Fingal council rejects motion to make Turvey file public

Fingal County Council has rejected an attempt to have the file on the demolition of Turvey House, the listed building in Don abate at the centre of controversy in the Flood tribunal, made available to the public. However, the council agreed to a proposal that copies of the file be made available to councillors on request.

The county manager, Mr William Soffe, had earlier told a meeting of the council that the public had no right to inspect council files, apart from planning documents, except by using the Freedom of Information Act.

"Even if there were such an entitlement, this documentation [on Turvey] forms part of the deliberations of the Flood tribunal at present, which would make it in appropriate for the said documents to be made available to the public," he said.

Turvey, a 16th-century listed building, was demolished in May 1987 by its owners, Joseph Murphy Structural Engineering, on foot of a demolition order from Dublin County Council.

At the tribunal, Mr James Gogarty has alleged that Turvey was demolished "overnight" and that the then assistant Dublin city and county manager, Mr George Redmond, "stuck his neck out" on Turvey and was paid a substantial sum by JMSE.

At the tribunal last week, Mr Garrett Cooney SC, for JMSE, read out some of the correspondence between the firm and Dublin County Council concerning Turvey. Mr Cooney contended that the house was demolished over three days and in accordance with correct procedures.

A motion calling on the county manager to release the file on Turvey for public inspection was ruled out of order yesterday.

One of the proposers of the motion, Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins, said the public should have the full facts on "what could have and should have been a unique heritage building in the Fingal area". He did not accept the reason given by Mr Soffe for not making public the documents, that they were before the tribunal. ail for not discussing important matters.

ail, said it was very important that the file did not leave the office where it was being inspected. Councillors voted Mr Gogarty has alleged it was "let go to rack and ruin". By 1973, it was seriously vandalised. Today, it is the site of a golf course and some apartments.