The Mayo News

County councillors are taking legal advice following the John Gormley’s recent intervention.
Councillors taking legal advice on Gormley directive

Anton McNUlty

MAYO county councillors have said they are taking legal advice following the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley’s recent intervention into aspects of the Mayo County Development Plan – and they are prepared to go to the highest court to get the intervention withdrawn.
Earlier this month, Minister Gormley personally ordered Mayo County Council to amend its County Development Plan, by issuing a directive under Section 31 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. This is only the third time that the Minister’s powers, under Section 31, have been invoked. The move now leaves the status of the current plan, which is already in existence in law, hanging in the balance.
At yesterday’s (Monday) meeting of Castlebar Electoral Area Committee, standing orders were suspended to allow the councillors debate the matter. Councillors from all parties were united in their condemnation of Minister Gormley’s intervention and said any amendments forced upon the Council would be contested.
Fianna Fáil councillor, Al McDonnell, who along with his Fine Gael counterpart, Cllr Paddy McGuinness, was to the fore in drawing up the plan said the intervention by Minister Gormley was ‘unwelcome’ and not in the best interests of the county. He said he would work with Cllr McGuinness and others to ensure that Minister Gormley withdrew his directive.
“This was a directive given when the plan was in the open for five weeks. I have read through the directive and it is clear to the Fianna Fáil party that this is not in the best interest of the party. I have spoken with my colleagues in the Council and we are unanimous in our condemnation of the intervention and we are taking a stand against it. We are writing to all Oireachtas members in Ireland seeking support for the directive to be withdrawn. We are also taking legal advice on the matter and we will go to the highest level to get this withdrawn,” said Cllr McDonnell.
Cllr Paddy McGuinness said they had the support of all the county councillors in Mayo and said that they had done everything to accommodate the Minister’s requests and offered to meet with him. He added that what the Minister did was ‘highly irresponsible’ and ‘undemocratic’.
“It was highly irresponsible for the Minister to allow four to five weeks to elapse after we finalised the plan and it became law before coming out with this directive. He said he was doing it for the common good. Is he saying what we are doing is not for the common good of the people of Mayo? This is completely undemocratic and his interference goes against the wishes of all the members of the Council,” said Cllr McGuinness.
Cllr Johnny Mee said he never saw such interference from a Minister in the history of Mayo County Council and claimed that Minister Gormley did not understand the seriousness his actions could have for rural Ireland. He said there was an onus on all parties to stand together and fight for the people of Mayo.
Cllr Seán Bourke said the Minister had a ‘damn cheek’ to come from Dublin 4 and tell the people of Mayo what to do. He said the Minister wanted to clear the villages of rural Ireland and ‘drive’ everyone into the large towns and centres. Cllr Henry Kenny said that no Minister was ‘infallible’ and warned that governments had fallen because of the mistakes of ministers.  Cllr Blackie Gavin, Deputy Mayor of Castlebar Town Council, said he was disappointed with the Minister over his directive regarding the Castlebar Town Plan and felt the plan was good for the town.

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