Objectors to Dublin airport's expansion plans have reacted with dismay to An Bord Pleanála's decision to give the go-ahead to a new terminal and runway.
Several residents groups in the north Dublin area objected to the Dublin Airport Authority plans on the grounds that more aircraft would mean greater levels of noise pollution and stress on the local infrastructure.
The Portmarnock Community Association (PCA) said the decision was not only bad for local residents, but also for Ireland's aviation strategy.
The PCA set up United Portmarnock Residents Opposing Another Runway (Uproar) three years ago to voice their opposition to the expansion plans. It picketed the oral hearings conducted by An Bord Pleanála last year.
Uproar urged the Government to develop a second airport for Dublin away from the existing one and recommended Baldonnel as one of the alternative options.
Uproar spokesman Brian Byrne, a former Dublin airport manager, said An Bord Pleanála had behaved "disgracefully" in making the decision.
"We're not surprised, but we are disappointed. We have pursued a campaign against the second runway in the context of the best interests of the people in our community in Portmarnock," he said.
"The new runway threatens the well-being of the community because of the noise, the pollution and other environmental consequences.
"The more macro point is that it is a bad planning decision. We are now making an unsustainable Dublin airport. It's too big. It will create a monster and turn an asset into a liability.
"It runs against Government policy of a proper national spatial strategy, decentralisation, rural development," he added. It also continued "the overloading of the eastern side of the country".
"This is going to have a much greater impact on other airports than any decision to take away the Heathrow slots at Shannon."
The St Margaret's Concerned Residents Group, whose members live near the site of the proposed new runway, said the decision would make it difficult for them to continue living there.
"There is a condition attached to the planning permission that our homes be insulated against the noise, but who is going to insulate our gardens and our outdoor amenities?" asked Sheila Morris, secretary of the group.
"We won't be able to use our gardens. It will ruin our quality of life," she said.
"We felt the environmental impact study carried out by the Dublin Airport Authority paid more attention to the flora and fauna in our local area than it did to us."
The group also opposed the airport expansion plans on the grounds that they would have a serious impact on traffic in the area.
Both groups were among seven objectors to the proposals which included Ryanair and An Taisce.
An Taisce objected on the basis of the impact of the expansion plans on air quality in the north Dublin area.
The Portmarnock Hotel and Golf Club, the Portmarnock Community School and St Helen's Senior National School also objected to the expansion plans proposed by the Dublin Airport Authority.
Mayor of Fingal Cllr Alan Farrell said the location of the new terminal close to the existing one was a "colossal" waste of money and it should have been situated away from the present terminal.
"It seems to me that the decision was taken on political rather than planning grounds. I'm not talking about the decision by An Bord Pleanála, it clearly ticked all their boxes, but the decision to give the second terminal the go-ahead in its present guise."
Ronan McGreevy
(c) Irish Times 29.08.07
Friday, 31 August 2007
EU says action against State over Tara motorway only at first stage
The European Commission has said reports that Ireland faces tens of millions of euro in fines over its plans to build a motorway close to Tara were exaggerated.
A spokeswoman for environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said yesterday the commission had so far only sent a "reasoned opinion" to the Government and there was a long way to go before fines could be imposed on the State.
However, she said it was the commission's view that the Government needed to adjust its national monument law and produce a second impact assessment before any construction work took place on the motorway.
Earlier this year the commission issued a reasoned opinion to the Government asking it to carry out a comprehensive assessment of what impact the road would have on the Tara Skryne Valley before the proposed M3 motorway road is built in the area.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley also played down fears that the Government could be hit with tens of millions of euro in EU fines over the work at Tara.
"I've seen newspaper reports which are just inaccurate . . . what we have is a reasoned opinion . . . people will make a response to that and then make a judgment. It [the EU document] is a 20-page document and there are only five paragraphs dealing with Lismullen," Mr Gormley told Éamon Keane on the Lunchtime show on Newstalk.
A reasoned opinion is the first step in a lengthy EU process. A fine is usually only imposed if a state subsequently loses a case at the European Court of Justice, and then proceeds to ignore the ruling.
Jamie Smyth
© 2007 The Irish Times 30.09.07
A spokeswoman for environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said yesterday the commission had so far only sent a "reasoned opinion" to the Government and there was a long way to go before fines could be imposed on the State.
