Council defer GAA land deal
A section 183 notice for the disposal of land owned by Louth County Council off the Inner Relief Road at Marshes Upper to Louth GAA for the building of a county ground has once again been taken off the agenda.
The matter was due to come before the monthly meeting of the local authority yesterday but was withdrawn.
Dundalk Fianna Fail Cllr Conor Keelan asked who had responsibility for putting Section 183 notices on the agenda, saying he had expected two to be before the meeting, one relating to Marshes Upper and another to the Forester’s Hall, Market Street, Dundalk to be on the agenda, but they had been removed.
‘Ultimately I’m responsible for everything,’ Chief Executive Joan Martin said.
She told the meeting that she had sought legal advice after she had received letters from a number of councillors.
‘A legal issue was raised with me, and when I checked with the solicitor I was told that there was an ambiguity in the legislation.’
This is the second time that the Section 183 notice which proposes that the Council dispose of 8.93 acres of land to Louth GAA, for €400,000 to be paid in equal installments over five years. It had been due to come before the October meeting of the Council but was withdrawn, with the Chief Executive saying she had done so after receiving letters from councillors.
A condition of the sale would be that the development must commence on the County Grounds within one year of receiving planning permission.
The lands in question were originally required by Dundalk Urban District Council in the 1970s and are zoned retail, recreation and leisure.
It’s understood that a number of Sinn Fein councillors with concerns over the valuation of the lands are among those who have written to the Chief Executive.
The other section 183 notice related to the disposal of land at the Foresters Hall, Market Street, to Dundalk Credit Union Ltd.