Council lashed in clinic row

August 1988

URBAN Council members have been lashed this week for ‘jumping the gun’ on a planning issue in Wicklow town involving the proposed building of a health clinic.

Some members of the council at a recent meeting claimed that the German Investment Group behind the centre had not made a planning application for change of usse at the Wentworth Place premises despite the fact that activity was taking place there.

But in actual fact, a top Council official confirmed this week that the site is only being cleaned up and dangerous walls were knocked down in complaince with a Dangerous Buildings Notice served on the previous owner.

But now Mr Gerry Flood, of Flood Phelan & Associates, but the local engineer employed to design the new clinic has claimed that the remarks by councillors have placed him in bad light.

‘It makes things look as if we have been negligent in not advising clients properly when in fact a planning application is not yet required,’ he told The Wicklow People this week.

Mr Flood added ‘We are presently drawing up the plans and they will all be submitted in the proper manner at a time when it is necessary to do so.’

Reports that work ground to a halt recently because of the alleged planning problem have also annoyed Beatrice Daniela Frorman, the lady who is acting for the German group.

‘ The only reason work stopped at all was because the JCB broke down and it had nothing to do with planning,’ she said.

Co Secretary, Mr Terry O’Niadh confirmed on Wednesday that no planning application was required for the work already carried out.