A friend sent this around this morning. A last ditch effort to get the John Gormley to intervene in the debacle which is the reopening of O’Connell Street, Sligo to traffic. It’s a plan that has no merit, no benefits, and no support from anyone.
Here’s the letter:
Please copy this message below and email it to minister@environ.ie to save our street..
Put O’Connell Street Sligo reopening to traffic in the subject box and add your name to the bottom of the letter before you send.
Also, don’t forget to put today’s date!
Mr. John Gormley T.D.,
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
Custom House,
Dublin 110th. Nov. 2009
Dear Minister Gormley,
I kindly request your immediate and urgent support to address the issue of the proposed reopening of O’Connell Street, Sligo to traffic.
This decision is due to take effect on December 9th, 2009.
On Monday November 2nd, the Sligo Borough Councillors made a decision to remove all mention of the Pedestrianisation of O’Connell Street from the 2010-2015 Sligo Environmental Development Plan.
• Sligo as a Gateway City has a strategic objective of pedestrianisation of the City Centre. This decision has ignored the strategic development of Sligo which has been designated a Gateway by Government under the National Spatial Strategy and has benefited from sustained public investment in critical and enabling infrastructure.
• This decision has passed despite being contrary to current and previous Development Plans and National Spatial Strategy.
• This decision has ignored the majority of submissions made during the consultation period into the planning process:
- 60 submissions opposing the removal of the pedestrianised street
- 1 submission was signed by 2850 persons, as opposed to 2 submissions supporting the opening of the pedestrian street to traffic signed by 100 people. This constitutes a 96.5% majority in favor of keeping the street pedestrianised.• This decision has ignored the business community of Sligo (including Sligo Chamber of Commerce and the O’Connell Street Traders Association) who fully supported the retention of the pedestrian.
• This decision has ignored the expert advice of the following professionals employed by the state:
- City Planners
- City Engineers
- County Managers Report• This decision bypassed the legal consultation process. Sligo Borough Councillors, including the Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Jimmy McGarry, announced publicly that the decision to open O’Connell Street to traffic was already made. In the September 9th issue of The Irish Times, the Mayor is quoted as saying
“It’s all systems go, all green lights,” said the Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Jimmy McGarry. “The street will be open to traffic on December 9th.”
• This defies the legal planning process under the 2000 Planning Act. Therefore the decision and proposed Development Plan made on November 2nd does not constitute legal process and defies the public’s right to due consultation and transparency on this matter. This is a clear violation of the Planning Act and has eroded the citizens’ faith in public consultation.
• The Borough Councillors have repeatedly failed to provide any valid argument or professional reports justifying removing O’Connell Street as a pedestrianised zone. They have also failed to provide any documented evidence of significant citizen support for this de-pedestrianisation.
I kindly request your immediate support in addressing this matter.
Yours,