Bell to seek special meeting on gate
‘I will also be calling for a special Council meeting to be convened (in public) for the specific purpose of discussing and if possible progressing the Gate closure.’
IN response to the ongoing lobby campaign to have Laurence’s Gate closed to traffic Councillor Paul Bell has responded to commentary about ‘councillors achieving legacy rights’ if they vote in favour of the proposal stating he has no interest in legacy but only service of his community.
“My commitment to not only closing the Gate but developing it into a fully operational tourist attraction is on record, having opened the Gate to the public on three separate occasions since 2008 with the assistance of Drogheda Borough Council as it was then and the OPW.
‘It may also have been forgotten that I managed as Mayor with the support of fellow Councillors have the link road between King Street and Francis Street completed, opened and named after local historian Jim Garry.
‘I am also to recall that my motion to have the Gate closed in 2012/13 was rejected by Council(elected members) on the basis that a viable traffic management plan had not been secured and thus I was could only secure the partial closing of the monument reducing traffic to one way,’ he stated
‘I believe the council are preparing to present a less detailed traffic management plan which had already been rejected by the elected members.
‘I am also very much conscious that other stakeholders, for example, local residents and businesses will also wish for their views and observations to be considered.
‘As such in the absence of this information, I believe that the issue will not be addressed at the scheduled meeting of Council on Monday April 3rd.
‘I will also be calling for a special Council meeting to be convened (in public) for the specific purpose of discussing and if possible progressing the Gate closure having had the opportunity of considering all factors,’ he added.
He feels that legacy should never be a deciding factor in any decision made by an elected representative and that ‘service of the community must at all times be the ultimate factor.’