Planning permission given for 'flood plain' to be fought by resident

CARAGH: 28 March 2001: by Trish Whelan. A site in Caragh on which Kildare County Council has given planning permission for 50 houses, is ‘part of the flood plain of the River Liffey’ according to one of its own officials.

Plans by Carraghstone Homes Ltd to build 50 houses on a site beside the railway line are being questioned by a local woman who says she will take her case to An Bord Pleanála.

Ms Anna Egan, who lives in a 200-year old house beside the site, has queried issues relevant to the planning permission granted in 1999 and has contacted KCC planning section on a number of occasions with regard to her concerns.

These include the possible flooding of her property as the developer has raised part of the site by 3-4 feet which could affect the way the land drains. She also fears the new houses will overlook her property.

She claims there are no conditions in the planning permission in relation to this raising of the levels and says she has found no reference in the planning conditions of an underground holding tank at the site.

Mrs Egan (pictured above in her front yard, with the land raising work clear in the background) fears the recent flooding of the site, and the sewage holding tank, currently in use by other new houses nearby, constitutes a public health hazard. She wants Kildare County Council to seek planning permission for retention of what she calls ‘unauthorised’ developments by the council.

Two internal KCC reports are on file regarding the proposed development. One, by Kevin Kelly, shows 11 concerns regarding the site, including possible flooding of the site and of Ms Egan’s property; the location of the pumping station and underground overflow tanks in a water meadow; the raising of the ground on one side of the merin drain (which drains townslands) by 3.5 feet; flooding of overflow chambers which are meant to be sealed units and the pumping, inadequacy of plans submitted as regards introduction of pumping station and overflow tanks.

In another report, Chris Marshall, senior executive engineer, noted: “The areas flooded late last year have been subject to flooding down the years and are part of the flood plain of the River Liffey. We should learn from this experience and have due regard for this when dealing with other sites in Carragh and similar locations along the major rivers and their tributaries at planning stage.”

Mr Marshall said: “It appears the complainant is trying to make this Council responsible for the drainage, not only in the vicinity of her property, but of all property in the area and by extension, for any flooding purely on the basis that we granted a permission for a site that has recently partly flooded.”

He pointed out that the ESB are the authority that controls the River Liffey and its flooding and every property owner is responsible for cleaning and maintaining drains on their land. He said the raising of ground levels on the site ‘is not covered under planning’.

Mr Marshall said an open drain did cross the road through Ms Egan’s yard and out onto the site but it no longer exists. Ms Egan claims it does, and is culverted under her property. This drain first drains all of Caragh, Castlekealy, and the Gingerstown area and converges with the second merin drain at the site which comes from the Hill of Allen through the bogs to converge with the other merin drain at a point beside the holding tank, the lowest part of the site.

A big part of the objection is that the developer is using a condition from the outline planning permission in 1998 in this new development for the sewerage part of the development.

Two more developments are planned across the road from the site and from Mrs Egan’s home. These include the former Parish Field and Robinson’s land.

Anna Egan says when the hard core goes down on these two developments, the merin drain will be even more flooded and it 'has to go through' her yard.

At a Naas Area meeting of councillors on 15 February, the unauthorised raising of the ground was highlighted by Cllr Tony Lawlor (right). He said the developer had brought in soil to raise the level and it has been alleged that this has caused flooding on adjoining property. Cllr Mary Glennon said the sewerage pumping station on the site had flooded in November and two large manholes had been left uncovered.



Caragh Road residents criticise 'unacceptable' delay on footpath

NAAS: 27 March 2001: by Brian Byrne. The failure of Naas UDC to give a ‘firm commitment’ for the completion of the footpath (above) on the Caragh Road has been damned as ‘unacceptable’ by the combined residents associations of Caragh Court, Garagh Green and Caragh Meadows.

In a strongly-worded letter to town clerk Declan Kirrane and members of the UDC, the associations note that work on the long-needed footpath commenced in November 1999 but stopped the following month. A letter from the UDC more than a year ago stated that the footpath ‘would be completed as soon as possible’.

Last October, a petition with over 330 signatures was lodged with the UDC, illustrating how ‘very unhappy’ the residents are with the situation. “It is frankly unacceptable that we should have to wait this long for a firm commitment to complete these works,” spokesman Alan Hore says in the letter, adding also the residents’ concerns over a number of other long-standing items of contention between them and the UDC.

These include the taking-over of the estate by Naas UDC, the dangerous condition of Ploopluck Bridge (below), the installation of traffic control measures by Naas UDC, the ‘disgraceful’ condition of Parc na Og, and constant infiltration of the travelling community to the local area.

