Greystones Harbour Revisited

wicklow | environment | opinion/analysis

Friday October 03, 2008 19:34

by Mr.Peter Brady Alias. - Concerned Citizens Action Committee.

Our country is in recession,but no slow down in site for Greystones Harbour.

This is our sixth statement.

Dear Citizens And Friends.

As we are all well aware by now our country is in recession,which will now add extra burden to many of our citizens who already are finding it difficult in making ends meet.One may now have to ask themselves the question why is it after twenty years of a booming economy that we are now finding ourselves in this situation.It appears however that even though we are being told that there is a strain on the government's finances in which they are trying to do their best in keeping the boat afloat that they are still finding it difficult.This is not surprising when we have only learnt this week from the prime time programme when a professor of economics from the university college of dublin made a public announcement on the programme that the reason why the banks are finding themselves in this financial difficulty is because they lent a hundred and ten billion euro's to dodgy developers and now can not pay this money back to the banks.

One may now have to ask themselves the question is the project at Greystones Harbour part of this scandal,because even though we are being told there is a recession on we see no slow down at all in this development.So we may now have to ask ourselves the questions again where is the money coming from for this particular project.We know its been operated under public private partnership but in saying this we know that the PPP has taken a hit in the last six months,when we have certain developers breaking certain contracts with Dublin City Council in relation to the regeneration scheme within the inner city in which the people have been waiting on new housing for the last ten years.

It appears however the recession has not hit Greystones for particular individuals who are operating there at the moment,but for the ordinary people living there who's jobs could be at risk are looking on at all of this.Where is the justification in pumping 300 million euro's into a particular project like this when under the 1999 Greystones/Delgany Development plan could have done this very same project for a quarter of the money with no apartments on the public foreshore.We at the Concerned Citizens Action Committee are holding Wicklow County Council directly responsible for this and by asking them and its county manager how can they justify this kind of money being pumped into this particular project ,when at the same time the people of Arklow are looking for clean water and a proper sewerage treatment plant for the town.

It appears however that this particular project is on the backburner for the county manager and his unelected officials who are working on certain projects in county wicklow which is not involving the people of wicklow.We know this from a certain newspaper article which was headline news in the wicklow times dated the 17th of september 2008 when it states that senior officials from Wicklow County Council are holding private meetings behind closed doors with developers and speculators.This confirms our suspicions under the heading of Greystones Harbour Deception on our first statement back in february of this year.So does this appear that these individuals are in recession when meetings like this are taking place in hotels in Wicklow and Dublin.Is the community benefiting from these meetings? when the county manager states in this newspaper article that he can do nothing about it.Do we believe this man?NO.We are calling for a public independent inquiry into the county manager and his officials who appear to be working behind the scenes and no wonder for the six thousand objections that the people of Greystones in which they objected to the building of these apartments on their public foreshore fell on deaf ears,when you have private deals of this kind going on behind closed doors.This is an absolute scandal that the people of Wicklow and Greystones have to put up with this.

As far as we are concerned at the Concerned Citizens Action Committee there is a dictatorship policy coming out of Wicklow County Council which we have been proven to be right by this newspaper article.It is now time to put this individuals out of business and give control of local government back to the people which is outside of their control at the moment.We are also calling on the Greystones Chamber Of Commerce in making a public statement in relation to the 1999 Greystones/Delgany Development plan which protects the public foreshore at the north beach Greystones which you will see on page 10 of the plan,which is also built into the Wicklow County Development Plan of 2004.Would you please come clean with the people of Greystones because up to now you have remained silent on this particular subject which you know very well was the original local area plan for Greystones and Delgany and was removed by the local politicians in making way for 341 residential units to be built out on the public foreshore,which is a disgrace by all of you to let this happen.

