Proper project consultations needed

Cllr Jennifer Green was ‘shocked and angry’ to discover that almost €200,000 of tax payers money would be spent ‘fixing’ the Market Square and Stapleton Place.

Additional works resulting from Stage 3 safety audit, which is carried out at the completion of the project, cost €119,730 plus VAT. The provision of pedestrian signals at the Market Square cost €118,771 plus VAT and the cost of ‘fixing’ Stapleton Place cost €44,730 plus VAT. 

“Proper public consultation is essential”, said Cllr Green, “And I don’t just mean that a project goes on public consultation for 8 weeks and then people can submit their proposals. I mean that various groups, shops, citizens in the area that are going to be affected by these works should be brought into the council and have meetings with the engineers. At the end of the day it’s the people in the area who know the area the best.” 

“There are questions to be asked and I am talking to my Sinn Fein colleagues to decide what the best way forward is so this does not happen again. No-one in this country seems to be held accountable for wasting tax payers money and that needs to be addressed.”