Disclosure of donations urged

Any Cork Corporation members who have received donations from property developer Mr Owen O'Callaghan were yesterday urged to withdraw from any discussions on a £300 million shopping complex he is planning.

Ms Kathleen Lynch, a Labour councillor, said there was an onus on any corporation member who received any donation from Mr O'Callaghan or his companies to declare just what had been received in the public interest.

She said she would raise the issue before the Cork City Manager, Mr Jack Higgins, gives a report on Mr O'Callaghan's Mahonpoint development to a corporation meeting on Tuesday.

The sale of 111 acres in Mahon to O'Callaghan Properties for £41.3 million has still to be approved by the 31 members of Cork Corporation.

It is understood that the corporation has been paid a £9 million deposit on the land but the deal is contingent on the corporation granting planning and the councillors approving the project.

The original proposal involved apartment blocks near the shoreline and planning officials have sought more information from the developer after an agreement to relocate them further inland.

Ms Lynch said she was calling on colleagues to declare donations following Frank Dunlop's revelations to the Flood tribunal that he had paid £112,000 to 15 Dublin county councillors and had been reimbursed by Mr O'Callaghan.

"I believe that if anyone has received such a donation they should declare it and absent themselves from any further discussions on Mr O'Callaghan's proposal for the Mahon development as there could be a conflict of interest," she said.

Cllr Ms Lynch said she did not have evidence of donations from Mr O'Callaghan or his companies.

"All I am saying is that Mr O'Callaghan has made no secret of the fact that he is a substantial benefactor of the Fianna Fail party," she said, adding that she had never received or been offered any money by him.

She said she was confident of support for her proposal. Responding to Ms Lynch's comments, Mr O'Callaghan said in a statement that he had never been asked for nor had he given any political contribution to any member of Cork Corporation.

"In fact, I could only name a small minority of members of the council," he said.

"I would hope that Councillor Lynch will accept that this project was won in open tender against international competition, that it has been exhaustively examined by her own officials and external consultants and has the potential to generate thousands of jobs and make an important financial contribution to the city centre rejuvenation."

Mr O'Callaghan said he was optimistic about the project being approved, as he believed that the corporation recognised that the Mahonpoint development was "a very very good project for Cork".