And finally we wish to say to you all that you could not remove the 1999 plan from the county development plan which remains there to this day and protects the public foreshore which you's are planning to build your apartments on.As you know this is highly illegal.We will conclude by saying that local government needs to be reformed URGENTLY and that emergency legislation needs to be brought in by the minister of the environment Mr. John Gormley on all county managers and his unelected officials who are making policy all the time over the elected body who are now going along with them.This has left the door wide open for many years for Corruption to prevail this matter is in the hands of a member of the european parliament who is looking into this at present and as you know we are compiling our petition for the petitions committee of europe in which we are getting a great response.We would like to thank you the members of our community for this in which will keep you updated as to the proceedings in relation to our petition for the people of Greystones.We would just like to mention we have put up a number of photographs for your consideration which are dealing with three harbour marina's on the east coast.

Thanking You All Once Again Mr.Peter Brady Of The Concerned Citizens Action Committee For Bray And Greystones.

If You Want To Contact Us Email Us At fightingcorruptioninwicklow@hotmail.com.

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Comments (20 of 20)

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This is the Malahide Marina and Apartments.

by Fintan O'Hara - Concerned Citizens Action Committee

Fri Oct 03, 2008 20:51

This is the Malahide Marina in North County Dublin with apartments on the public foreshore.The natural amenity in this area is destroyed.Obstruction of skyline and public foreshore.

THIS IS THE GREYSTONES OF TOMORROW???.

This is Howth Habour Marina in North County Dublin.

Fri Oct 03, 2008 21:02

This is Howth Harbour Marina in North County Dublin.Natural and man made amenity for the public without the obstruction of apartments,on the skyline and public foreshore.

This is Dun Laoghaire Harbour Marina.

Fri Oct 03, 2008 21:15

This is Dun Laoghaire Harbour Marina and Foreshore.Natural and Man made amenity for the public.Without the obstruction of apartments on the skyline and public foreshore.

This Is Our Email Received From Ms.Kathy Sinnott.

by Fintan O'Hara - Concerned Citizens Action Committee.

Fri Oct 10, 2008 18:10

Concerned Citizens Action Committee Bray and Greystones‏
From: SINNOTT Kathy (kathy.sinnott@europarl.europa.eu)
You may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as unsafe
Sent: 23 June 2008 19:18:49
To: fightingcorruptioninwicklow@hotmail.com
Hello,

Kathy would just like to confirm that she has received a number of the signed statements from people in this area on Greystones North Beach Harbour Development and its Foreshore. Thank you for sending them to her.

She would just like to ask if this has already been submitted to the Petitions Committee as a petition? If not, we can do do that you, if you so wish. However, the name and address of a lead petitioner is required. The names of everyone who has signed the statement can be added. Who should we put down as lead petitioner?

As Vice President of the Petitions Committee, Kathy is happy to support your petition in any way she can.

I await your direction.

Thank you and kind regards,
Hannah

Hannah Lane

Office of Kathy Sinnott, MEP for Ireland South

Tel. Brussels +32 (0) 228 45692

Email: kathy.sinnott@europarl.europa.eu

www.kathysinnott.ie

Important Evidence Exposing The Cover Up Of The North Beach Greystones.

by Mr.Peter Brady - Concerned Citizens Action Committee.

Fri Oct 10, 2008 18:33

Save this picture below into your picture files and then when viewing it,click on the zoom feature to enhance it.

Thanking You Once Again The Concerned Citizens Action Committee.

Credit crisis and Greystones

by T

Fri Oct 10, 2008 19:21

There must be a good chance that these development plans will be put on hold or at least seriously delayed given the current credit crisis turmoil. After all who is going to buy these apartments and it is likely the money will have to be borrowed to build it. It is hard to see this appearing anytime soon.

If so, this would be great news for Greystones

This is the 2004-2010 Wicklow County Development Plan.

Fri Oct 10, 2008 19:24

Save this picture to your picture files,when viewing this picture click on the zoom feature to enhance it.

