FF starts infighting,

The rats have left left the sinking ship, now those remaining are starting to attack each other.

MAYO FIANNA FAIL DEPUTY BEVERLEY FLYNN HAS ACCUSED HER COLLEAGUE THE JUNIOR MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE TONY KILLEEN OF MISCHIEF MAKING IN RELATION TO THE RETENTION OF THE TEAGASC OFFICE IN WESTPORT.
DEPUTY FLYNN MADE THE COMMENTS AFTER SHE SPOKE ON THE CLOSURE OF THE TEAGASC OFFICE IN CASTLEBAR ON THE DAIL ADJOURNMENT LAST NIGHT. DEPUTY FLYNN SAYS THAT THE MINISTER SPOKE ON THE CLOSURE OF THE OFFICE IN CASTLEBAR AND MADE COMMENTS IN RELATION TO THE IMPACT THAT WOULD HAVE ON THE WESTPORT OFFICE AND MAY LEAD TO IT’S CLOSURE ALSO.
DEPUTY FLYNN SAYS THAT THIS WAS MISCHIEF MAKING ON THE MINISTER’S BEHALF AND THAT SHE HAS RECEIVED ASSURANCES FROM THE BOARD OF TEAGASC THAT THE WESTPORT OFFICE IS NOT UNDER THREAT DUE TO THE HINTERLAND IT SERVES.


-- Post From My iPhone

Best Christmas Present!

I am delighted at the result, it's the best Christmas present I could have hoped for.  It has been a long and stressful three months in limbo but it is great to be back in my rightful place as Councillor and Leas Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council.

 

I would like to thank Helena Boylan and Co and Mr John Jordan BL for their hard work, good counsel and professionalism.

 

I would like to thank the Cathaoirleach Cllr Myles Staunton and my council colleagues for their support and solidarity with me over the last couple of months.

 

I would like to thank all those supporters and well wishers who stuck with me over the three months but I would most like to thank all those who voted for me in June and whose voice was silenced for the last three months.

 

Their voice will be heard once more in the chamber and it will be heard loud and clear as the council conducts its business.

 

I would also like to thank my family for all their support.

 

I am delighted to be back in time to help finalise the Town Plan for the coming five years and to see out 2009 as a councillor and as Leas Cathaoirleach.

 

It is an honour to serve the people on Westport Town Council and I look forward to the next four and a half years of service.  There are tough times ahead but I will be part of the solution not the problem.

 

I bear no grudge or malice towards anyone; the officials involved were only following the rule of law to its conclusion.  It is the law itself with which I take issue and I intend raising my situation with the Law Reform Commission in the New Year. 

 

No councillor should be removed from office with the stroke of a pen for being late for paperwork, no-one should be presumed guilty and required to go to court to clear their name and no punishment should be so disproportion to the offence.

 

This is contrary to natural justice and the Irish sense of fair play and I am determined to have the law changed so that no one else goes to through the stress, expense and undemocratic and unfair procedure that I have had to face since September.

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Faithfully

Cllr Keith Martin
086 0691182

Agenda for Town Council meeting

AGENDA FOR TOWN COUNCIL MEEETING

THURSDAY, 10^TH DECEMBER 2009 AT 5.00 p.m.

 

 

(01)          To confirm Minutes of November meeting of Westport Town Council held on 12^th November 2009;

 

(02)        Planning;

 

(03)        Presentation on Westport Leisure Park;

 

(04)        To note ITIC Report "Review & Outlook for  Ireland's Domestic Travel Market";

 

(05)        Update on Roadwork's  Programme;

 

(06)        Report on Development of Community and Recreation facilities at Golf Course Road;

 

(07)        Update on Casual Vacancy;

 

(08)        Report on  Limavady Twinning Meeting;

 

(09)        Update on Traffic Management

 

(10)          To agree date for Budget Meeting;

 

(11)           To agree date for Development Plan Meeting;

 

(12)          Conference;

 

(13)          Any Other Business

 

It's good to be back!

