Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte has said that members of the former Dublin County Council had learned to have a healthy scepticism about concerns raised by government departments and State bodies when making decisions on proposed developments.
Giving evidence to the Mahon tribunal yesterday, Mr Rabbitte said that some of the advice provided was taken seriously, but in other instances it was considered with a grain of salt.
Asked about concerns put forward by the Department of Transport in 1993 regarding developments around Dublin airport, Mr Rabbitte said that the same body had raised issues about the development of the Eircom Park stadium in his own constituency. However, he said that to comply with this advice would have involved knocking down most of Rathcoole and Saggart.
Mr Rabbitte said he had been the chairman of Dublin County Council in 1993 when a number of hearings in relation to the development plan for the county had taken place. He said that plans for developments near Dublin airport had been "fiercely contested". He told the tribunal that some councillors believed that development around the airport had been stifled by the dead hand of Aer Rianta.
Mr Rabbitte said that he did not know the members of the consortium which sought to have land at Cloghran rezoned for industry in 1993. He said that lobbyist Frank Dunlop had not canvassed him regarding the Cloghran lands.
He said that if one of the members of the consortium, Thomas Williams, had said that he had met him, then it was possible that it had happened, but he had no recollection of this.
Mr Rabbitte said that he had a "settled view" with regard to the Cloghran lands, as they were located in a "red safety zone".
The tribunal has heard that Mr Rabbitte voted against the confirmation of the rezoning of the Cloghran lands.
