nor Minister for Finance are prepared to tolerate an open and honest debate on the solution to the banking crisis. While they are prepared to engage with opposition on amendments or improvements to the NAMA proposal they are not prepared to discuss alternative options. To them, it’s NAMA or nothing. The kind of debate they want is the type of debate that is allowed in Iran and Libya. You are only allowed to participate in the debate if you agree with the government.

“Once again, it is their strategy to rubbish and abuse anyone who disagrees with their policies. We saw this before when they responded to our concerns about the property market, the banks and public finances by accusing us of talking the economy down and being unpatriotic.

“NAMA is a €90 billion “double or quits” gamble by Fianna Fáil on the property market. A €22,500 bet for every man, woman and child in this country. Almost twenty years after the bursting of their own property bubble, Japanese property prices are still 50% below peak levels.
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Fine Gael TD Leo Varadkar has welcomed confirmation from An Post that will review their decision to remove the post box in Castleknock Village.  The post box was removed over the summer period without any consultation with local residents or public representatives.  It was relocated at the entrance to Park Avenue near the new post box.  This follows representations made to An Post by Leo Varadkar TD and Cllr Eithne Loftus.

It realise that is not possible to have a post box on every corner.  Post Boxes should be located in area that people congregate such as shopping centres, village and large train stations.   I welcome the decision on An Post to review their decision to relocate the post box.’

Fine Gael Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, today (Wednesday) accused the Government of failing to deliver on its commitment, made in April’s Emergency Budget, to shut down or merge more than 32 Government agencies and public bodies (see below).

A detailed analysis carried out by Fine Gael shows that the Government has closed only 11 of the 43 agencies it promised to close or merge. In most of the outstanding cases, a target date for implementation has still not been set.

“This analysis is further evidence of the Government’s unwillingness or inability to cut back administrative and wasteful spending. It has been quick to act against soft targets like senior citizens and children by removing medical cards and abolishing the early childcare supplement. However, in stark contrast, progress on cutting the cost of Government and eliminating waste and duplication has been painstakingly slow.

“Almost two years ago, Fine Gael published our Streamlining Government document which detailed our proposals to close or amalgamate over 70 public bodies operating on a national level. Our Power to the People document detailed proposals to strengthen and reform Local Government and contained proposals to bring hundreds of local agencies under the control of stronger, more democratic local authorities with fundraising powers.

“Embarrassed and shamed into action by Fine Gael, the Government committed in the Emergency Budget to close or merge 43 agencies and public bodies. Four months later, it is abundantly clear that Ministers were merely paying lip service to cutting the cost of Government and rationalising State functions.”

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The global financial crisis and the our own domestic recession should cause us all to question old orthodoxies. For the last two decades, Ireland’s political space was one of consensus. According to that consensus, low taxes and light-touch regulation were key components in economic growth. Cost competitiveness would not be important in the new knowledge economy. Our place in Europe was secure and was supported enthusiastically by the people. An open and flexible labour market would keep unemployment low even in times of recession. Increasing public spending to European levels would deliver European public services and above all, Social Partnership opened the door recovery and ensured long-term prosperity. …[more]