Coughlan defends her decision to pay for site [IrishTimes]
- Published: 11 January 2011
MINISTER FOR Education Mary Coughlan has defended her decision to approve the payment of a sum, believed to be €6 million, for a 10-acre site in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, which is jointly owned by a former Fianna Fáil councillor.
The 10-acre site opposite Letterkenny Institute of Technology is owned by former Letterkenny mayor Terry McEniff and former Letterkenny town clerk Peter Coyle.
Ms Coughlan was replying to questions yesterday after she announced the approval of funding to the college to purchase two separate parcels of land to allow for the expansion of the institute.
The second land acquisition, believed to be €2.5 million, consists of 66 acres of HSE-owned land a mile from the college campus on the Port Road.
The Port Road site is to be used “in the short term” as a car park for the college’s 3,000 students and staff.
The site was purchased from local developer Dessie McFeely in 1995, and subsequently rezoned as “town centre/commercial”.
When pressed on the matter, Ms Coughlan said she did not know the price paid for the Port Road site, adding: “I don’t want to get into that just now.” However, well-placed sources said the site cost more than €6 million.
“The situation is that two independent valuers were appointed by the governing body of the college. Advertisements were place last year for expressions of interest from landowners and a considerable number of expressions were received and independently valued,” Ms Coughlan said.
“The valuation process was totally independent in that I nor any member of my staff, or indeed the governing body of the college, had any access or influence over this.
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