Planning group raises 'potentially illegal' situation on County Development Plan

CELBRIDGE & KILDARE GENERAL: 27 March 2001: by Brian Byrne. What it claims is a ‘potentially illegal situation’ on the Celbridge Development Plan has been raised by the Kildare Planning Alliance amid allegations that correspondence from the Department of the Environment on the matter has been ‘kept secret’ from local councillors by Kildare County Council.

The Alliance says its concerns over the proposal in the Amended Draft Development Plan for Celbridge that 125 extra acres of land be rezoned in the town are shared by the Department of the Environment, but that local representative Cllr Tony McEvoy was ‘refused access’ to a letter sent to KCC in January which indicated this.

In the letter, the Department states that the Celbridge Plan is ‘clearly in conflict with the Council’s own County Plan’, and the Alliance is demanding to know why councillors were not informed of this at their January or February meetings?

The proposed rezonings would represent the possibility of an increase in population of 3,000 and reverses commitments given by councillors in the County Development Plan which was ‘supposed to set parameters for all town development plans’ in the county.

Last August, the Department wrote to Kildare County Council referring to correspondence dated 26 April 1999 which formally requested KCC to commence a review of the County Development Plan ‘to endure it is fully in line with’ the Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area.

“Now, almost two years later, no such review has come before the Council and several town development plans clearly in breach of the Strategic Planning Guidelines have since been drafted,” the Alliance’s John Sweeney says. “Why have the Minister’s instructions not been carried out? Since January 1st the Strategic Planning Guidelines are legally binding requirements which Kildare County Council ignores at its peril and at the peril of those ratepayers and taxpayers who finance its activities.”

The Alliance says it is a ‘scandalous state of affairs’ when councillors have to resort to ‘legal procedures’ to access documentation intended to ‘inform their duties’ on planning matters. The organisation is demanding an immediate suspension of all current consideration of development plans pending a comprehensive review of the County Development Plan.

And it says ‘larger questions remain’ from what it describes as ‘an unholy episode’. “Kildare Planning Alliance asks for answers and accountability from the officials concerned,” says John Sweeney.

Awarded accountancy certificates

			Above - Caroline Byrne from Kilcullen who received her Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Certificate at a graduation event in the RDS last week.
	Above left - Sinead Condron of Leixlip.
			Above - James Conway of Naas.
	Above - Claire Maher of Clane.			Below - Pat O'Gorman of Naas, with his wife Sarah Russell,

KILDARE GENERAL, 26 March 2001: by Brian Byrne The above successful students for the qualification Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) were presented with their certificates at a graduation ceremony in the RDS, Dublin, last week.

Concerned about secrecy over St Patrick's move NAAS, 24 March, 2001: OPINION by Donal Corcoran. The latest debate on the proposed relocation of St. Patrick's Community College at the Naas U.D.C. meeting has certainly not helped the development of our school with the disgraceful level of debate and the poor knowledge of the councillors on the educational and social issues involved. Why all the secrecy about the proposed move of the College from its present site on the Limerick Road to a site on the Sallins Road? Staff, students and parents of the school have been kept in the dark. And Cllr Pat O' Reilly's comment at a recent Naas UDC meeting about ‘signalling to the Minister of Education and Science that the community is behind the move’ is ludicrous. It is clear that the community has not been informed of exactly what is at issue here; neither have the students, their parents or the teachers. These are the facts as I have researched them. Students moved into the school, then called Naas Vocational School in 1970. In recent years the record of repairs has not been good. While this leaves a lot to be desired, I would disagree with Cllr. Bracken, a member of the committee responsible for the upkeep of the building, that ‘it is gone a bit derelict and that is why they are not getting the students’. Notwithstanding the state of the building, St. Patrick's Community College has excellent facilities including three Computer rooms, a Senior Engineering room, a Junior Metalwork room, a Woodwork room, a Building Construction room, two Science Labs, two Technical Graphics rooms, a Domestic Economy room, modern facilities for Special students and a Gymnasium as well as the normal classrooms found in other Post Primary Schools. These facilities compare favourably with the facilities offered by the other schools in the town. The record of the school in the past has been exemplary. Many of its past students have accomplished high levels of excellence. Many have joined the teaching profession, others are in business and others, having been awarded Doctorates, are working in the research and medical fields. Of course the students attending St Patrick's Community College, and future students, need to study in a clean, well-maintained modern building with up to date facilities. A proper analysis has to be done on what is best - upgrade and renovate the present school or move to a new site and build a new school. A proper consultation process should be instigated, with the involvement of students, parents and teachers. From the little information that has leaked out to date, some local councillors and a developer have been the main people that have been consulted. There is agreement from Naas UDC for extra land adjacent to St Patrick's Community College to be made available to it for expansion. This would enable the school to continue to provide for the educational needs of the students that it traditionally served. If St. Patrick's Community College were to relocate to the Sallins Road, many of the students at present within walking distance of the school would have to be bussed to the relocated school or else transfer to one or other of the existing Post Primary schools in the town putting extra space demands on them, which would have to be met by further extensions to these schools. There are proposals before Co Kildare VEC to swap the present school site for a site on the Sallins Road, owned by a development company. The present school site has been conservatively valued at £5m. The site on the Sallins road is zoned green belt. Because of this, it is valued at £460,000, which is a reasonable value, as the developer cannot build on it because of the zoning put on it by Naas UDC. The developer is also prepared to donate £3.54m towards the building of the new school. The package then would be that the developer would be getting a site worth at least £5m for a contribution of £4m. The Department of Education and Science are not happy with this and have asked Co Kildare VEC to renegotiate with the developer. However the VEC are satisfied with the deal and want to swap. Why? Finally, there are proper planning and development considerations. Is it proper that the town should be deprived of an area designated in the last Development Plan as Green Belt and why are Naas Urban Councillors so anxious to eliminate this green belt? It is easy to understand the motivation of the developers, but the councillors should explain exactly their position. St. Patrick's Community College needs immediate upgrading and the unsustainable relocation debacle has stopped plans to do this, and is most unfair to students, their parents and their teachers. It is time to call a halt. ED: Please note that views expressed under 'OPINION' on KNN are those of the writer concerned, and do not necessarily reflect the views of KNN or its proprietors. This facility is provided in the interests of free speech and public information and may be availed of either to make a point or respond to one. KNN reserves the right to edit any material submitted.

