MS Joan Burton, Minister of State at the Departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs, has defended her right to speak out publicly against the controversial plan to redevelop the Phoenix Park Racecourse, particularly its casino element.
In a dramatic appearance yesterday at An Bord Pleanala's public inquiry, she described as intemperate and misleading" a statement made the previous day by Mr Philip O'Sullian SC, for the developers, criticising a press release she issued attacking the project.
She found it "highly disturbing" that he would even consider questioning her right to speak publicly. "I find it even more disturbing that he couches his criticism in legal jargon which suggests that I am in some way interfering in the planning process.
"To suggest that I, as a public representative, should not speak out is in effect to subvert the process itself and to subvert the constitutional and statutory rights of citizens to participate in the process
As Minister of State at the Department of Justice, she said, she had a further responsibility to concern herself with the public order aspects of the proposed development, and she reiterated her view that casinos attracted crime and prostitution.
To shouts of "Hear, hear!" from some of the objectors in the audience, Ms Burton said the developers had "ducked and weaved around the casino issue right from the start because they know the deep concerns residents have about the consequences
If there was confusion about the "wildly fluctuating" number of slot machines in the proposed casino, it was created by the developers themselves. "What is not in doubt is that even their most recent revision to 500 slots still makes this among the largest in the whole of Europe."
She said such a casino was in compatible" with the character of the area, which would be fundamentally altered by it. "Citizens have purchased and improved "their homes over the years on the bonafide understanding that this residential character would remain."
Pressed by Mr O'Sullivan to accept that only 500 slot machines would be installed, rather than the fig of 1,100 she had quoted, the Minister said she had been told yesterday morning by Mr Norman Turner, chief executive of Sonas Centre Ltd, that the figure had not been finalised.
She had met Mr Turner outside the hearing and he informed her that the final figure was dependent on revenue flows. Thus, it was "still up in the air". The presiding inspector, Mr Simon Clear, said it was not up to Ms Bruton but to the developers to specify the scale of their scheme.
Turning to the traffic issue, the Minister said each of the elements of the scheme would significantly increase traffic in the area. "Together, the impact could be catastrophic both to the residential amenity of the neighbourhood and to the precious amenity of the Phoenix Park."
Mr Austin Currie, Minister of State at the Departments of Health and Justice, who also represents the area in the Dail, expressed concern about its impact on the Park and said traffic and parking would have a severely detrimental effect on the quality of life in Castleknock".
Earlier, Mr Liam Lawlor TD (FF, Dublin West), said it had been the county council's policy since 1972 to retain a number of "green lungs" between development areas and this objective had been "jealously guarded" by its elected representatives over the years.
He also queried whether "the totality of the project" now stood up in view of the recent decision that the RDS in Ballsbridge the preferred location for a national conference centre. It was "not compatible" that Dublin would end up with two centres.
