#tom fortune

Sisk have been commanded to attend the special meeting of Greystones Municipal District Council tonight at 7.00pm.

The meeting will discuss how the Community Plan for the harbour, or most of it, can be carried out in such a way as to mesh with whatever plans Sisk has to re-commence construction after a four year long hiatus.

Unfortunately, the long-suffering public of Greystones have been excluded from this meeting, but GUBOH supporters need not worry — we will have accurate reports of the meeting even if the official minutes are massaged in the usual fashion.

At least two TDs and probably Minister Harris will attend. The invited lineup  is: all the Wicklow TDs, councillors, WCC project director Sean Quirke, JP Sisk (and sidekicks), and John FFF O'Brien to contribute his company's expertise on the Community Plan.

With three of our six councillors supporting the Community Plan, Mr JP Sisk will not find the new Municipal Council as tolerant of his company's contempt for the Greystones community as the previous Town Council was.

Nor will Sean Quirke, the project director at County Buildings. If JP Sisk cannot give a definite date for a start to construction, he will be failing to do so 13 months after his company announced that the Primary Care Centre was a dead duck but that construction of residential elements would begin in the second quarter of 2014.

Needless to say, that didn't happen. Nor did building start as planned on 5 August. Dates do appear to be very moveable feasts out at Sisk's HQ on the Long Mile Road.

But Sean Quirke appears not to care that much. To him, if Sisk is merely seeking investors, that equates to 'proceeding diligently'.

Interestingly, one of JP's fans, FG councillor Grainne McLoughlin, posted on her Facebook page on 20 August last, two weeks after Sisk's latest date for beginning construction passed without a sod being turned:

In June Simon Harris TD and I had a meeting with very senior management of SISK to walk the new North Pier and discuss the many issues that are outstanding. One of the things I pleaded for at that meeting was that the hoardings be removed from outside the Sailing club & Ridge Angling and replaced with fencing. I was told at the time they would look closely at it. I noticed yesterday fencing on the ground in front of the hoarding and got confirmation this evening that the last of that horrible hoarding is coming down and been replaced with the fencing. I have to say.... Result (at long last!)

Nothing in there about asking Sisk — or even pleading with Sisk — to get a move on or landscape their ugly mess while we wait — and wait, and wait...

Tonight, no doubt, Ms McLoughlin will be to the fore to grill Sisk about their non-delivery of what was promised since. Also, some hard questions on why their last 'deadline' for a start on the housing and community buildings, just over a month ago on 5 August, passed without a move like the 38 or 39 previous 'deadlines'.

I look forward to her Facebook posts on this.

But don't hold your breath...

Harbour clubs need to be built

A number of sites at Greystones harbour are creating some conflict as people have different idea on how they should be used.

The Give Us Back Our Harbour (GUBOH) group would like to see the sites used as a public picnic area.

Cllr. Derek Mitchell on the other hand has said, “I am calling for the clubhouse for the five marine community clubs, sea scouts, rowers, divers, anglers and sailors to be…

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Three councillors pledged to promote the Community Plan for Greystones harbour were elected last Friday — a tremendous result which brings implementation of the plan much closer, according to GUBOH.

The Give Us Back Our Harbour group pointed out that both poll-toppers in the Greystones LEA, Jennifer Whitmore and Tom Fortune, are Plan promoters. 

Cllr Jennifer Whitmore with Cllr Tom Fortune — elected on the first count

“Both were elected on the first count with 42% of all first preferences between them,” said GUBOH spokesperson Basil Miller. “That is a tremendous achievement in itself, and they were joined on the last count by Plan supporter Nicola Lawless of Sinn Fein.”

Miller pointed out that the pro-Plan list of nine candidates took almost 70% of the first preferences cast.

”Of course, many other issues influenced this vote, “ he stated, “but we believe our campaign made a substantial difference to the result. Those councillors elected who did not sign up to our pledge should reflect on this outcome.

“For pro-Plan candidates to garner 68.4% of first preferences is a massive mandate to get the harbour plan implemented without delay. All our local councillors should take note, and support forthcoming moves to have the Greystones Harbour Community Plan implemented

“The Greystones community has shown what it wants. The two Fine Gael and one Fianna Fail councillors should now support the resolution at Wicklow County Council which their colleagues will put forward.”

Miller added GUBOH’s congratulations to all those elected. “It was a cleanly fought election, for which all candidates deserve credit,” he said. “Naturally, we would have preferred to see at least one more Plan supporter take a seat, but it became clear pretty early that the possible challenger, Niall Byrne, was not picking up enough transfers to edge out the opposition.

Cllr Nicola Lawless with Tom Fortune

“We would like to see Cllrs Mitchell, McLoughlin and Walsh indicate as soon as possible whether they will now support and promote the Community Plan.

“To that end, I would like to stress that the Plan is not set in stone — many elements are negotiable, and new elements can be included. A good first move would be for all our councillors to convene a meeting with community groups, including ourselves, to establish if a common position can be put forward.

Miller added that GUBOH welcomes the “very low key” opening of access to the North Pier over the election weekend. “Not so long ago Sisk ruled out public access to the North Pier, saying it was ‘out of the question’. Suddenly it became possible, but they kept it very quiet. To us, that indicates that much else they ruled out can now be ruled back in. We will be pressing for full implementation of the Community Plan.”

