The 26 January 2005 is forever etched on the memories of the people of Rolestown and St Margaret's in North Co. Dublin.

That was the day Minister McDowell, announced that the government had approved the purchase of a 150-acre site at Thornton Hall, North Co. Dublin, to serve as the location for a new prison complex to replace Mountjoy.

We heard the announcement like everyone else on the one o'clock news. We were shocked and astonished, thrown into a state of utter disbelief. In a moment we were disempowered and disenfranchised.

We were landed this as a done deal and the planning process allowed for no effective input from citizens. There was no consultation of any kind with the local community in respect of this prison proposal prior to the announcement. And despite reassurances of full consultation with the local community, nine months later the Irish Prison Service and the Minister are still refusing to meet with us.

How will this development affect our area? There is no mains sewerage, road access is via a small country road, no public lighting or footpaths, and public transport is over a mile away. Are we to endure at least five years of intensive building works as the government tries to make up for deficiencies that should have ruled this site out in the first place? Whose homes or farms will be subject to compulsory purchase orders to provide infrastructure to this badly located development? How long can local farmers continue to farm around such a vast development? How can a rural farming community survive this?

A development of this size cannot be hidden away quietly in a rural setting. It will change everything. Exactly how? - We can only begin to imagine. We have seen communities live with the legacy of bad planning, lack of foresight and careless disregard for conservation. We thought we lived in a more enlightened era. This is not progress. This is state-sponsored vandalism.

"Rip-Off Republic Comes To Churchfield: Pool Prices Too High!" was the title of a public meeting held in the Farranree Community Centre on Cork's Northside on 4 October.

The meeting was well-attended in one sense and very poorly attended in another: more than 45 people attended but there were three empty seats at the top table where the three northside Councillors who were invited to attend were meant to sit.

Anger was expressed at the failure of Dave McCarthy (FF), Patricia Gosch (FG) and Michael O'Connell (Lab) to attend or even send reps.

All three are members of the board of Leisureworld which runs the new PPP Churchfield swimming pool/gym facility and which charges €6.10 an hour for a swim, 70 cent for use of the children's slide and has no concession rates for pensioners, the unemployed or students after 4pm Mon-Fri or at all on weekends and holidays.

The campaign was initiated by Socialist Party councillor Mick Barry but has now become the property of activists from the community who have elected a six person committee and named the campaign the Affordable Leisure Facilities (ALF) campaign.

The campaign will picket a meeting of Cork City Council ("if they will not come to us we will go to them") and meet again before the end of November.