Kennedy Place cost to Navan

Dear sir - Following the revelation by Navan town councillor Shane Cassells that a decision was taken by the town council to proceed with the construction of the Plaza at Kennedy Road in Navan knowing that the CPO payments were not finalised, I feel that a public inquiry should be held into the huge burden now being placed on the ratepayers of the town. We, as businesses and employers and now struggling to maintain employment are being asked to foot the bill for what I would describe as sheer negligence by the council. The ratepayers of Navan are now going to be faced with a huge €6 million bill in compensation because apparently a decision was made to, in my opinion, 'landgrab". Has nobody told the councillors and officials that you just can"t take someone"s land without either permission or buying it. Although a CPO was in place there was no finalising of negotiations on price. My question is: 'should the council not have copperfastened the CPO and negotiated a settlement 'for the benefit of the town' and not left a huge bill 'to the detriment of the town?' All they have to do is enter dialogue with the businesses in the town. Of course we will help in negotiations. Maybe we should also have been asked what colour a red line is on a map and we could have pointed the entire council in the right direction. After all, the first thing a solicitor does at a sale is determine ownership and you don"t get the key till the other party gets the cheque. Frankly, this is the first time I actually heard clearly the reason for the compensation claim. What else is waiting the ratepayers it the wings? The council needs to be run as a business, mindful of costs and where the money comes from. A public inquiry is needed to save ratepayers money and keep Navan in business. Yours, Eamonn Matthews, Excel Print, Church Hill, Fair Green, Navan.