NAAS, 25 June 2001: by Trish Whelan. The longest serving FF councillor on Naas UDC says he is no longer going to support any more rezoning because he can’t get anything done for existing residents and estates in Naas who have problems because of the town’s rapid growth.
“You have to be a Mildred Fox or a Jackie Healy Rae to get anything done in this town these days,” says Cllr Charlie Byrne. “I can get sweet damn all done any more, although the UDC officials and councillors need my vote to get things done for them. But I’m not creating any more estates to create more problems. We’re getting letters at the rate of one a week from existing estates at the moment with problems and we can’t do anything for them.”
To highlight the position, Cllr Byrne pointed to the monthly Progress Report presented to councillors about works being done in the town. He says it is ‘laughable’.
“Some items are on it since I joined the Council in 1985. It’s not only me but all of the councillors who are waiting to have things done, sometimes for years,” he said. “I agree with Cllr Seamie Moore who brought this up at a recent UDC meeting. But we were told it was down to staffing problems.”
“We’re now going to rezone more land but I’m going to do a Jackie Healy Rae on this and bargain with the officials. I am now telling Council officials that if proposals are put forward by them and my support is needed, I am not prepared to support any further rezoning until such time as all the necessary works are carried out around this town,” Cllr Byrne says, adding that when the works are done, he would be prepared to ‘enter into rezoning negotiations’.
“Take Caragh Court for instance. We’ve had meetings, letters and talks over their problems and they’re getting nowhere. I’m embarrassed to meet these people because I can’t get anything done for them. Residents of Ashgrove Estate were promised by former town manager Terry O Niadh that outstanding works to footpaths and trees would be undertaken before the elections. “He’s long gone and the problems are still there,” Charlie Byrne says.
©2001trishwhelan/knn