The parish priest of Kilteely, Co. Limerick, is pressing ahead with plans to build a controversial pastoral centre in the grounds of the village church. The proposal sponsored by Fr Tom Egan has the backing of the local parish finance committee and of Archbishop Dermot Clifford but has been opposed on a number of grounds by the Kilteely/Dromkeen/Cloverfield Community Council.
The Community Council claims that more than half of the local people who responded to a survey they conducted on the matter were "totally opposed” to the proposed centre.
The Community Council has argued that building the pastoral centre would interfere with the remains of deceased priests buried in the church grounds, that the design for the building was “in poor taste” and would be disrespectful towards Kilteely Church which is a listed building.
It said the proposal for the pastoral centre raised issues regarding the funding and maintenance of the building in the long run and queried the need for a pastoral centre in the first place, on the basis that Kilteely already has a community centre which is not used and communal space is available in a sheltered housing complex.
The Council also accused the PP and his committee of refusing to discuss the matter with it.
But in his response, Fr Egan said the project "has been sanctioned by Most Rev Dr Clifford, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly and has received his full blessing" and rejected the Council’s claim that there was majority opposition to it among the community.
He said the survey conducted by the Community Council was “unscientific in every sense of the word” and countered that at what he called a “public consultation meeting of the parish”, more than 80 per cent of those present backed the project.
Fr Egan has now submitted a third application to Limerick County Council for planning permission for the project – two earlier applications were deemed incomplete or withdrawn.
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(Source: CIN)