‘ Secret meeting’ on Development Plan

A motion by eleven Councillors calling on Sligo County Council to convene a special meeting to consider certain aspects of the Draft Development Plan was withdrawn after councillors took the unusual step of holding a separate meeting in private.

Councillors Martin Baker, Marie Casserly, Michael Clarke, Margaret Gormley, Keith Henry, Seamus Kilgannon, Jerry Lundy, Tom MacSharry, Dara Mulvey, Joe Queenan and Paul Taylor all asked Council Chief Executive if they could hold another meeting to discuss the Draft Development Plan.

However Ciaran Hayes said he thought the process was legal and if the Councillors were to go back and change any decisions taken in the plan, it would be “fraught with danger”.

“You’re leaving the Council open to legal action. Who know what developers or organisations are ready to sue us for interfering in the process,” he told members.

The eleven Councillors refused to say what aspects of the plan they wished to consider.

Cllr Declan Bree asked “what’s the secrecy? What do you want to change?”

Cllr Joe Queenan decried a circular from the Department of the Environment issued last week regarding one- off housing which he said was “an attempt to interfere in our plan”.

Head of Planning Frank Moylan said the circular advised Local Authorities to hold off on making changes to development plans but said it didn’t affect Sligo County Council because they had already changed their development plan to ease the restrictions on one- off housing.

The eleven Councillors asked for a recess and left the chamber. They spent 30 minutes discussing their motion in a private ante- room.

Councillors Chris MacManus, Declan Bree and Thomas Healy were not at that meeting. When they returned, Cllr Tom MacSharry said they had agreed to withdraw their motion.

“I want to say very clearly to the media that none of the Councillors that put their name on the motion are at the behest of any developers. This is to do with community issues and rural concerns that some Councillors have in south Sligo,” he said.

Cllr Hubert Keaney, whose name was not on the motion, attended the private meeting in his capacity as Cathaoirleach. “I don’t know why the secrecy. I regret it was not held in public,” he said.