However, she said it was the commission's view that the Government needed to adjust its national monument law and produce a second impact assessment before any construction work took place on the motorway.
Earlier this year the commission issued a reasoned opinion to the Government asking it to carry out a comprehensive assessment of what impact the road would have on the Tara Skryne Valley before the proposed M3 motorway road is built in the area.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley also played down fears that the Government could be hit with tens of millions of euro in EU fines over the work at Tara.
"I've seen newspaper reports which are just inaccurate . . . what we have is a reasoned opinion . . . people will make a response to that and then make a judgment. It [the EU document] is a 20-page document and there are only five paragraphs dealing with Lismullen," Mr Gormley told Éamon Keane on the Lunchtime show on Newstalk.
A reasoned opinion is the first step in a lengthy EU process. A fine is usually only imposed if a state subsequently loses a case at the European Court of Justice, and then proceeds to ignore the ruling.
Jamie Smyth
© 2007 The Irish Times 30.09.07
Healy-Rea houses refused
Kerry County Councillor Danny Healy-Rae has been refused permission by An Bord Pleanála for a 38-house development near the main street in his home village of Kilgarvan, Co Kerry.
The councillor, normally a fierce critic of constraints on development in Kerry, has reacted by saying he believed the board may have done him "a favour" in their decision given the way the housing market is at the moment.
Last April, Kerry County Council refused Mr Healy-Rae of Gortnaboul Partnership, planning permission for the Kilgarvan houses partly because of "deficiency" in the village sewerage facilities.
The council planners said the development would also be premature because a local area plan for the village had yet to be completed.
Originally, Mr Healy-Rae had planned to build 47 houses on the elevated site at Gortnaboul, near his brother Cllr Michael Heal-Rae's shop and petrol station, but had scaled the plans down with the council and before his appeal to An Bord Pleanála.
Yesterday Mr Healy-Rae said he believed the board may have done him a favour in refusing him.
"I believe they have done me a favour because the sale of houses is not good at the present time," he said.
Even if he had got permission, he would not have proceeded for some time, given the housing market state right now, and things can only get better, he said.
He had planned a "unique sewerage treatment" system that would not have impacted on the public system, but could be linked later. A new public sewerage system for Kilgarvan was advancing at this stage.
In his formal appeal Mr Healy-Rae said he had had detailed discussions at pre-planning meetings with council staff including sanitary services and there had been no objection by the public to his application for a discharge licence.
In her report, planning inspector Maireád Kenny noted two other residential developments were current in Kilgarvan, and one had been withdrawn.
She referred at length to the absence of a local plan for the village - that plan is due later this year.
"In the absence of a Local Area Plan it would have been open to the applicant to suggest an urban design scheme for this and the adjoining lands, which would have assisted in promoting the case for the development. No such proposals are set out and the layout as initially submitted to the Planning Authority and as revised fails to take account of the character of the area or to make any connections to the adjoining lands," Ms Kenny said.
The applicant has not demonstrated that there is an urgent need for housing in the area, or set out any other case which might justify a decision to grant prior to the adoption of a local area plan. Such a plan would establish density and appropriate design standards and criteria for development, she added.
Anne Lucey
© 2007 The Irish Times 30.08.07
The councillor, normally a fierce critic of constraints on development in Kerry, has reacted by saying he believed the board may have done him "a favour" in their decision given the way the housing market is at the moment.
Last April, Kerry County Council refused Mr Healy-Rae of Gortnaboul Partnership, planning permission for the Kilgarvan houses partly because of "deficiency" in the village sewerage facilities.
The council planners said the development would also be premature because a local area plan for the village had yet to be completed.
Originally, Mr Healy-Rae had planned to build 47 houses on the elevated site at Gortnaboul, near his brother Cllr Michael Heal-Rae's shop and petrol station, but had scaled the plans down with the council and before his appeal to An Bord Pleanála.
Yesterday Mr Healy-Rae said he believed the board may have done him a favour in refusing him.
"I believe they have done me a favour because the sale of houses is not good at the present time," he said.
Even if he had got permission, he would not have proceeded for some time, given the housing market state right now, and things can only get better, he said.
He had planned a "unique sewerage treatment" system that would not have impacted on the public system, but could be linked later. A new public sewerage system for Kilgarvan was advancing at this stage.
