A FINGAL county councillor has said he has been the victim of a “dirty”, personalised smear campaign aimed at stopping a rezoning decision to allow a residential and leisure development.
Ciarán Byrne sought a change in zoning in the new county development plan to accommodate Holmpatrick Cove, near Skerries. A Labour councillor, he is listed as a contact in an advertisement for the development in the Skerries Chamber of Commerce directory.
Socialist TD Clare Daly, a Fingal councillor until the election, said there were ethical issues with Mr Byrne’s involvement and that he should abstain from future votes on the development plan.
In the last set of council meetings on the development plan, Mr Byrne proposed lands at a site at Holmpatrick, about 1km from the centre of Skerries, be given a new zoning designation, allowing a specific development.
Most of the lands had been zoned open space. The new “local objective” zoning would allow the construction of 22 houses and a hotel, but only if three playing fields and a swimming pool were built for use by the community.
In a final set of votes on the plan this week, Socialist councillor Ruth Coppinger proposed that Mr Byrne’s changes, which were opposed by the county manager, should be reversed. Her motion was defeated by 13 votes to nine, meaning the Holmpatrick Cove development would be included in the plan. Mr Byrne did not abstain.
He had rarely encountered such “dirty” smear tactics, he said. “I’m delighted that these abhorrent tactics have been consigned to the dustbin of history and that the clearly expressed will of the vast majority of the people of Skerries was vindicated in the chamber of Fingal County Council.”
A council spokeswoman said it was not aware of any breach of rules by Mr Byrne.
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