This article is from page 9 of the 2006-11-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 9 JPG
CLARE County Council planners gathered in the council chamber last evening to hear accusations of incompetence, failure to listen and shows of contempt.
The planning department were attending a special meeting to review implementation of the County Development Plan 2005-2011, a plan the council members say has been plagued with inconsistencies and misinterpretation by the planners since it was adopted in February 28 last year.
Cllr Michael Kelly (FF) accused the county’s planners of not listening to the councillors, an accusation that was supported by Cllr Gerry Flynn (Ind). “The image of the planning section is at an all time low,” added Cllr Flynn.
Cllr Tommy Brennan (Ind) told the meeting “It is only in the last number of years members are being treated with contempt. Last Monday I asked for a list of the planners in Clare County Council and their qualifications. I still have not received the list.”
The Ennis councillor suggested rewriting the plan. “I want to start at page one and write it in a language that all can understand.”
Cllr Martin Lafferty (Ind) described the plan as flawed, while Cllr Christy Curtain (Ind) said he was concerned the text of the County Development Plan was “vague and ambiguous.”
He said there was inconsistency in the reading of the plan and there was “two sets of criteria being employed”.
Former mayor Pat Keane (FF) said while he was happy with the plan, the interpretation “There are some sites from practical perspective that cannot be sorted,” he said.
“We do want to issue as many planning permissions as we can, but as long as they comply with the public’s health,” he added. would have to be agreed upon.
“Every day people are suffering because we have not solved the problem,” he said.
And the suffering is to continue, as the next meeting on the issue will not take place until January.
The county manager Alec Fleming told the councillors that he did not accept what they were saying about incompetence in the planning department. He said issues surrounding wastewater, septic tanks and road safety went far beyond the County Development Plan.