There's bad news on the harbour front as Tom Fortune reveals that Sisk and Wicklow County Council are refusing to consider or implement the Community Plan which he presented to Sisk, and to Wicklow County Council officials at last month's town council meeting. 

Independent councillor Tom Fortune

In a press release issued today, the independent councillor expressed astonishment at the reply Sisk has now sent to Greystones Town council members.

Representatives of Sisk attended the town council meeting and agreed to examine the community proposals.

"However, they have now rejected them out of hand," said Fortune.  "Instead, they have offered to carry out a minimal amount of grassing in a small area of the site and open a pedestrian access to the North pier via a lengthy circuitous route that takes the public well away from the harbour itself."

Fortune added: "Their response is simply unreal."

"These people seem to have no concept of the extent to which they have put upon the people of this town and the damage they have done to tourism.

"We have had to endure a building site for six years now. They kept us waiting for almost three years for the Primary Care Centre which never happened.

"During that time they have been granted many concessions by Wicklow County Council, including extensions of time and variations to the plan.

"We have every reason to believe that they may also have been granted a significant debt write-off by NAMA — a write-off which, if it happened, is funded by the Irish taxpayer.

"Despite this," said Fortune, "they seem to feel they have no responsibility to the community of this town. They seem to think that the community should endure this eyesore indefinitely.

"Sisk were contracted to build a marine and residential development. They have failed to complete this. 

"The problem is their creation and it is up to them to resolve it to the satisfaction of the community.

What they propose now involves no material removal of hoardings, no landscaping of the site, no public park area, no usable access to the North Pier — in fact, virtually nothing of what the community sought.

"A lot of thought and work went into the community proposals and they have received widespread support in the town. To dismiss them in this manner is outrageous.

"At the next town council meeting [on 29 October] I will be asking that the council send a clear message to Sisk that their proposals are completely unacceptable and I hope that my fellow councillors will support me in this."

Fortune's condemnation of Sisk's cavalier and arrogant attitude received immediate support from at least one other county and town councillor, Grainne McLoughlin, who posted on her personal Facebook page.

McLoughlin said: "I received yesterday the proposed plan from SISK regarding the harbour. It is not remotely good enough. There is a very minimum of grassing planned and a very strange access to the North Pier."

"Alongside this, they have the original development plans. That's all well and good if they plan to develop but as usual there are no time frames or management plan included.

"SISK agreed to come on board for the strategic plan for Greystones, to do that they cannot string everyone along with maybe this and perhaps that promises.

"They simply cannot think that what what they propose will be acceptable to anyone — it quite simply is not."

The next Town Council meeting is on Tuesday 29 October at 7.30 pm. Over 140 members of the community attended last month's meeting to show their concern. Let's see even more at this month's meeting — your attendance is crucial. See here https://www.facebook.com/events/608312599205613/?ref=4

On Tuesday 24 September last, JP Sisk and Brendan Sheehy of Sisk, now sole contractor in the Greystones Harbour public private partnership, presented their proposals for extra landscaping and public access at the harbour, derelict since late 2010.

The photos below show the extent of their proposal.  We also show the plan which Tom Fortune CC and Stephen Donnelly TD presented on behalf of the Greystones community.

Which would you prefer?

Stephen Donnelly and Tom Fortune beside the remaining hoardings at the derelict Greystones Harbour building site

  Stephen Donnelly, Independent TD for Wicklow and East Carlow, has joined with councillor Tom Fortune and local interest groups and residents to create an interim community plan to open up Greystones Harbour fully and landscape the derelict building site.

The plan would see the lands around the harbour and North Beach opened up to the public. The land has been fenced off for six years now, blocking normal access to the North Beach and leaving an empty building site at the foot of the Cliff Walk. The community plan includes:

All fenced-off land to be opened up, lanscaped and planted for safe use (including fencing along the Cliff Walk)

Public park and boardwalk to be completed

Soft public lighting, litter bins and public toilets with disability access to be provided

Good quality bench seating and provision for leisure activities

Berths for the local fishermen

Access to North Beach from The Grove at the site of the old Gap Bridge

Construction of the planned boardwalk to the North Pier, which must be opened to the public

Tom Fortune said:

Sisk recently informed the Town Council that work on the promised Primary Care Centre is delayed indefinitely. The community should be granted access to the land until large scale building begins again. This could help boost tourism and job creation in the town.

Donnelly commented:

There have been many changes to the original plans, including the public park shrinking from 18 to 15 acres to allow more apartments. A Bord Pleanala Inspector strongly recommended against these changes, stating they would constitute over-intensification of development and significantly undermine the quality and quantity of public open space. 

The community has been very patient with the developer, and their patience has run out.

The public can sign the petition at Stephen Donnelly's office beside Greystones DART station, in the Burnaby and Beach House pubs, the Happy Pear, AIB Greystones, the Post Office and online at stephendonnelly.nationbuilder.com/harbour_petition

The plan was presented to the Town Council at its meeting on Tuesday 24 September, where there was general agreement that it should be implemented.