By Christy Parker | Photo: Michael Hussey (YoughalOnline.com)

The complex issue of parking allocation for deValera Street residents at the area’s impending new car park brought heated exchanges during a highly-charged debate at November’s Town Council meeting. Mayor Olly Casey traded sharp criticism and invective with several councillors, most especially Cllr Dave Savage as the discussion sent blood pressures towards the stratosphere.

At one stage Mayor Casey accused Cllr Savage of ‘sitting on the fence’ and ‘lacking the guts’ to support his convictions. Cllr Savage in turn described Mayor Casey as ‘peddling nonsense’ and ‘creating a mess on deValera Street’ while failing to heed the concerns of his own council’s executive.

The issue’s roots lie in a motion passed last September by the council voted to allocate 17 designated parking spaces, from a total of 37, to deValera Street resident permit holders (one per house) when the new car park opens on the laneway. A previous proposal simply to supply permits on a non-allocation basis was thus bypassed.

The council executive subsequently sought legal opinion as to whether the Motion could be legally implemented. Legal Counsel advised that implementing the Motion, could indeed prove unconstitutional on several grounds, not least ‘transfer of benefit and/or land’ of a publicly-funded property to Read more