This is the Wicklow County Development plan 2004-2010.This is the document that An Bord Pleanala based their findings on in the granting of planning permission at the North Beach Greystones.As you will see from the evidence in front of you it states nowhere in this document in relation to the construction of 341 residential units on the public foreshore.You will also see the 1999 Greystones/Delgany Development plan underlined in this document.As stated in our previous statements the 1999 development plan was enshrined in the county development plan as far back as 1999,which was the original local area plan for Greystones and Delgany.As stated the findings was based on the county development plan and because of this under no circumstances should there be building on the foreshore,because of the 1999 Greystones/Delgany Development plan which is built into the county development plan and was made into planning legislation in january 2004.All we have stated here in this comment is fact and can not be denied and comes under the planning acts of 2000,and can not be covered up no matter what the Greystones Chamber Of Commerce wants you to believe.You can avail of the county development plan at the public library in Greystones or the Council Offices Of Wicklow.

This is the 1999 Greystones/Delgany Development Plan.

Fri Oct 10, 2008 19:42

This is the 1999 Greystones/Delgany Development plan(Continued).

Fri Oct 10, 2008 20:28

The Above document is the original local area plan for Greystones and Delgany.This is the one that your local councillors removed from the town of Greystones and Delgany,to facillitate the developers who needed to be given the guarantee to build apartments on the public foreshore because as you will see in this document under natural and man-made amenities preserve the beach and foreshore and the provision of a marina but no mention at all regarding apartments.Why is this ???.As stated in this document which is in the county development plan 2004-2010 and was made into planning law in january 2004,this was the original plan for Greystones and still is.The 2006 Greystones/Delgany local area plan is outside the remit of the 2004 county development plan so in other words this plan has no power whatsoever in Greystones and Delgany, which was a rogue plan introduced by your councillors to suit the developers and impose this on the people without asking them for their democratic opinion in all of this.As it stands with this planning permission the apartments are an illegal entity that should not be in that planning permission and we at the Concerned Citizens Action Committee is opposed to this and fully support the 1999 Greystones/Delgany Development plan which protects the public foreshore for the north beach Greystones,and nevermind what the Greystones Chamber of Commerce is saying because they at the end of the day are only interested in their own business interests.They proved this to all of you when they completely ignored 6,000 objections first time around.What does this tell you about them???.it is now time to hit back now.Roll on the 2009 local elections.

Thanking you all once again the Concerned Citizens Action Committee for Bray and Greystones.

If you want to contact us email us at fightingcorruptioninwicklow@hotmail.com we want to hear from you now.

Credit crisis and Greystones Harbour Development

by The Architect

Fri Oct 10, 2008 23:25

The financial justification of building 341 apartments was based on property valuations at the height of the property bubble. These projections are now totally unrealistic. The development now makes no financial sence. There is no longer any market for these apartments at the inflated prices they were projecting.

The people of Greystones are now faced with the real prospect of many many years of a deserted building site on the harbour area. Already the development is way behind schedule with the excuse being given by Sispar that the sea in August was too rough and shifted some of the concrete blocks placed in the sea for the new breakwaters. It now transpires that the planned engineering approach for building the breakwaters was flawed and will have to be changed. At the latest harbour liasion meeting Sispar were outraged when the future of the project was called into question.

Unfortunately for the people of Greystones Sispar have already destroyed the once beautiful harbour area forever.

The 1999 Wicklow County Development plan 1999 Part 1.

Fri Oct 24, 2008 18:15

This is the 1999 Wicklow County Development Plan Part One.This plan is the backup plan to the 2004-2010 county development plan.This plan is very important evidence in relation to exposing the scandal at the North Beach Greystones.This evidence was witheld at the two An Bord Pleanala oral hearings.You will see the 1999 Greystones/Delgany Development plan in this plan,which protects the public foreshore.As stated this evidence was suppressed by all parties concerned who were involved in the cover up.We are now calling on the Greystones Protection Development Association to explain to the people of Greystones and Delgany why this evidence was kept from the oral hearings.We are also calling on the person who was there spokesperson on planning and former general election candidate why did she not introduce this evidence when she knew the importance of it.Serious questions now need to be asked of her and the leadership of this group.Was this a fake campaign??? and a front for the developers,in riling up the emotions of the people and voicing their objections to this particular project,which needed cover from the planning process just incase if there was an inquiry into this i.e Quarryvale and North County Dublin which is under investigation by Mahon.