Students protest over teachers' strike

KILDARE GENERAL: 26 March 2001: by Trish Whelan. Pupils from schools all over the county took to the streets last week in protest against the ongoing teachers’ strike. Pictured above are students from St Mary’s College and Naas CBS who departed their classrooms after telling the principal and the teachers that they were leaving in protest.

The CBS lads later joined the girls outside St Mary’s College, but because of the huge number involved, it was decided to take their protest to the steps of the Town Hall.

Later they returned to take up their original position on the Sallins Road. Throughout the afternoon, cars honked their horns in response to the student’s request.

APOLOGY In recent weeks we have been unable to provide our usual comprehensive daily news service on KNN. This is because of pressure of our other business interests. KNN is a non-profit operation which we do as our own version of a public service and because we enjoy it. However, the businesses which allow us to do that need priority attention. Bear with us. We’re not going away. Brian Byrne & Trish Whelan.

KNN ARCHIVES HERE

Around the County

NEWBRIDGE: Newbridge's Andrew Walker was in action at an indoor athletics meetingin Glasgow over St Patrick's wekend. Walker a member of influential English agent Kim McDonald's group of athletes finished in third place in the 1500 metres in a time of 3 minutes 46.54 seconds.
The race was won by, former European Indoor 3,000m champion, John Mayock who was recently fourth in the World Indoor 3,000m championships.
Walker had until recently been training and racing in Australia for the winter as previously reported by KildareNet News (Arran Hussey).

GENERAL: A 'major enhanced effort' to contain foot-and-mouth disease within the current exclusion zone must be made, Progressive Democrats Senator John Dardis says.



"Severe restrictions on public events will be necessary during the next fortnight," he said in a statement after the confirmation of the Co Louth case. "An escalation of the current situation would seriously affect the Irish economy well beyond agriculture, and could well bring the Celtic Tiger to its knees. The public and all agencies within the State must continue to work together to prevent the disease gaining a hold."

GENERAL: The failure of the Government to raise the income threshold for getting free legal aid has been slammed as 'disgraceful' by Labour's Jack Wall TD.



The current limit of £7,350 was set in 1995 when the work of the Legal Aid Board was placed on a statutory basis. "It has not even kept place with inflation," Deputy Wall says.
"Time and again I have been in contact with the board on behalf of people who are marginally above the limit and as a result are denied the legal assistance they need. I know that people working in the Legal Aid field are equally frustrated and annoyed at this state of affairs."

KILGOWAN: Two gardai from Naas Garda Station had a narrow escape when the driver of a truck, which they had stopped over road traffic matters, reversed his vehicle on top of the bonnet of their car, before taking off on foot through nearby fields.
The ramming incident took place near the twonland of Kilgowan.
Extensive damage was caused to the unmarked garda traffic car.
The man then proceeded to ram his way through a nearby gateway before absconding the scene, leaving his truck behind.
The vehicle was later reported as stolen. The two gardai, both from Naas Garda Station, were injured.