Kavanagh’s fury over inaction on major projects
CLLR Paddy Kavanagh was accused of having one eye on next year’s local elections as he bemoaned a lack of tangible progress on Enniscorthy’s major projects at last week’s Municipal District Council meeting. Updates were provided on the Enniscorthy Technology Park, the Templeshannon Regeneration Project and the Enniscorthy Tourism project and there were talks of an ‘Enniscorthy Expo’ to show the public details of the projects.
‘ This is all pie in the sky,’ a frustrated Cllr Kavanagh said. ‘ There’s no meat on the bones. With the Templeshannon project, we launched it in February, we’re now into May - have we even met anyone? Have we met the people from the swimming pool or the people whose properties are due to be CPO’d? This is going on three years. There’s talk now about a March 2019 start. That’ll be four years. Things need to start happening. We need at least something small to show things are being done. Lets start doing some of the smaller things. I’m fed up of inaction. Now we’re going to have an expo to re-tell us what we know already!’
Chairman Keith Doyle took exception to Cllr Kavanagh’s comments. ‘ The expo is to let the public know,’ he said. ‘You’re just frustrated because your project is not going as fast as you’d like’
‘ The projects belong to all of us,’ Cllr Kavanagh shot back.
District Manager Liz Hore then pointed out that she had had confidential discussions with property owners in Templeshannon and assured Cllr Kavanagh that progress was being made.
‘ To put it out there that nothing is being done is really stretching it,’ Cllr Doyle continued, before accusing his colleague of electioneering. ‘I think the vast majority of people haven’t quite grasped what’s coming down the tracks and I hope to physically see work starting on some of these projects within the next year.’