They knew once they involved an agency like An Bord Pleanala and if questions were to be asked they can say 'sure it went through the whole planning process'.This would put down that anything was above board.We at the Concerned Citizens believe that this was a fake campaign,which was a showcase and a class act which was well executed by them by way of compensation to all that was involved in this group.The majority of people in Greystones and Delgany believe it was a fake campaign and one of the main reasons for this is that the protest signs came down very fast the next day on hearing that the permission was granted.Sure they all knew in advance that this was going ahead when all the bank accounts started filling up,which put a stop to any protest after the permission was granted and the green light was given to the Developers.This was very much noticed by the people why the protest posters came down very fast in around the harbour and questions were being asked why???.

This campaign was a fake campaign when you see the combined residents associations in sandymount in putting a court injunction on the insinuator which was approved by An Bord Pleanala at least these particular groups showed moral courage by bringing to the courts unlike the Greystones Protection Development Association.We are now posing the question once again to you all??? how well did you all know each other to dream up such a great plan,but in saying this was it such a great plan when everybody has seen through it.We wait for your reply to this comment if you have a reply regarding this particular subject which we find particularly rotten and quite sickening after the fact.

Fintan O'Hara secretary of the Concerned Citizens Action Committee for Bray and Greystones.

If you want to contact us email us at fightingcorruptioninwicklow@hotmail.com we want to hear from you now.

We will now post the 1999 Wicklow County Development Plan Part 1.

Wicklow County Development Plan.

Fri Oct 24, 2008 18:40

Planning Corruption denied by Official.

Fri Oct 24, 2008 20:08

This Story was published in the wicklow times on wednesday the 17th of september 2008.It is to do with two developers in which one of the developers had a fallen out with the county manager and spilt the beans to his solicitor in relation to backroomed meetings that went on behind closed doors.We see in this newspaper article where corruption is exposed because there is no solicitor in this land would put his signature on any letter if the evidence in this newspaper article was untrue.READ THE STORY we leave it up to you to decide.

Save this picture below into your picture files and then when viewing it,click on the zoom feature to enhance it.

Thanking You Once Again The Concerned Citizens Action Committee.

Our Second Reply from the Brussels Office of Mrs.Kathy Sinnott M.E.P.

Fri Oct 24, 2008 20:33

RE: To Hannah‏
From: SINNOTT Kathy (kathy.sinnott@europarl.europa.eu)
Sent: 24 October 2008 13:00:35
To: Concerned Citzens (fightingcorruptioninwicklow@hotmail.com)

Dear Fintan, Apologies for the delay in responding to your email. I hope things are going better on Indymedia. In relation to the petition, we have indeed been receiving the statements from people. For the petition to the Petitions Committee Kathy is more than happy to host your petition. As it is a very long process,would you like us to perhaps draft something for you based on your statement and then find some EU law that connects to it? We could then send you the draft and you could amend as you like. Once the petition is submitted it will move slowly along the process,but it is a good idea to actually get it in. Whatever we can do to help, just let us know. Kind regards,Hannah

Do you realise you are talking to yourselves?

by Greystones Resident - None

Mon Oct 27, 2008 01:57

We have the 6th Statement now.

Next we will have the 7th - I am sure we can't wait to hear the next instalment. NOT!!!!!!!!

This campaign lacks any new imput from anyone other than Fintan O'Hara and Peter Brady.

Do you realise at this point nobody is interested in the campaign and nobody even bothers to reply or acknowledge any of the postings it has become so BORING.....................................................

Time to give it up boys and get back to doing something useful with your lives like getting a life.

