Anger at 'libelous' online comments on West Mayo land sale

A WESTPORT councillor has accused some campaigners opposed to the sale of public lands for the expansion of the Wyatt Hotel of spreading 'libelous' online misinformation.

Members of Mayo County Council passed a motion at yesterday's monthly meeting to dispose of 0.67 acres of land at Church Lane in Westport to Wyatt Hotel Limited for €675,000 despite calls from some councillors to defer the purchase.

The proposal to dispose of the land had been unanimously agreed at the June meeting of Westport/Belmullet Municipal District and it was expected the decision would be rubber-stamped at yesterday's meeting of Mayo County Council.

However, the sale of the green area of land located at the back of the Westport Leisure Centre was highlighted last week by the Westport Family and Community Resource Centre, which resulted in an online campaign opposing the sale of the land.

Councillors were contacted over the weekend and a large number of people who oppose the sale of the land attended yesterday's monthly meeting.

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Proposing the sale, Westport councillor Peter Flynn claimed that the Facebook post by the Westport Family Rand Community Resource Centre led to a campaign of misinformation about the sale and accusations it was underhanded and shady.

Comments

“We have heard comments about corruption and shady deals with business people and undercover deals and I want to address them now because it is really off the mark.

“There has been no shady deals with any family and it has been a two year period of negotiation with the Kavanagh family [owners of the Wyatt Hotel] to seek a solution for both them and for the council. It came to our municipal district meeting last month and we got a full report and all seven councillors agreed for it to go through.

Westport councillors Peter Flynn (left) and Brendan Mulroy both accused some people of spreading misinformation regarding sale of land in Westport to Wyatt Hotel

“The Family Resource Centre started a campaign last week to cause this rift within our town. As Cathaoirleach of the municipal district I did not get one single call from the Family Resource Centre asking for clarification on what was planned and why we were doing it and the history behind it.

“Instead it was a social media campaign with the jungle drums running with a load of misinformation going out into the public domain. That is not the way we do business in Westport and not the way we want to do business in this county. We have to be sitting down together trying to find solutions rather than go to social media and come up with misinformation,” he said.

In the Facebook page posted last week, the Westport Family Resource Centre questioned the sale of the green area stating that 'public land should serve the public good'.

“We are dismayed to hear of the proposed sale of the green area behind the Leisure Centre to a private business. It is one of the few remaining publicly owned green spaces in the town centre and the only playground. Community spaces like this are vital for recreation, for wellbeing, and for connection,” the post stated.

Anti-social behaviour

Cllr Flynn also told the meeting that the impression given by opponents of the sale was that the green area was 'an area of tranquility and bliss' but stated that it has been an area prone to anti-social behaviour for many years.

“It is an area people don't go to after dark other than the wrong type of people,” he said, adding that the playground which is located in the area has been subject to vandalism.

Cllr Flynn also defended the integrity of the Kavanagh and O'Connor family and the council officials who negotiated the sale of the land.

“I have great difficulty in the way the Kavanagh and O'Connor family have been dragged into this and suggest that they have been doing deals under the table.

“They have developed a brilliant supermarket [SuperValu] in the town centre and Westport is very lucky to have a supermarket in the town centre and similarly with the Wyatt Hotel. They took it over with a dozen bedrooms in it and have expanded it to one of the finest hotels in the region and what they plan to do in my view is another step in the right direction,” he added.

Additional contribution

The meeting heard that as well as receiving €675,000 for the land, Mayo County Council would also receive an additional €280,000 as a contribution towards the development of public amenities. It is proposed that the Wyatt will be expanded to accommodate 50 extra bedrooms while an underground carpark with 160 spaces will also be developed.

Cllr Flynn added that if people are against the development they should submit their objections at the planning stage to Mayo County Council or An Bord Pleanála.

Fianna Fáil Westport-based councillor Brendan Mulroy also supported the sale of the land and accused some people of posting 'libelous' comments online and they should reflect on what they wrote.

“Some of the commentary on the Facebook pages has been nothing short of shocking. There is a doubt being cast on this deal and the elected representatives and in all my years of politics everything we have done has been up front and with honesty with officials.

“We will sit down and talk to any group but what we do not do is be intimidated and shouted at or roared at or ascertains passed on people. A lot of the stuff on social media is libelous and a lot of people will need to reflect on what is put out there,” he said.

Cllr Mulroy also added he resented some comments stating that he did not have the best interests of the youth of Westport at heart by supporting the project.

Questions

Independent councillor John O'Malley called for the sale to be deferred until the September meeting as he felt that people had questions which he felt needed to be answered.

“We have to sit down and give people full information about what is going on and do things right,” he said and was supported by Castlebar-based Cllr Michael Kilcoyne.

In response, Chief Executive, Kevin Kelly stated all the statutory procedures regarding the sale had been followed and there was no obligation to advertise the land for sale.

“There is nothing untoward in respect of this proposal or this transaction," he said and the proposal was a 'no brainer'.

Following Mr Kelly's response, Cllr O'Malley said that he felt all the questions which the group had asked him had not been answered but stated he would not withdraw his proposal to defer the sale. The Carrowholly-based councillor said he was not against the sale or any proposed development but felt that the council should sit down with the people opposed to reassure them everything was done right.

A vote was taken to defer the sale of the land until the September meeting but it was defeated by 18 votes to seven and a decision was taken to vote on the disposal of the land.

The councillors voted by 22 votes to two to dispose of the land with the four Westport-based councillors all voting in favour.