Ulster Unionist Party MLA Roy Beggs Jnr has criticised a Sinn Fein campaign against the awarding of planning approval for a decorative Crown Structure marking the Queen’s Jubilee at a roundabout in Larne as ‘petty, sectarian and confrontational’.
SF MLA McMullan who lives in Cushendall, 25 miles north of the relevant roundabout at Circular road, wrote a badly spelt and punctuated objection letter referring to creating a ‘flashpoint’. The 49 other objections were from people who signed a standard letter, none of whom are demonstrated as being local to the site.
Ulster Unionist MLA for East Antrim Roy Beggs Jnr said:
“It is disappointing, although predictable that Sinn Fein should be campaigning against an environmental improvement scheme, which at the very least has created an interesting, and in most people’s opinion, an attractive feature out of an otherwise nondescript roundabout. To my knowledge no local residents have any problem with it.”
The local Ulster Unionist Assemblyman added;
“More seriously, the vast majority of the people of Larne will find the confrontational language used by MLAMcMullan in his planning objection – referring to “this part of Larne could become a flashpoint in the future” totally unacceptable and threatening. Is the Sinn Feiner concerned at the lack of segregation in Larne, and does he want to manufacture interfaces where none currently exist? Sadly this is a familiar tactic from republicans of his petty, sectarian mind-set.”
The planning application F/2012/0084/F was approved by DoE Planning when presented to Larne Borough Council for consultation on Monday 3rdDecember. The application is for a central roundabout feature consisting of a steel structured crown commemorating the 2012 Queens Jubilee. The crown stands at 7.5m, mounted on a concrete base measuring 4m in diameter, illuminated by 4 x 70 watt uplighters.
Roy Beggs MLA concluded:
“Her Majesty the Queen, as represented by the Jubilee Crown is a unifying head of state, above party politics or sectarian differences. Larne, East Antrim and Northern Ireland is constitutionally an integral part of the United Kingdom. This position–reflecting the consent principal- was endorsed in the referenda at the time of the Belfast Agreement. An Agreement which Mr McMullan’s party is meant to have signed up to.”
ENDS
Link to open file on planning application F/2012/0084/F with the’ objection letters’. Note deadline for objections was 31stMay 2012:
http://epicdocs.planningni.gov.uk/ShowCaseFile.aspx?appNumber=F/2012/0084/F
“this part of larne could become a flashpoint in the future,any other decision than temporary will envoke equality laws”
