NO WHITE SMOKE FROM HOTEL MEETING
The press was after all allowed to sit in and witness what could only be categorised as a tame meeting between the nine Fermoy town councillors, which was recently hosted to discuss a Lawton Development proposal for a new hotel in the town.
At face value, it seemed that nothing much was achieved apart from numerous shouting matches and patience running thin. The meeting was controversial from the very start as Mayor William Hughes called it ‘in committee’.
Apparently all council members and not just the mayor should have made such a decision. Mayor Hughes apologised for not following the accepted protocol and, with the committee meeting being voted down and out of the way and the press allowed to sit in and take notes of the proceedings, it was down to discussing the business at hand, the controversial and hotly debated Fermoy hotel project.
Disagreement and lack of any consensus and common understanding was the order of the day. The contentious issue centred on the number of houses proposed as part of the project and the lack of any drawings showing how the actual development would look. Each council member seemed to have their own particular ‘take’ on the recent meeting with Lawton Developments.
Cllrs Peter Merrigan, Michael Hanley and Seamus Coleman asked their fellow council members to kindly consider a number of houses that would be acceptable to them, as, it is understood, that the hotel will not happen without a development of houses to complement it.
There was major variance to the propositions as a number of councillors refused to consider the request until they saw plans for the development - the hotel with the type of houses included.
Cllr Merrigan pointed out that his understanding on the matter was that the drawings will not be made available by the developers until the council members agree on a number of houses that is acceptable to them. Cllr. Coleman said that his understanding of the previous meeting with the Lawtons was that the zoning issue had to be decided, before it comes back to the council, and, without this issue being clarified, there would be no plans provided for the development.
As the meeting trundled on towards conclusion, after seemingly endless arguments and counter arguments on the same issues, no consensus was reached and frustration got the better of most of those present. Efforts by The Avondhu to acquire a comment from Lawton Developments proved unsuccessful as this issue went to press.
Published:
Thursday 12th June 6:59pm
