November 16, 2009

Docklands deal turns sour







http://www.irishtimes.com/letters/           
Tuesday, November 17, 2009


Docklands deal turns sour


Madam,

In Business This Week(November 6th), in an article headed “Boom-time deal in the docklands turns sour”, it is stated that: “The authority [the DDDA] for its part, says it got involved because members of the local community had urged it to, and that it had acquired the minimum stake that would prevent it being outvoted on key decisions.”

Similar statements appear in the forewords of the Dublin Docklands masterplan and the draft section 25 Poolbeg planning scheme of 2008 signed by Donal O’Connor, as chairman.


As many of your readers will be aware, political constituency boundaries do not necessarily coincide with geographical boundaries. Counties and districts are often split. The IGB and Fabrizia sites lie in the geographical location of Sandymount, being part of the hazardous waste dump created on Sandymount Strand. Members of the Docklands Council were chosen on the basis of political, not geographical, boundaries.

While representatives from adjoining communities and other areas were appointed to the Docklands Council and may or may not have made such a request, we were not at any time, prior to 2008, party to discussions, requests or decisions relating to any part of the area. We most decidedly did not urge the dockland authority to become involved in the acquisition of the IGB site or in Becbay.


In 2008, at meetings of a special interest group set up by the DDDA, we made at least two verbal requests for a copy of the relevant Docklands Council minutes at which, it is claimed, members of the council asked or urged authority members to become involved in Becbay. We have not received it.


Yours, etc,

LORNA KELLY,

Sandymount and Merrion

Residents Association.

1 comment:

The Galway Tent said...

Concerns taxpayer may have to rescue DDDA

http://www.irishexaminer.com/business/kfaugbmhcwey/rss2/
By Business Reporter

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

THE Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) is facing bankruptcy after making losses of €27 million in 2008, according to Fine Gael environment spokesman Phil Hogan.

The Kilkenny TD said there are serious concerns that the taxpayer will be forced to bail out the organisation and those responsible for the massive losses will get away scot-free. He said the information comes on the back of the €413 million deal at the Irish Glass Bottle site, which has since seen its value being written down by 85%.

Deputy Hogan said developers got involved with the DDDA and there are serious concerns that those responsible will get away "scot-free", he said.

He said these latest revelations come on back of information that the Irish Glass Bottle Site had its value written down by 85%.

"The DDDA now surely faces bankruptcy, with a real possibility of the taxpayer facing a bill of millions. This is as the Minister (Gormley) refused to rule out a bail-out for the DDDA when I questioned him.

"As he has several times before, he also refused to instigate a Comptroller & Auditor General Report or introduce legislation to make this so.

"As a result, there are serious concerns that those responsible will now get away with [how they behaved].

"The chairperson of the DDDA has commissioned reports on finance, planning and corporate governance but these are not good enough. The C&AG needs to get involved.

"The fact is that the DDDA has been run, over the past decade, like a profit-generating branch of Anglo-Irish bank.

"It got involved with a shady deal with developers at the Irish Glass Bottle site and the taxpayer may be left carrying the can," he added.



This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, November 25, 2009