Communication with public needs to improve to get message across
Wednesday June 02 2010
THE early days of the implementation of Fingal's hugely controversial 'Growing Places' policy has got a mixed reaction from councillors in the Swords and Balbriggan electoral areas.
The plan which seeks to turn a portion of the county's open spaces into wildflower meadowland has is causing uproar all over Fingal but some councillors believe that if the council improves its communication of the plan, residents will be prepared to put up with the uglier transition period of the plan for the reward of diverse and colourful meadowland later.
Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Ciaran Byrne (Lab) said he thought there was a lot of sympathy for the plan among councillors when it came before the full council some time ago. He said he was a ' bit bemused' by the controversy.
Cllr Byrne said that he appreciated that open spaces would not look well during the transitional period from grass to meadow but said: 'You can't make an omlette without cracking eggs.'
He hoped that ultimately, residents would be happy with the outcome of the plan and would be able to 'enjoy nature's wonderful display of colour'.
Cllr Tom Kelleher (Lab) called for more communication with residents on the plan, some of whom he said are 'absolutely furious' because they believe they will lose playing areas for their children to wildflower meadows.
He said that the council needed to communicate to the public that will not happen.
Cllr Darragh Butler (FF) said that if some residents have misunderstood the plan then it was the council's fault getting the information out.
He said that people needed to know which areas were destined for wild meadow and which were not and said if that did not happen, complaints to the council from residents on the issue would increase tenfold. He said he believed that the plan could not be implemented anywhere without the consent of residents.
Cllr Clare Daly (SP) said that most people would see the plan as nothing more than a cost-cutting measure and said the leaflet being distributed in a bid to explain the plan to residents 'doesn't explain anything'.
Cllr Gerry McGuire (Lab) also criticised the lack of consultation so far on the project and said that residents feared kids being driven off open spaces to play on the road.
Cllr Tom O'Leary (FG) said that if communication did not improve it would become a major issue for the council.
