Lough Derg marina row resurfaces
THE row over the proposed multi-million euro marina at Ballina surfaced again this week with the local action group, BMAG, calling on Eclipse Developments to honour its commitments to engage in full public consultation with the local community.
"We are now calling on Eclipse Developments to honour its own public consultation commitments to the community by putting the model and plans on public display for a period of one to two weeks, said David Gaughan, spokesman for BMAG
David Lehane of Eclipse Developments, however, said they were "genuinely bewildered" at the BMAG statement.
"Since the public consultation meeting we have repeatedly, for over four weeks now, requested a date on which BMAG would be available to meet with us.
"We have tried repeatedly to engage with BMAG so that we may address the group's concerns.
"To date we have received neither details of the group's concerns nor a date for a meeting with them.
"We are genuinely bewildered at BMAG's statement calling for public consultation in relation to the site, particularly as we have been trying to open discussions with the group for weeks now.
"We have addressed some of the community's concerns through the public consultation, and would welcome the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue with BMAG to deal with their concerns in a constructive manner," said Mr Lehane.
But Mr Gaughan claimed that full consultation had not taken place.
"The two developers have pledged to consult the local community on their plans for the Derg Marina site prior to submitting a planning application for their project to North Tipperary County Council.
"They promised an initiative to meet with the local community in the form of workshops where local residents could meet with the design team and be fully briefed.
"They claimed the workshops would be advertised in the local press and a newsletter distributed to all homes in the area detailing the plans. This has not happened," he said.
"What we have received is a very brief but well stage-managed four-hour launch of their proposals in late November.
"This was a presentation, not a consultation. No plans have gone on display and there has been no detailed public consultation with the local community."
But Mr Lehane was adamant that the local community was consulted at the November workshop in the Cherry Tree restaurant in Ballina."In attendance at this workshop were the team of architects responsible for the development; Murray O'Laoire, ARUP consulting engineers and David Lehane and Adrian Lannon of Eclipse Developments. This was an opportunity for the local community to meet with the team involved, to raise any concerns and have their questions answered," he said.
"In the days leading up to the public consultation a series of ads were placed on two local radio stations (Clare FM and Tipp FM) to notify the public of the event.
"Based on the stations listenership figures it is estimated that these ads reached 43 per cent of the population, or in the region of 100,000 people.
"Indeed, the response to the ads was strong with 158 people attended, including members of BMAG."
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