Guest writer Gerard O’Halloran with a piece expressing his grave concerns about the proposed construction of a new GAA pitch in West Belfast.
The Davitts Club is facing the Dunville Park on the Falls Road. Dunville Park has been upgraded to include a new 3G pitch. This new pitch in the park is right outside the Davitts front door. If you use Google street view you will be able to verify this.
Secondly, I don't think this teaming up of government and council money for a GAA/drinking club venture has been tried before, and lastly it looks like it’s already a done deal ... the leaflet states that ‘150k has already been committed to the project from Belfast City Council.’
This isn't the super pitch already being proposed for Casement Park in Andersonstown, but another one. It would be wrong for your readers from outside Belfast to confuse the two. But the super one (county pitch) as far as I know is being funded from their own pockets and I don't think any tax payers money is involved.
I need to tell you my motivation, in order to be upfront. I have a 32 year old with severe learning problems, and she has attended Mica Drive day centre for twenty years. The leaflet says this centre will benefit. I can't see how. There’s also an old people’s home in that development, and the council has already pulled down a perfectly good leisure centre from that ground, due to lack of money. Yet tax payers’ money can be given to the Davitts to fund their own project. I find this incredible. The day centre had to beg and borrow to get a sign from the council to keep dogs out. Locals were bringing their dogs on to the only piece of grass in Beechmount to defecate. The sign was eventually pulled down. Disabled buses are being pulled, yet tax payers money can go to the Davitts drinking club. Amazing ... so I've been up front with you for my reasons.
I'm not sure the promise contained in the leaflet that this pitch will prevent antisocial behaviour will stand up. What if the yearly bonfires are simply lit on the new walk way instead of the waste ground? Since when do antisocial elements respect anything? This pitch could in fact make things worse. The old people’s home, Our Lady’s Home, that's been there since I can ever remember - and I was born and reared in the area - will have to deal with flood lights from this pitch, seven nights a week. Have they, or the day centre been consulted at all. Not to my knowledge.
In principle, I'm not against this pitch. The Davitts are a good club, with no bother out of them. But there are ample pitches in the area, just not one belonging to the club and I fail to see why such huge amounts of public money can be given, and promised when everybody else is facing cuts to front line services? Why can't the Davitts fund their own pitch, and use the other public money for public services?
Could I also state with great respect to your readers, I have no political stake in this. My reasons for my concern are as I laid out above.
From Gerard O'Halloran
ReplyDeleteJust to update I have been in contact with Belfast city council and the claim in the leaflet that 150k is "committed" to this venture is not so. No money has been committed. An application for this amount has been received but no decision has been taken. I spoke to the personal assistant of Mr McNaney who is responsible for these decisions. I'm told this is not a council publication and feel from them that they are distancing themselves from it. This publication is misleading. The words are attributed to Jim Mc Veigh. It would be nice to know if the Davitts have been given this information from the councillor or whether something else gave them that opinion?
Just read this piece which is all too familiar. A few years ago in the area I live in we faced a similar dilemma. Derry City Council in conjunction with unaccountable community quangos decided to introduce facilities to the area.. The plans included a Neighbourhood building a Multi Use Games Area and a Play Park. Residents living next to the proposed site were in favour of the play park but objected to the flood lit multi use games area being placed on their doorstep. Other residents including myself felt a way forward would be to place the contentious multi use games area on another site, preferably in a different part of our area with no facilities. It must be noted there were two existing facilities similar to what was being proposed a mere four minute walk away.
ReplyDeleteThe proposed neighbourhood centre agitated a lot of people as just years before a neighbourhood centre had been sold off to a private company without consultation. The group involved in the sale prior to the sale undertook to build a state of the arts sports pitch and a care home on nearby land with the proceeds of the sale. This land has since been sold off, the promises unfulfilled and the whereabouts of money from the sales remains a mystery.
