Month: April 2014

The announcement of €3.4m in funding for work on the first phase of the South Kerry Greenway project by Minister Alan Kelly has been warmly welcomed by South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd. The project aims to redevelop the old railway line be Glenbeigh and Cahersiveen as a cycleway and it is expected to provide much needed economic benefits for the region.

Speaking following the announcement of the funding SKDP CEO Noel Spillane described it as a vindication of the work SKDP has put into bringing the project to this stage. The idea for developing the old railway line as a cycleway originated in South Kerry Development Partnership he pointed out and the funding that enabled the feasibility study to be undertaken on this initial phase was provided under the RDP LEADER Project, Noel added. “We then met with Minister Kelly and provided him with this Feasibility Study which set out the proposal in detail for him which was crucial in getting his support for the plan” Noel said. The Partnership has also been to the fore in working with the landowners along the proposed route and helping to ensure their views and opinions have been heard at all stages of the process to date. “This project is likely to have major benefits for both the local communities who will have access to this wonderful new cycleway in the region as well as encouraging the development of the tourism industry along the route” Noel said and based on the success of other cycleway projects, particularly in Mayo, it is likely to result in the creation of badly needed jobs for local people in the area also he added.

SKDP’s Agriculture Manager Joseph McCrohan praised the landowners along the route for their positive co-operation and attitude towards the project to date and said that he was hopeful now that they would all come on board to ensure the project proceeds smoothly following the announcement of this funding. SKDP Consultation with the farming community has been ongoing from the very beginning in 2010 including a fact finding visit to Mayo in November 2012 attend by over 30 farmers from South Kerry with support from the Local Community Development Programme. “The farming community along the route recognise the importance of this project for all in the region and the benefits that can come from it and I’m sure we will now all work together to help make it a reality” Joseph said.

The funding for the project will be channelled through Kerry County Council and it is likely some of the work along the route will be done by workers on the Rural Social Scheme operated in the area by South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd.

Representatives of community groups from around Kerry will gather in Tralee on Monday next (April 14th) to voice their anger to Councillors over proposals around Alignment. Kerry’s councillors are due to vote on motions around the formation of the new LCDC’s by Kerry County Council – the bodies that it is proposed will run the new LEADER and Local Community Development Programmes. This in effect would lead to the closure of the current Partnerships and a major reduction in access to essential services for people in rural areas of the county.

The proposal to stage a mass protest at the council meeting arose from groups who have been attending public meetings in both South and North Kerry over the last two weeks to highlight their opposition to these proposals. The South Kerry meetings have been organised by the Community Directors of SKDP who fear that these proposals, if allowed to go ahead, will take the voice and decision making power of the rural communities and transfer it into the hands of Kerry County Council.

SKDP Chairperson and Killarney Community Director Sheila Casey said that the people have voiced their opposition to these proposals loud and clear and in large numbers at the meetings in South Kerry. “It is coming up to election time and councillors would be well minded to listen to the will of the people and oppose this motion when it comes up for a vote at next Monday’s meeting” Sheila said. “The system that is in place to run both the LEADER and Community Development Programmes is working extremely well and there is no need at all to change it” according to Sheila. “This is a proven, bottom up approach for the delivery of vital programmes in rural areas and the people want it to remain so, not have their power taken away from them” she said. It is ironic that Minister Hogan has called his proposals “Putting People First” – this is clearly not putting people first and the people are demanding that both the Councillors and the Minister to listen to their views and abandon these plans” Sheila concluded.

The Community Leaders behind next Monday’s protest have asked all those wishing to attend to be outside the County Buildings in Rathas, Tralee at 9am next Monday morning so as to ensure the Councillors attending are fully aware and in no doubt of the opposition to these proposals  before they vote on the motion.  The protest will run until 10.30am

The venue for  Community Meeting to support South Kerry Development Partnership that will take place in Killorglin on Wednesday night next has changed. Following the huge turnouts at the two meetings in Cahersiveen and Kenmare last week, the Community Directors of the Partnership, who are organising the meetings, have decided to change the venue for the Killoglin meeting to St. Michaels Church Hall on the Iveragh Road. The meeting will start as planned at 8pm.

Chairperson of SKDP Sheila Casey said that they have been overwhelmed by the turnout at the first two meetings and have decided to change the venue for the Killorglin Meeting to ensure all those who wish to attend and have their voices heard will be able to do so.

The Killarney meeting will take place as planned on this Tuesday night (April 8th) in The Travel Inn Hotel, Fossa, also at 8pm.

Hundreds of people in South Kerry have this week come out in support of South Kerry Development Partnership at the first in a series of public meetings held in the region calling for the retention of the Partnerships in their current format. Furthermore, plans are underway by the community representatives to go out to Brussels in the coming weeks to meet key EU officials to voice their total opposition to Minister Phil Hogan’s Alignment Proposals.

Organised by the Community Directors of the partnership, nearly 400 people came out over two meetings in Cahersiveen and Kenmare to voice their strong support for the work the partnerships are doing and to call for their retention. There was a strong mood of anger at the meetings that the voice of the people in Rural Ireland was not being listened to and many called on Minister Hogan to keep his hands off the partnerships which have a proven track record of delivery.

SKDP Chairperson and Community Director Sheila Casey said they are delighted with the turnout from the public in relation to their support for the partnerships. “The people of South Kerry, and indeed many other areas, have seen the benefits of having the bottom up, community based partnerships involved in delivering a wide range of programmes in Rural Ireland”. “People can access the services locally and can be sure that they are getting the best possible service from their partnerships” Sheila said. They are now asking why change something that is working and the only answer they can come up with is that Minister Hogan is attempting to bring control of future EU funding through LEADER  and other programmes into the Councils and away from the communities that really need it” she added. “They clearly see this as a retrograde step which will have significant negative impacts on them and they will not stand for it” Sheila pointed out.

All of those who attended these two meetings have signed a national petition supporting the retention of the partnerships and it is expected that several thousand signatures could be collected nationwide under this petition.

Further public meetings organised by the Community Directors of SKDP will be held in The Travel Inn, Fossa, Killarney on Tuesday night next and in St. Michael’s Church Hall, Killorglin on Wednesday. “Minister Hogan needs to hear loud and clear that the people of Rural Ireland will not lie down and take the consequences of his alignment proposals” Sheila said. It is time he listened to the message coming from the people and not continue with this crazy attempt to fix something that is not broken” she concluded.

In order to support your local partnership South Kerry Development Partnership for the future please click on this link and sign the petition  – It is vital your voice is heard.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/support-local-development-companies

To view the current position in relation to the Alignment Proposals with regard to SKDP as outlined by CEO Noel Spillane please click on the link Alignment Proposals – Presentation by CEO Noel Spillane