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[Press Release: August 15th, 2005] Greens welcome new application for Florentine Centre but warn about failure to deliverThe Green Party has "warmly welcomed" the new application for the Florentine Centre off the Main Street in the town. Green Party councillor and Chairperson of Bray Town Council, Deirdre de Burca says that Bray needs to develop its commercial heart and that a "substantial shopping centre and greatly increased town centre car-parking" are badly needed.De Burca and her Green Party colleagues on Bray Town Council have been very critical of the failure of Ballymore Properties and its local agent Gabriel Dooley, to deliver on a new town centre development over the past twelve year period. Since being elected onto Bray Town Council last June, the Greens have become impatient with the developers and called on Bray Town Council to take back its land and to develop a multi-storey public car-park on the site. De Burca claims it is likely that this pressure that caused the developers to make the recent planning application. "Basically we made it clear to them that we were not going to stand for any more delays or excuses" she says. "If they couldn’t deliver on what they had promised, we were going to take the council’s land back from them. We are also making it clear now that if the council grants planning permission for the current application, and Ballymore does not deliver on the shopping centre and car-parking, the council will take its land back permanently. This will not be in the interests of the developer as the council owns the key access points to the site, without which Ballymore’s property is largely land-locked". "The story of the Florentine Centre is a sorry saga indeed" she adds. "Almost twelve years ago now Bray Town Council gave over to Ballymore Properties the surface car-park it owned at the site for a modest sum in return for improved public car-parking facilities in the town centre. Twelve years later we have a large derelict site in a high street, town centre location. It would not happen anywhere else in the country. This private company has walked all over Bray Town Council". De Burca explains that over the past twelve years, Ballymore Properties have made four separate planning applications for development at the site. She points out that each application has eventually been granted, but that the company has failed to act on any of the permissions. "In each case, the company then just submitted an even larger application to the council" says de Burca. "It really has been quite unbelievable. Even though the planning applications have not been acted on, significant excavation works have been carried on at the site. These works have caused a huge nuisance to local residents and local businesses have suffered". De Burca and her colleagues, Cllrs o Brien, and Burrell, are broadly supportive of the proposed new development which is much larger again than all previous applications and will provide 546 new car-parking spaces, 26 retail units and 110 one and two bedroom apartments. The party has pointed out however that there may be problems with issues such as access to the new development, traffic and the height of the development (up to 7 storeys). "These are problems that the planners will have to sort out with the developer" says de Burca. "It may be necessary to modify or change the application somewhat. It is my hope that the developers will approach this with the right attitude and that they are prepared to be flexible. If they are willing to co-operate with the council, we can finally deliver on a high-quality and badly needed high street shopping centre for the town".
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