Sir, - I am writing to correct the imbalance in your report of my appearance on March 10th at the oral hearing by An Bord Pleanala into the Spencer Dock development. Your report gave the mistaken impression that my role in facilitating a process of consultation between the Spencer Dock Development Company and the communities in the north inner city of Dublin involved me in defending the company against the community. That is completely untrue.
In my role as a facilitator, I have specifically excluded myself at all times from defending the company against the community or indeed from defending the community against the company. I stated that many times during my evidence. I am happy to defend the work that I have undertaken in this process but I have no role in defending the company or its proposed development; that is not my expertise. The fact that I was engaged by the company to facilitate community consultation in no way impairs my independence or professional integrity in doing this work.
It is unfortunate that the process of community consultation which I proposed has not been put in place since this form of consultation will have to take place eventually not least because, as I stated at the oral hearing, it is essential to ensure that communities in the north inner city of Dublin benefit from the development of this site. - Yours, etc.,
Dr Kieran McKeown, Social and Economic Research Consultant, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.