Wicklow County Council has been accused of misleading Bord Pleanála in not providing details of its landbank in Greystones, part of which locals insist could be used to fund the redevelopment of Greystones harbour.
The council had previously identified its own land at Killincarrig at the southern end of Greystones, which it said may be used to raise funds to help restore the crumbling harbour.
However, the council opted for a new proposal involving high-density housing on compulsorily acquired lands around the harbour itself at the northern end of the town.
Envisaged in the latter development were 375 new homes and 6,000sq m of commercial development, which the council's private sector partners would sell, and then rebuild the harbour and add a marina.
The council described the project as "a world-class development" and applied to Bord Pleanála for planning permission.
However locals have since discovered that Bord Pleanála advised Wicklow County Council "alternative locations and designs (particularly in terms of density and building height) should be considered for the proposed residential/commercial component of the (harbour) development".
In its environmental impact statement (EIS) submission to Bord Pleanála, the council said "no other area was found to match the advantages of the existing harbour area".
While it outlined the reasons it believed the harbour site was the best available, it never identified or referred to the Killincarrig land by name or location.
Members of the Greystones Protection and Development Association and the Greystones Harbour Residents' Association have now accused the council of misleading Bord Pleanála in not naming the original site.
In a letter to Minister for Environment Dick Roche, the residents' association said: "We believe that Wicklow County Council has deliberately misled the board by failing to highlight the availability of these lands."
The issue was complicated recently when Labour councillor Tom Fortune sought to have some of the original site allocated to a local GAA club. He was told the site was not available. Town councillors said they believed the site was still being held in reserve - in case Bord Pleanála reduced the housing element of the harbour development.
However, Wicklow County Council told The Irish Times that its position was being entirely misrepresented by opponents of the harbour development.
In a strongly worded statement, the council said it had no plans to use the site to support the harbour development.
The statement added that there were "no proposals" to dispose of the land to support the harbour development. It would be used to "facilitate the delivery of a number of other very important projects that will benefit both Greystones and the wider county of Wicklow".
