Manager in bid to assuage fears over new Tesco store

"Extreme comments made to an elected councillor at a recent public meeting can not be condoned and are not acceptable," said Cavan county manager, Jack Keyes, at Monday's meeting of Cavan County Council when a decision on the sale of council owned land to Tesco for a new supermarket was deferred for another week. The sale of the 5.3 acres to Tesco for the site of an new supermarket in the county town has been deferred as Cavan County Council seeks meetings with representatives of chambers of commerce to explain what is involved. The county council had already adjourned its decision for a week so that members would have an opportunity to debate the proposal at length. During this meeting on Monday, held in committee, all the councillors spoke on the matter and while the overwhelming mood of the meeting was that the sale should go ahead there were anxieties about the impact of the new store on small shops in the town. On the other hand, all the councillors we spoke to after the meeting were fearful of the adverse economic consequences for the town if Tesco, in the event of its Tullymongan proposal being turned down, moved to a site outside the urban area or to another county. Speaking after the in committee debate Cavan County Council chairman, Cllr Des Boylan, thanked Mr Keyes and the directors of service for their detailed presentations. Remarking that all members seemed well disposed to the sale, he acknowledged that there were concerns about access to main street and that had to be made as effective as possible. "Many councillors expressed the view that if businesses left main street, it would suffer immensely to the detriment of the town. It was also stated that if major retailers were to move outside the town it would have disastrous consequences for the town," said Cllr Boylan. Mr Keyes, acknowledged the input from the elected members, who had received representations from various sources and brought them to the table forcefully. "We have agreed to allow a further week for detailed consultations with various interests who wish to engage with us. Myself and the executive are available to meet them," said Mr Keyes. He revealed that the county council already issued an invitation to Cavan Chamber and would re-issue it. It would also offer an opportunity to Cootehill Chamber to engage with them. He recognised the importance of access from main street and said that such issues would be dealt with as part of the planning process. "We are committed to achieving the maximum optimum access into Cavan. The collective ambition of the council, both of the executive and of the members, is to make Cavan thrive and to make the town centre an even busier place than it is at the moment," said the county manager. He spoke of the strong support expressed by the elected councillors for local food producers and retailers, and said the council was examining ways of encouraging people to shop local and to buy local products, including a special event during Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann on August 13-22.