The #march4tipp group has again written to Joe McGrath the CEO of Tipperary County Council asking how many of the residents' parking spaces would be removed under the proposed roadworks on Davitt Street. He was written to on 12 September last asking for this information, but has not provided it. During the week, he signed a contract for the works to begin, but has not provided the requested information to residents. Resident still do not know if they will be affected.
Now that a contract has been signed, the information that residents need must be known to the Council and the contractor. Yet, the residents are in the dark as to how many spaces are proposed to be lost, and where these spaces are located. We have called on Joe McGrath to have the contractor meet with the residents and to mark out clearly where they intend to remove spaces. We believe that this is the only way that residents will have some clear information, finally, in order to decide whether they object to the works going ahead as planned.
Councillor Michael Fitzgerald announced on local radio during the week that 8 spaces would be removed. However, this has not been confirmed by the Council. Neither is the location of those spaces known to residents. We have sent the email below to Mr McGrath and asked him to reply as a matter of urgency. We will publish any response.
Dear Mr McGrath,
I write on behalf of the #march4tipp group. We wrote to you on 12 September 2018, asking you to reveal the precise number of residents’ car parking spaces that would be removed by the proposed works on Davitt Street. You did not reply to us.
On 2 October, we received a letter by email from John Nolan, Senior Engineer,Roads Capital Projects. Mr Nolan did not reveal the number of parking spaces either. It is entirely unacceptable that the Council has refused to provide this information.
Last week the signing of the contract for the works took place in circumstances where the residents have still not been told how many spaces will be taken away and where those spaces are located. During the week, Councillor Michael Fitzgerald made a comment on local radio that 8 spaces will be lost. Clearly, the Council knows how many spaces would be lost under the proposed works, and where those spaces are located, but persists in refusing to provide this information to the residents who will be affected. In our view, this is no way for local government to operate. You have signed a contract containing the information that residents need, but you have withheld this information from them. It seems that your intention is for the works to commence and for residents to find out that their parking spaces have been taken away only when that actually happens.
We call on you to cause the contractor to meet with residents as a matter of urgency and to mark clearly where it is intended to remove parking spaces. We ask that you confirm, by return, your intention to make this happen.
In the interests of transparency, this correspondence, along with any response(s), will be published on the
www.tipptown.ie website and on social media.
As this is a matter of grave concern for the residents and the broader community of the town, we would appreciate a prompt reply.
Regards
Padraig Culbert
On behalf of #march4tipp
