County Manager denies being compromised

MEATH County Manager Tom Dowling came under sharp criticism from a number of Meath County councillors last week for having meetings with a developer who has purchased 140 acres of land at Bryanstown in Drogheda as part of a deal with Drogheda United for the building of a stadium close to his land bank. It was disclosed that Mr Dowling had had meetings with developer Bill Doyle and his advisors in the Davenport and Clarence hotels in Dublin. However, Mr Dowling told a special meeting of the council in Navan that he made no apology for the meetings, saying that it was crucial and important that he met any individual or group interested in progressing the economic and social interests of Co Meath. He also denied that a local area plan being prepared for the Bryanstown area was compromised by any action of any council official. Mr Dowling also denied claims by Mr Doyle that he had given him assurances that his land would be zoned residential in line with the planning strategy for the area. The manager said that he was well aware of the limitations of his responsibilities and added 'there is a great difference between somebody talking about something and somebody reading something into it... I did not give any commitments at these meetings, nor could I'. Last Thursday"s special meeting of the council had been requisitioned by five councillors to probe remarks made by Mr Doyle, who is behind the plan for a €35 million stadium for United and 5,000 houses. He had claimed that Mr Dowling had made certain commitments and gave assurances about the progress of the plan. The stadium plan suffered a major setback earlier last month when the National Roads Authority said that the 10,000-seater project was 'premature' because a motorway junction adjacent the site is expected to be the starting point for a new ring road. Meath Co Council contravened its own development plan to give permission for the stadium but the NRA has appealed that decision to An Bord Pleanala delaying the project for an indefinite period. In their requisition for the meeting, the five councillors had called for information on the number of meetings held with the developer and what commitments, if any, had been made in advance of the publication of the Drogheda Environs Local Area Plan. Referring to an interview with Mr Doyle on LMFM, Cllr Jimmy Cudden said that he had taken grave exception to remarks made about him on the programme. He said that he and his family had been hurt by allegations that he and another councillor were responsible for 'sounding the death knell' for the stadium project. He said that Meath Co Council had 'unanimously' given planning sanction for the stadium. 'Unfortunately, that matter is being appealed to An Bord Pleanala'. Cllr Brian Fitzgerald said that a report on submissions in relation to the local area plan should be brought in by an official other than the manager because, he said, the process would be deemed to be 'flawed'. Cllr Jimmy Fegan said he believed that it was 'inappropriate' that a meeting between the Meath and Louth county managers about the planning for the Bryanstown area should have taken place without elected members being present. 'It"s more than inappropriate - it defies belief,' he said.