Councillors swipe An Taisce

COUNTY HALL, 12 November: by Trish Whelan. Kildare councillors lined up on Monday to take swipes at An Taisce which is objecting to every planning application to build a single new house in rural Kildare.

In a stinging rebuke for the heritage people, Deputy Sean Power said An Bord Pleanala should treat their objections as 'vexatious'. He said such objections would clog up the whole planning process and annoy genuine applicants. He suggested they invite An Taisce to the Council Chamber to discuss this policy 'as a matter of urgency'.

Agreeing, Cllr Michael Fitzpatrick told of one case where planning permission was granted but was appealed to ABP by members of An Taisce. "It's undermining our process," he said at Monday's Council meeting. He added 'it's ironic that people from far afield can make appeals on particular applications without knowing anything of the individual or his/her family history in the area.

"How dare An Taisce try to prempt the decisions of elected members and tell people where to live," stormed Cllr PJ Sheridan who said the single biggest issue is the decline in the rural Kildare and the rights of people to live in rural areas. He said An Taisce is a publicly funded body paid for by the taxpayer. "Was this their intention when they were set up?" he wanted to know. "Do they want to bring down bus loads of people at weekends and show them where people used to live?"

Cllr Senan Griffin said An Taisce have started with Kildare where the local association have appealed 17 houses in the last few weeks. "How can they say they are pro rural development? It's impossible," he said adding that 'the role of An Taisce can only be described as scandalous'. He accused them of 'making objections for the sake of objecting'.

Deputy Emmet Stagg accused An Taisce of acting 'way above their remit'. He believed An Taisce are seeking to frustrate the democratically arrived at situations'. "It's a vexacious type of appeal and should be treated accordingly," he fumed.

Senator Sean O Fearghail said he had raised the matter in the Seanad. He agreed with inviting representatives of An Taisce to a meeting where 'they could give an account of themselves'. He said the organisation had done enormously positive and worthwhile work in the county but said they were not being very well served by the people who have led them in this particular direction.

He said the public perception is that Kildare is the worst place in the country to get a planning permission but they had granted permission for over 1,000 houses in the countryside last year. He advocated a more user-friendly and more conciliatory approach to the county council might yield more results than the irresponsible approach they have embarked on. He said the desire is to strengthen and build up the small villages and settlements in the south of the county.

©2001knn