DUN Laoghaire Rathdown councillors last night resisted a compromise proposal aimed at ending a 10 year dispute between Clonskeagh, Co Dublin, residents and the council over the provision of a halting site in the area.
The proposal, in a motion tabled by Mr Richard Greene (Muintir na hEireann) sought to replace the halting site planned for lands belonging to the Marist Order at Bird Avenue with a group housing scheme.
According to Mr Greene, local residents felt that they had gone a long way to reach the compromise and had identified travelling families, who, they claimed, would prefer a housing scheme to a halting site.
However, Ms Olivia Mitchell (FG) said she could not support the proposal until the council had established "if these families are for real". She said we have built houses that are boarded up and lying idle because travelling families will not stay in them".
She proposed an alternative motion calling for a flexible approach to the question, "if it can be determined that travellers genuinely want a permanent housing scheme on the site".
Further opposition to Mr Greene's motion came from Mr Denis O'Callaghan (DL), who instanced problems of overcrowding in halting schemes at Ballyogan and Shankill, "as a result of places like Clonskeagh not fulfilling their quota".
The meeting decided not to vote on Mr Greene's motion, agreeing instead to discuss the situation again.