In respect of the plans to build the Multi Use Games Area, Neighbour Centre, and Play Park the only consultation with the people in the area came after plans had been drawn up, the planning application had been submitted and paid for and funding for the project had been applied for.
It later emerged that the need for the new facilities was gauged on two reports, the first by Quinn Consultancy which was so flawed and inaccurate that the Department of Social Development who commissioned it refused to sign of on it yet community quangos continue to quote from it.
The second report was drafted by Copius Consultancy and was based on the opinions of less than 0.5% of the young people in the area. This half of one percent represented 43 people out of a potential 11,731. The consultation took place over three sessions in one day and took place outside of the proposed development area.
So needless to say the views of the people were not being represented but decisions were being made on their behalf and money achieved on the back of deprivation. When we spoke out about the lack of accountability, transparency and respect we were threatened, demonised, and I should mention we were told of a unanimous decision to exclude us from all talks on the basis of our stated opposition to 'their' plans. I should add that those who took part in the unanimous decision to exclude us included MLA's, Councillors, council officers and members of the DSD funded regeneration group.
Having just read your latest post I sense some are now back peddling, again familiar. At one point in our quest for answers we were left with no one wanting to take ownership of the plans for our area. My advice would be to contact Belfast City Council and request under freedom of information legislation all correspondence electronic or otherwise between council, Davitts and the GAA. You should also request minutes of meetings and applications submitted in respect of the proposed plans.
You may have been told by somebody in council that this is untrue but I suggest you get everything in writing. As a residents group we did this and published all information online, we had nothing to hide but as we later discovered some did.
Residents group website
www.galliaghresidents.co.nr
Gerard,
ReplyDeleteA lot of these projects are tied to party propaganda tax payers money doesn't even rate in the grand scheme.
If the words are attributed to Jim Mc Veigh, then perhaps it would be better to take the issue up with him ?
Gerard.
ReplyDeleteYou may well have openned a can of worms here. Why did Flash feel he could speak in such authoritive terms about this project.?
Did someone from within the decision making body give Flash information that the application was a formality.
Is mr Mc Naney just in his current position , to rubber stamp what appears in front of him.? Would it not be cheaper for the council to employ a monkey to carry out those dutties.
Doesn't sound like there has been much consultation or engagement with the community. That is the SF way of doing things. They know what the people want, as long as it involves benefits for themselves alone.LOL
Gerard a cara I wonder what the real Michael Davitt would have made of this, the GAA it seems is now more than happy to be associated with quisling $inn £eind,when like the Catholic church not so many years ago the grab all association wouldnt have wanted them about the place,but hey greed is the inventor of injustice, We witnessed something of a similar nature up here in Poleglass , a pitch that was we were told to be a community green space was turned into a pitch for the Mitchels gaa club then a few years ago it was sold on to developers for housing and again wouldnt ya know it quisling republicans were involved,Gerard a cara when dealing with carpetbaggers and egos be prepared to get down and dirty its where these bastards operate and make their sneaky deals.
ReplyDeleteMarty, I remember when paddy mac threw the scouts out of the wee hall up the side of the chapel to sell to the mitchells, and when he came down to the house we argued and I threw him out. The church was always like that. Paddy mac sold the scouts hut to a drinking club, it was all there was in the area at that time for kids, and my son used to go.
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone who took time to read and reply, and to Anthony and Carrie for highlighting this for us.
Go raibh maith agaibh
I remember that also Gerard a cara .the bold Paddy Mac the parish priest was to busy screwing to care about homeless scouts, his friends who took home the weekly collection boxes got a lovely big house of the Malone road, how do I know ? I was in it..
ReplyDeleteTrossachs?
ReplyDeletePaddy mac was very arrogant
The street with the UDR/A base at the top of it on the Malone rd Balmoral Ave I think. they moved from the Trossachs a cara, a fucking massive big house and gardens, bet it was paid for by the hard pushed decent people of the area
ReplyDeleteGerard a cara..which goes to show that you can fool some of the people all of the time ,good luck with your campaign.