The Kilkenny county manager, Mr Paddy Donnelly, has admitted telling a woman it was a "serious matter" when she declined to sell a site to a county councillor who wanted to buy it.
Mr Donnelly, however, said no impropriety was involved in his intervention in a dispute between Ms Judith Ashton, and an independent councillor, Mr Dixie Doyle.
Ms Ashton has said she felt under pressure to sell the site at Carrickmourne, near Thomastown, to Mr Doyle, who lived next door, after the manager's intervention. The council said Mr Donnelly became involved at the request of the council chairman, Mr Jimmy Brett.
"The nature of Cllr Doyle's complaint was that [Ms Ashton's] dwelling house was proposed to be built in a scenic area in the face of a substantial number of local objections." Mr Brett was concerned that Mr Doyle would continue to raise the matter at council meetings, "causing continuing disruption", a council statement said.
Mr Donnelly arranged a meeting with Ms Ashton, which was also attended by the county engineer, Mr Don O'Sullivan. As Ms Ashton "did not wish to build where there was an element of hostility", the manager contacted Mr Doyle by telephone, informing him that if Ms Ashton could find an alternative site, she would be willing to sell.
A price of £47,500 was agreed, said the statement. When Ms Ashton telephoned Mr Donnelly five months later, however, and informed him that she intended to build on her site after all, "the county manager indicated that the matter was serious", said the statement.
The full text of the statement by the Kilkenny County Council secretary is available on The Irish Times website at: www.ireland.com
