A motion calling for a register of political donations made to Fingal county councillors will be tabled in the next few weeks, after concerns were expressed about rezoning decisions made by the council in recent years. The motion is to be put down after some councillors said they were worried about the drafting of the development plan for the area, which is likely to involve some of the largest rezonings of land ever seen in the history of the State.
Yesterday, Labour Party councillors called a special meeting of the council to raise concerns about how the plan will be decided upon. They said this was to ensure "transparency and proper consultation" during the formulation of the plan.
According to the councillors, previous rezoning decisions by the council were "disgraceful" and were made at the behest of "vested interests".
"We are looked upon as the most pro-developer local authority in the country, and we need to remove that impression by making sure future decisions are undertaken in a transparent fashion," said Mr Ken Farrell, leader of the Labour group.
A motion calling for a register of political donations given to councillors is to be tabled by the Green Party, and supported by the Labour Party.
Mr David Healy, of the Green Party, said the register would hopefully show all donations given to councillors by development interests.
"Scandal is going to return to this council unless everything is out in the open," he said.
After rezoning of land during the last development plan for the area, several councillors were interviewed by the gardai.
Mr Healy recalled an occasion when the Green Party received a cheque attached to a rezoning proposal.
Large tracts of land in the area at present are zoned for agricultural use and there is a high demand for land for residential building. The local authority is the fastest growing in the State.
The Green Party and Labour have accused Fianna Fail and Fine Gael of being "excessively pro-development" and yesterday one Fine Gael councillor was called the "queen of rezoning" during a heated meeting.
The Fingal county manager, Mr William Soffe, said the drafting of the development plan would be done "totally transparently". He said there would be full consultation with all community bodies.
Another Labour Party councillor, Mr Michael O'Donovan, said all letters sent to the council in support of certain rezonings should be put on public display, so people "will know who is likely to gain".
Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist Party) said the drafting of the development plan "would affect thousands of people's lives".