Sir, It is beyond belief that An Bord Pleanala has approved the Sonas Centre. The fact that they ignored 21,000 objections (the largest number ever received for a proposed development), the democratic wishes of the majority of the electorate in Fingal, as expressed through the elected councillors and common sense can, only be described as GUBU. It is, all the more mysterious when viewed against several earlier decisions by An Bord Pleanala to reject far more modest proposal to develop the same site. I note from page four of The Irish Times (May 3rd) the headline "AG insists people's vote must be supreme. While it is heartening to see that the AG believes in this principle it seems obvious that the institutions of the State do not share his view. Why bother to vote in local elections if the wishes of the people are to be trampled in this way?
The only argument that can be advanced in favour of the development is the provision of job opportunities. However a balance must be drawn between meeting this essential need and environmental and other considerations. I am sure that this was a key issue the Fingal County Councillors took into consideration in arriving at their decision to reject the proposal. It should be noted that many of the councillors who rejected the proposal do not rely on votes from the Castleknock/Blanchardstown area and therefore could be regarded as being totally impartial.
Specifically relating to the traffic implications of the development one only has to travel up the relatively new Navan Road dual carriageway during rush hour to know that chaos will ensue on event days. The absence of the requirement to provide "park and ride" facilities from the conditions imposed by An Bord Pleanala is beyond comprehension. It should be noted that these facilities were put forward by the developers themselves as the solution to some of the problems highlighted by the local residents.
The only remaining obstacle to this environmental monstrosity is the Government decision on a gambling licence. Who seriously believes that Dublin is going to be inundated with "high rolling" visitors on a consistent basis?, My remaining belief in the democratic system will depend on the outcome of the Government decision. Yours, etc., Chesterfield View, Castleknock, Dublin 15.