Crowe clashes with Minister O’Sullivan

COUNCILLOR Cathal Crowe engaged in a verbal spat with Housing Minister of State Jan O’Sullivan at the official takeover ceremony for the Westbury Housing Estate on Monday.

After welcoming Deputy O’Sullivan to the South-East Clare Area Offices, Councillor Crowe proceeded to launch a blistering attack on the minister, claiming her presence was “too little, too late”.

He stated that in January 2012, he tabled a proposal at a council meeting requesting Minister O’Sullivan to meet with councillors to discuss the taking in charge of housing estates and the handling of unfinished estates.

This motion was unanimously carried by all councillors present and forwarded to Minister O’Sullivan for her attention.

On February 4, 2012, the minister’s private secretary wrote to the council to acknowledge receipt of this correspondence and promised that a further reply would be issued “as soon as possible”. Councillor Crowe said he heard nothing more back from Minister O’Sullivan on this matter.

“I find it regrettable that in this 12 months we heard nothing positive from you and we didn’t have a sit-down meeting. I think today is very much the fanfare day but the hard work has gone in to this up to now.

“Being in your constituency, I would have expected this dialogue to take place and I find it regrettable it didn’t. There are umpteen issues here to be resolved.

“There were times when sewer rods had to be put down to keep things moving in the estate. People were filling potholes with gravel.

“I think it is too little too late from your department. The work is only beginning and there is a portion of the estate outside our jurisdiction, which needs to be advanced.

“Going forward, I feel we need a more positive focus from you and your department to resolve the final outstanding matters,” he said.

Minister O’Sullivan rejected the charge that her presence at the ceremony was too little too late.

The minister stressed she had ongoing engagement with Clare County Council in relation to Westbury and also met with residents of an Grianán and Bruachlán to discuss their particular issues.

“Because I am Minister for Planning and Housing, there is a certain level I can go and a certain level it isn’t appropriate for me to go.

“As a deputy in this constituency, I have been making representations as well as my appropriate role as minister.”

Due to the involvement of NAMA in Bruachlán and an Grianán, she explained it isn’t possible to bring these parts of the estate to the table for public takeover.

She is the chair of the national sub-committee for unfinished estates in the Department of the Environment, which includes representatives from the county managers association, the property sector, rural residents’ forum, NAMA, Health and Safety Authority and various other interests.

When Deputy O’Sullivan took over the job as Housing Minister, she recalled there were over 2,800 unfinished estates, which has been reduced to 1,700.

Acknowledging this is still a sizeable number of unfinished estates, Deputy O’Sullivan pointed out in some cases, there are only small parts of developments left unfinished.

“We report progress every six months and we hope by the middle of next year, we will be able to make final decisions on estates and finalising site resolution.

“Safety issues were the first to be addressed and money was provided to address this. We had great co-operation from local authorities and we are delighted with the progress on Westbury,” she said.