A pivot point in Kilkenny City’s history: Mick Greene

THERE WILL be a further delay in the announcement of An Bord Pleanala's decision in relation to the Kilkenny Central Access Scheme (CAS), formally known as the Kilkenny Inner Relief Road.

That is according to local elections candidate Mick Greene who told Kilkenny Alive than an An Bord Pleanala inspector was finalising his report which will form the basis of a decision that will act as a pivot point in the history of our city.

"The announcement on May 28 will determine whether Kilkenny City will reject its own heritage or whether it embraces its unique selling point to fuel its local economy. With the exception of one sitting councillor, all of our elected representatives supported the CAS," Mick Greene said.

"It is unfortunate that some of the other candidates for the Kilkenny Borough Council election reserved their position on the CAS until after the Kilkenny People poll results were published. The results of the poll demonstrated categorically that the people of Kilkenny did not support the scheme.

"As someone who attended the entire oral hearing last November and presented my formal objection to the scheme in front of the Kilkenny County Council representatives and senior counsel, I do not recall seeing the faces of these candidates in the public gallery, " he continued.

"Nor do I recall their names mentioned on the list of formal objectors. It is a real shame that their apparent objection to the scheme was not voiced before the An Bord Pleanala inspector in 2008 when their opinions could have made a real difference.

"If permission for the CAS is granted in four weeks time, these candidates will be complicit through their silence."