Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 3 Dec 1997

Vol. 152 No. 17

Adjournment Matters. - Castlerea Town Trust.

Mr. Finneran

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I am calling on the Minister for Agriculture and Food to address the issue of his Department's responsibility in relation to the Castlerea Town Trust, County Roscommon, otherwise known as the demesne townland, Castlerea, County Roscommon.

I raise this matter because of strong representations made to me by the people of Castlerea who have provided me with reams of signatures because of their disquiet at the developing trends on the town's demesne. The town demesne is an open recreational amenity park which runs right through the town centre and which local people use for leisure purposes. Castlerea is one of the few towns I know of which has such a park. The park is cherished and used extensively by the people of Castlerea and they are very upset about proposed developments for it, namely, a proposal to build houses there. They have made their objections known to the local planning authority which granted planning permission and the matter has been referred to An Bord Pleanála.

I would like to know what responsibility, if any, the Department of Agriculture and Food has for this demesne. It has been brought to my attention by the people of Castlerea, and particularly by the residents of Ballindrimley, that the Department of Agriculture and Food has an overriding say in proposed developments for the town demesne. The Castlerea Town Trust which seems to have responsibility for administering this park does not seem to have a final say in the disposal of property from the demesne and that is the issue I raise tonight.

The town trust does not appear to be answerable to anybody, is not elected, refuses to discuss the business of the town demense with any local representative group, appears to be an independent body in its own right and has administered the park without taking into consideration the views or objections of the people of Castlerea. It is undemocratic. The disposal of and, as far as some people are concerned, the desecration of a town park by building houses on it should not be left to people who do not have the support of the local population.

Can the Minister of State outline the involvement of his Department in this matter? What and how many safeguards can he offer to protect the interests of the people of Castlerea with regard to their well preserved and cherished park? Public representatives have a responsibility to speak on behalf of people when they do not appear to have a voice about a matter that is precious to them. It is extraordinary that the population of the town of Castlerea cannot or will not be given a voice in the future of its park. Indeed, it is extraordinary that not even the local authority seems to have authority in this matter. It is absurd and unhealthy that a number of people who have a vested interest in the park, in so far as they disposed of some of the property to some of their members, should have such a large say in what is considered to be a public property.

The view of the people of Castlerea, which was expressed to me in the strongest terms, is that they object strenuously to a number of people who are answerable to nobody interfering with and disposing of a recreational area which is part of their town's heritage. If the Minister of State does not have the authority to dictate what should happen with the town park, we should introduce legislation; hopefully, it will not come to that. However, democracy must not only work but be seen to work. At present it does not appear to exist or work as far as the people of Castlerea are concerned.

As public representatives we have a duty to ensure that a public amenity which has been available to Castlerea for generations should remain that way. The developers, vested interests and others who are not answerable to the public should not have the final say and should not be able to dispose of what is, by right, the property of the people of Castlerea.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food (Mr. Davern)

I am surprised to hear of this proposal. Over its long history the Land Commission provided many plots of land for use by local communities as sports fields, fair-grounds, cow parks and so forth. In each case a trust was set up to oversee the management of the lands and the trustees, who were appointed by the Minister, were registered as legal owners of the lands. The Department is still responsible for overseeing the administration of these trusts, that is, for replacing trustees, arbitrating in disputes and so forth, and this gives rise to a substantial amount of work for scarce staff resources. The legislative provisions relating to the Land Commission trusts are contained in the Land Purchase Acts which set out the various circumstances under which trusts may be revoked and/or lands disposed of. Any action taken on the part of trusts must obviously comply with these provisions.

In the case of the Castlerea Town Trust a number of representations have recently been made to my Department concerning the operation of the trust. This trust was set up in the time of the Congested Districts Board, a body abolished in 1923. It is a multi-purpose trust and is of an extremely complex legal nature. The matter is at present being reviewed by the Land Commission solicitors.

It appears from the representations made that planning permission for housing has been sought for part of the trust estate. However, no proposal to dispose of the land for private housing has been received by my Department. Indeed, I am surprised at this suggested development because in October this year the honorary secretary of the trustees wrote to my Department seeking consent to the long-term leasing of part of the estate to a local soccer club which has had use of the grounds for a number of years. This proposal is at present being studied. In light of the representations made by the Senator and others, my Department will be in contact with the trustees to determine their intentions in relation to the future direction of the trust.

The Department is aware of its responsibilities in this and in all Land Commission trusts. An appropriate example in the region is the Dunmore Demesne Trust where the use of the lands has recently been changed from agricultural to sporting and recreational use to facilitate the wishes of the townspeople. There are no proposals before the Department for the building of houses or for the sale or disposal of lands on behalf of Castlerea Town Trust.