Marinas and apartments are all over the country - people need somewhere to live and if they want to buy an apartment on the foreshore or anywhere else and have the money good for them. Others should not object - do you want someone to say you should not live in a country estate, perched on a hill with a view, in a city centre apartment block or whatever? No this is a free country so live and let live if people want to invest in and live in these apartments let them.

The Inn Crowd

by Michael - Human League

Tue Oct 28, 2008 12:17

Yes I Have To Agree With The Above And The Cutting Edge In Its Delivery.

The Odds Are Stacked Against The ''Statements'' And The Alias Involved.
We Are Dealing With Very Astute And Clever People In The Greystones And Surrounding Area's Of Wicklow.
Same Above People Are Not That ''THICK'' To Allow A 2nd Class Monument Of Beauty To Betray Their Heritage In Decades To Come.
The People Of Greystones Are Mostly Self Made With Their Brainpower And Intelligence ,Gained By The Very Best Education Available Over
The Years ,And Their Lifestyle And Healthy Appearance's Are Also A Credit To The Agenda They Continue To Pursue Day In Day Out , With One Goal
In Mind..... Perfection......

Go And Visit Greystones And Enjoy Their Wonderful Way Of Life , And Come Away In Awe Of Their Village Of Heaven.
Then Let Them Get On With Their Vision Of Heaven As In Their Lovely Harbour Development........

They Have Earned Their Little Piece Of Heaven...

People that sit on the fence and do nothing for the community.

by Mr.Peter Brady And Fintan O'Hara.. - Concerned Citizens Action Committee.

Tue Oct 28, 2008 16:11

Dear Greystones Resident.

Very interesting comment i must say,but you are behind once again.You did not notice obviously the seventh installment went up on the 24th of october 2008,your comment went up on the 27th of october 2008.What does this tell you about yourself,you state we are are talking to ourselves but how is this when we know we are talking to you.Obviously our statements and our new input of photographs of the marinas in Dun Laoghaire,Howth,and Malahide.You state on your comment that there is marina's and apartments everywhere in the country i beg to differ with you here.Go up to skerries on the east coast and look at the harbour up there do you see apartments.Study our photograph's on this website do you see apartments in Dun Laoghaire and Howth,but you do see apartments on the Marina in malahide because this was the scandal of north county dublin in which the good old brown envelope bought this planning permission for apartments which suppressed the voice of the people just like in Greystones.We suggest to you that if you are finding it hard to study the photograph's zoom in on them or go to specsavers who are doing a good deal on glasses.You obviously are not reading the website properly where you state that no one is interested in the campaign.Take a look at our email that we received from our european representative who is taking great interest in what we have to say.We are running a very successful campaign and we are delighted.We are not in the business of reading ridiculous comments that has no benefit to the community.You may not be aware because of the problems you have with your eyes we are in close communication with our european representative who is looking into all matters in relation to building on the floodplain and in designated areas of special amenity value which is in the 2004 county development plan.So would you please find the intelligence within yourself to read them.We as concerned citizens fully support the building of 200,000 housing units social and affordable housing for all our citizens who are now finding themselves in the high court by speculators and developers and the banks in the repossession of their homes.This is a national scandal.We say to you its time for you to wake up and smell the coffee and come into the real world and stop living your selfish life.You are the type that sits on the fence and does nothing in the community only walk your dog and criticise everyone bar yourself.Its your type that has us in the situation we find ourselves in today,but i have to say one thing you have paid myself and my colleague a great compliment when you referred to us as boys.With these type of comments going around we will never get old.We would appeal to you to come in and look at the looking glass and see what is going on in society as we know it today,and when you do you will come out of the dream that you are finding yourself in at the moment and join the Concerned Citizens Action Committee.

Thanking You the Greystones Resident for your input into this debate.

Signed Mr.Peter Brady chairman of the Concerned Citizens Action Committee for Bray and Greystones and Mr.Fintan O'Hara Secretary for the Concerned Citizens Action Committee for Bray and Greystones.

