'You are not a friend of Bushmills'

Seamus Blaney was reacting to a remark from George Hartin during a stormy session of Moyle Council regarding the future of the Woodvale Toilet Block in Bushmills.

As reported briefly in last week's Times, DUP councillor Robert McIlroy - the current Vice-Chairperson of Moyle Council - said people from Bushmills might as well "give up" when it comes to getting help from Moyle Council to improve their district.

The verbal clashes came as Moyle Council agreed to sell the Woodvale Toilets despite the Council last month voting not to sell them following a public protest in Bushmills.

But at this month's Council meeting, Cllr Blaney raised the matter again saying he was absent last month when the keep the toilets decision was taken.

Cllr Blaney said he received many phone calls from people in the Ballycastle area expressing surprise that the Council was keeping two toilet blocks within 200 yards of each other and yet in Ballycastle they have closed down toilet blocks.

He claimed more councillors supported the closure of the toilets initially than there were people at the public protest in Bushmills.

Cllr Blaney's proposal to sell the Woodvale Toilets was seconded by Causeway Independent councillor Price McConaghy.

Council Chairperson, Sinn Fein councillor Cara McShane, said there was a sense of 'deja-vu' regarding the discussions as the toilet issue had been discussed so many times before.

Causeway electoral area Ulster Unionist councillor Willie Graham accused Councillor Blaney of being "Councillor McConaghy's puppet" in proposing the closure.

Cllr Graham said Cllr Blaney had got it wrong and Cllr Graham said the intention was not to keep the Woodvale facility as toilets.

He said it was "people power" which had brought them to were they were and he disagreed with the figures put forward by Councillor Blaney regarding the public protest.

Cllr Graham said there was "more like 100 people" there and he said the numbers Cllr Blaney was talking about was only a section of the crowd which was contained in a press photo.

Cllr Graham said the Council only stands to get around 25,000 by selling the toilet block and he said they should definitely be kept.

Cllr Oliver McMullan (Sinn Fein) said they were now hearing the full truth about the toilets and he said they had not been retained by the Council as toilets but rather it was the building which was being kept.

He alleged: "What is going on here is not right - it is far from people power."

Bushmills DUP councillor David McAllister said claims that the Bushmills toilets were closed because they were "condemned" were incorrect.

He said community groups in Bushmills are doing a 'village audit' to see which local buildings can be developed and he said Woodvale Toilets building should not be disposed off by the Council ahead of its completion in under six months.

Cllr Paudie McShane (Sinn Fein) said he received numerous phone calls in the past complaining about the condition of Woodvale Toilets and he said they were "no longer fit for use".

He said the Council had previously taken a decision to sell them and he said there were other priorities in the area.

Cllr McShane added: "There is a great deal of people who will be glad to see the back of the toilets" which he labelled an "eyesore".

Cllr McAllister said they were not an eyesore and said there wasn't even any graffiti on the toilets.

Cllr Graham wondered what "friends" Cllr McShane has in Bushmills.

Cllr McIlroy said: "Everybody in this area is working together on a village plan and all that is being asked of this Council is please let this building stay in place until we get this thing passed."

Cllr Hartin said Cllr Blaney should "use his energy to get more toilets in Ballycastle instead of trying to do harm in Bushmills. Every meeting comes up he seems to be trying to do harm in Bushmills.

"You are not a friend of Bushmills," he alleged.

But Cllr Blaney replied that was not at all the case.

Cllr McConaghy said it was quite plain when a letter was received by the Council from the Community Association that they wanted Woodvale retained as toilets and he added: "We certainly do not need two toilets."

He said the main tourist traffic passes the other toilet block at Dundarave and other tourists passing through Bushmills from the Distillery end of the village usually visit the whiskey-maker and can use toilets there.

He said the Woodvale and Dundarave toilets are only 200 yards apart and he said other schemes involving changing rooms at Dundarave and Bushmills Library should be concentrated on instead.

Cllr Paudie McShane said Cllr Hartin referred to Bushmills but the Sinn Fein man said the debate was about funding throughout the whole district.

Cllr McAllister said it was not often he agreed with Cllr McShane but added: "It is not about Bushmills it is about Moyle entirely but Bushmills is the hub going to the Causeway and beyond and we have one toilet block."

Cllr McIlroy said it was not the Community Association which was involved in correspondence but the Village Forum and they were saying to the Council in Ballycastle to "please hold back" on selling Woodvale.

Cllr Paudie McShane said there were no plans in place for Woodvale at the moment and he said the Council should stick to selling them.

Cllr McIlroy repeated: "Please hold back and if you can't do that you can't do anything for the community."

Last month two SDLP councillors joined with the majority of the councillors from the Causeway area to reject the original plan to sell the toilets but the duo were not present at this month's meeting.

This time round, four Sinn Fein councillors were joined by Cllr Blaney and Cllr McConaghy in voting to sell the toilets again on a 6-4 vote with four Causeway councillors, including three DUP and one Ulster Unionist, voting against.

After the votes the Causeway councillors erupted in fury.

Cllr McIlroy said: "I would say to the people of Bushmills give up, don't try and do some good for your own area because you are getting no help from this Council."

Cllr Graham said: "Moyle District Council has put a nail in the coffin for the Causeway" and added it would not be long before the people of Bushmills "will not want anything to do with the Council."

Chairperson Cllr Cara McShane said it was the "same rhetoric every month" from Cllr Graham.