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[Press Release: November 9th, 2005] Council must oblige developers to complete housing estates properly says de BurcaGreen Party councillor, Deirdre de Burca has called on Wicklow County Council to oblige developers to properly complete new housing estates being built in the county.De Burca raised this issue at a recent meeting of the council at which she argued that the council must use the powers available to it to compel a developer, Shannon Developments, to finish off the Yachtsman Point and Pebble Bay estates in Wicklow. The Green councillor pointed out that the developer in question appeared to have a feeling of invulnerability in relation to any enforcement action being threatened by the council. "This developer has shown an extremely negligent and negative attitude towards both residents and the planning laws" says de Burca. "Unfortunately Wicklow County Council itself has shown a very lax attitude to compliance by developers with their planning permissions. The council needs to demonstrate to Wicklow's property developers that they should comply with their legal obligations to complete estates, or face decisive and expensive measures if they fail to". De Burca argues that Wicklow County Council could finish estates such as Yachtsman Point itself and then recoup the cost from the developer. She points out that if the council used the developer's bank surety to finish off the estate, the developer would find it extremely difficult and expensive to get another surety for further developments. She says that another possible option is for the council to seize the developer's assets on an estate to fund the completion of outstanding works. "Neither of the above options would have a net cost to Wicklow County Council" says de Burca. "It is a mystery therefore why the council is so passive in the face of this blatant non-compliance by what can only be described as cowboy developers. This is not just a problem that affects new estates in Wicklow Town but is a problem right around the county. I am calling on Wicklow's Director of Planning, Mr Brian Doyle, to put an end to the council's "pussyfooting" around the issue of non-completion of estates and to immediately adopt a "zero tolerance" approach to dealing with non-complying developers".
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