Thankfully the Circuit Court in Castlebar has removed my disqualification from serving in local government and I am back in my rightful position of Westport Town
Councillor and Leas Cathaoirleach of Westport.
It has been a long and stressful 3 months since I was informed I was disqualified from office for being late with my paperwork.
Thanks for all your support.


-- Post From My iPhone

Circuit Court hearing tomorrow

My motion to remove my disqualification from office goes before the Circuit Court tomorrow. Stay tuned to my blog or Twitter account for live updates and the result! Fingers crossed!


-- Post From My iPhone

Submission on town plan

Submission on Town Plan

 

Keith Martin

 

33 Pairc na Coille

Westport

Co. Mayo

 

Tuesday, 01 December 2009

 

 

1. Inserting the word "sustainable" into the town plan, here and there, does not make it a plan for a sustainable town.  Specific provisions for park and walk, allotments, increased bus links within the town and with towns like Castlebar, encouraging walking to school and work, bicycle parking, cycling lanes, dedicated cycle and walking lanes, the use of renewable power in public buildings and the proper insulation of existing and future buildings are issues which make a sustainable town.
2. EO-05 should be removed.  The industrialisation of Roman Island is an eyesore and a mistake, removing EO-05 will not affect the existing jobs but will end the possibility of further industrialisation of an island at the heart of Westport's contact with the Clew Bay SAC.  No other jobs are protected in such a manner in the town plan and it is poor practise to do so in this instance.
3. CFO-07 remove "subject to demand and logistics" as this could be applied to any other provision of the Town Plan and is a given in any event.
4. TO-05 allows for the "watering down" and weakening of the council's case in enforcing the preservation of the town's protected structures.  This has not been an issue in the past and should not be an issue in the future.  The change to "a high conservation standard" should be struck out and the original phrase allowed to stand.
5. 3 INDUSTRIAL ZONING in the case of the Newport Road/Golf Course Road should be shielded off by evergreen trees.
6. Proposed amendments to the Proposed additions to the RPS should be postponed and meeting sought with the Minister for the Environment to outline what grant supports will be made available to property owners in Westport in the event that their property is to be listed.
7. Zonings ZA-07,ZA-08 and ZA-09 are un-necessary and very inappropriate as they throw the whole town plan out of balance from being one which seeks to develop a town core to one which seeks to open up huge strips of land outside the town and on the edge of the town to large scale commercial development.  It is my belief that if this zoning goes through as is that it will be overturned by the Dept of the Environment and that advise from the Dept should be sought in advance of any decision.
8. ZA-18 should be zoned for Marine and not Industrial.  It should be an objective of the council to encourage Marine related tourism and commercial enterprise on Roman Island and not perpetuate the mistake of allowing it to be industrialised.
9. ZA-22 How was this site developed a sports pitch when it was not properly zoned?  Could this be explained to me in writing?  I am happy with new zoning to go into place though there have been complaints of noise from residents in the area.
10. ZA-28 is an absolutely disastrous example of poor planning by a local authority.  It is an attempt to please everyone which fails to satisfy anyone.  Since the garden was closed it has been allowed to stagnate, while zoned Town Centre for over a decade at the hight of the planning boom it was left undeveloped.  Suggestions that by zoning it Open Space now could leave it to "stagnate" further are spurious.  You cannot carve up the Bank Garden into two zonings as it is contrary to idea of it being protected curtilage and would only destroy the area as a walled garden by removing the walls.  In any event the amount zoned Open Space would have to be open space for any residential aspect of development in the garden.  The Town Council tried to purchase this garden when it first went on the market.  It is time for Westport Town and Mayo County Council to purchase it as a park for Westport and as a tourism attraction.  The Garden must be zoned Open Space in its entirety.
11. This plan fails to regularise the issue of Quarry Lane.  It should be determined as to exactly what the lane is capable of off and if any further development should be allowed to take place accessing it.  In my opinion Quarry Lane has been over developed and is not capable of carrying any more traffic.

 

Faithfully

Keith Martin
086 0691182

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Faithfully

Cllr Keith Martin
086 0691182

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Faithfully

Cllr Keith Martin
086 0691182