[Press Release: April 15th, 2003]

De Burca criticises unauthorised development of slip road at Southern Cross

Green Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca, has strongly criticised what she has called Wicklow County Council's "unbelievably slow response" to her complaints that an unauthorised slip road is being created at the Southern Cross, next to the Greystones roundabout. Councillor de Burca claims that she reported this unauthorised development to Wicklow County Council's Planning Department last Wednesday morning and asked that a planner should visit the site as a matter of urgency. She claims that she has been in touch with the council on several occasions since then, but that she has been told that their enforcement section is too busy to deal with this issue at the moment.

"This development is clearly an unauthorised one" says councillor de Burca. "The developer submitted a planning application last December for a 1400 Sq metre building and ancillary works. This slip road was part of the overall plan to create greater access from the Greystones Road onto the southern Cross. The council wrote to the developer in February requuesting further information but this was never received. No planning permission has been granted by the council but developer has clearly decided to proceed with part of his plan nonetheless. The council's slow response to putting a stop to this unauthorised development is quite difficult to understand" she says.

Councillor de Burca has been very critical of the council's record on planning enforcement to date. "Essentially the council has contributed to creating a very lax climate of enforcement in the county where developers obviously feel they can proceed with major developments such as a road works, and apply for planning permission after the act. This is not acceptable and I am calling on the County Manager to ensure that the issue of enforcement is taken seriously and that cowboy developers are legally prevented from carrying out unauthorised development. Otherwise we may as well live in a Banana Republic" she says.

For further information please contact Deirdre de Burca on 086 8061450 or email deburca@wicklowgreens.org.