If you want to get in contact with us email us at fightingcorruptioninwicklow@hotmail.com we want to hear from you now.

Did not think I would live to see the day........

by Greystones Resident?

Tue Oct 28, 2008 16:13

Ah, did not think I would live to see the day that our friend (?) In Human League would agree with me a mere mortal blast from the past. And I even managed a 'Cutting Edge Delivery' well holy God as Miley would say.

As their song goes "Ah do you want me".

The Answer to the question is YES we WANT a nice Harbour Development in Greystones not a crumbling pier like it has been for years. Time moves on - progress happens like it or not.

The Marina will be there for future generations to enjoy alomg with the apartments for them to live in and enjoy the sea views.

Now if only someone would upgrade Bray and rid it of its dirty town image and give it a nice Marina!! One can hope..........................

7th Statement started up as a new story that is why people missed it!!!!

by Greystones Resident

Tue Oct 28, 2008 22:24

Under normal circumstances a story continues on the ONE thread and follows through.

Your original thread and story was SHUT DOWN so all the following statements seem to have followed each one on a SEPARATE new thread and story.

No wonder the campaign is so "disjointed and lacks consistency".

It is just more of the same from one statement to the next and I stand over my BORING comment.

No I don't walk my dog and I don't need to go to specsavers to read your postings which I find highly insulting.

How do you think endless Statements on Indymedia will help to stop the development at Greystones Harbour? Has it stopped even one stone being laid since your campaign began? NO not a stone missing.

You don't have to sit on the wall to view the progress. It can be seen plainly by driving by the Harbour area.

Are you objecting so strongly maybe because the value of your house will go down? Will you lose a view that will devalue it? What is your REAL angle here? Why do you want to stop progress.

If you keep stating that people involved in the new Marina and apartments have a hidden agenda what is yours?

Do you Peter? and Fintan? go down and publicly demonstrate against the Harbour or just hide on the internet? I think it is hide because we do not see any protests out in public being led by you around the harbour area. We don't see protests there in fact by anyone so we take it that everyone else is NOT objecting to the scheme.

The scandal and giveaway of the public beach

by Peter Brady

Wed Nov 05, 2008 10:08

To the 'Greystones Resident', (sorry for hurting your feelings)

We have obvioulsy hit a nerve you don't like. We have given you a week to think about this before we came back to reply. We were waiting to see how Barack Obama would do in the presidential election. It is great to see democracy at work unlike the people in Delgany.. and Greystones who were denied a democracy as YOU very well know. You ask what our agenda is-what was yours all along? We will continue with our endless boring statements because as stating we are hiting a nerve somewhere along the line and making progress in Europe. Would you say Barack Obama was hiding behind the internet too when it became a great tool and weapon in fighting corruption and believe me this man IS fighting corruption when he had 5000 law agents on the ground monitoring every polling station in the country-this is what we call organisation...WE MY FRIEND, ARE MONITORING EVERYTHING......................We know the people in around the harbour at one stage were opposed to this massive development of 341 residential apartments on the public foreshore and rightly so with the loss of their view of the sea but they were well compensated for this when we know a valuer was brought into the first oral hearing-why was this when the GDPA were opposed to such an action in the first place? But we all know now that they had their own agenda when they capitulated to the whim of the developers. As you know from the reading of our endless statements we support the 1999 Greystones Delgany Development plan which protected the public foreshore but also provided a community marina for the people of Greystones and Wicklow. Where do you stand in relation to the 1999 plan? We are not opposed to development but we are opposed to inappropriate development and the violation of democracy. If you feel highly insulted we must be getting the point home to you but just think about the insult that are young people are facing at the moment with the loss of their homes and way of life that they are facing through the repoession in the high courts.

Thanking you in advance-Peter Brady , Chairman, Concerned Citizens Action Committee, fightingcorruptioninwicklow@hotmail.com.

PS-Did you ever hear of the Foreshore Act?

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Greystones Harbour Revisited

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