In his formal appeal Mr Healy-Rae said he had had detailed discussions at pre-planning meetings with council staff including sanitary services and there had been no objection by the public to his application for a discharge licence.
In her report, planning inspector Maireád Kenny noted two other residential developments were current in Kilgarvan, and one had been withdrawn.
She referred at length to the absence of a local plan for the village - that plan is due later this year.
"In the absence of a Local Area Plan it would have been open to the applicant to suggest an urban design scheme for this and the adjoining lands, which would have assisted in promoting the case for the development. No such proposals are set out and the layout as initially submitted to the Planning Authority and as revised fails to take account of the character of the area or to make any connections to the adjoining lands," Ms Kenny said.
The applicant has not demonstrated that there is an urgent need for housing in the area, or set out any other case which might justify a decision to grant prior to the adoption of a local area plan. Such a plan would establish density and appropriate design standards and criteria for development, she added.
Anne Lucey
© 2007 The Irish Times 30.08.07
Gormley launches new EPA report on indicators of climate change in Ireland
A new report for the Environmental Protection Agency, launched today (29 August 2007) by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, T.D., confirms that the impacts of climate changes are already happening in Ireland and are accelerating. The report is based on meteorological records of Met Éireann.
The report, ‘Key Meteorological Indicators of Climate Change in Ireland, was prepared by researchers at the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS) at NUI Maynooth.
Speaking at the launch of the report, the Minister commented, “The report is further confirmation that the impacts of climate change are already happening in Ireland and are accelerating. This report confirms that annual rainfall has increased in the north and west. Not only is it raining more frequently, but the volume and intensity of rainfall is increasing. These conclusions will be self-evident to anybody who has holidayed at home this summer.” The report shows us the absolute need for the people of Ireland to play their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change,” added Minister Gormley
Minister Gormley recently met the Taoiseach, during which they had a lengthy discussion about climate change-related issues, including the agenda of the cabinet sub committee and the establishment of a special climate change commission.
The cabinet sub committee on climate change which will be meeting for the first time in the coming two weeks will have a central role in formulating and implementing Government policies and initiatives in this area.
“The establishment of a special cabinet sub committee, which includes the Taoiseach, is an indication of the priority this Government is attaching to addressing climate change,” Minister Gormley said, The committee and the Government have an ambitious and challenging programme of work ahead in tackling the climate change issue, in both the shorter and longer term.
The Minister said, “I envisage that by the end of the year there will be a number of positive initiatives on reducing emissions in Ireland. These include proposals for rebalancing VRT and motor tax, the establishment of a climate change commission, and ambitious new energy efficiency targets for new homes.”
However he added that climate change is a global issue that needed to be tackled collectively by all countries.
Minister Gormley, at the request of the Taoiseach, will be traveling to the UN in New York next month to represent Ireland and address a heads of State meeting which will be discussing climate change,
The Minister noted that the report underlines the importance of the EU objective of limiting average global temperature increases to no more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. "Ireland has fully and consistently supported this EU objective," the Minister said. "We are on course to meet our commitments under the Kyoto Protocol" he added "and we fully support the EU position on further ambitious reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the period to 2020 and beyond".
The Minister confirmed the intention of the Government to put in place a national strategy on adaptation to address future impacts of climate change in Ireland. “This will provide the framework for integrating the predicted impacts of climate change into decision-making at national and local level. It is important that we put in place this framework as soon as possible, so that, particularly in areas such as infrastructure, planning, water services and coastal management, we do not end up making the wrong types of expensive investments in the wrong places.”
The EPA report Key Meteorological Indicators of Climate Change in Ireland updates and expands the work of an earlier report, Climate Change: Indicators for Ireland, which was published in 2002. The report is the latest in a series commissioned by the EPA’s Environmental Research Centre, and is funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan.
The main findings of the present report are:
Ireland’s mean annual temperature has increased by 0.7°C between 1890 and 2004.
The average rate of increase is 0.06°C per decade. However, as Ireland experiences considerable climate variability, the trend is not linear.
The highest ten yearly rate of increase has occurred since 1980, with a warming rate of 0.42°C per decade.
Six of the ten warmest years have occurred since 1990; however, 1945 was the warmest year on record.
There has been a reduction in the number of frost days and a shortening of the frost season length.
The annual precipitation has increased on the north and west coasts, with decreases or small increases in the south and east.
The wetter conditions on the west and north coastal regions appear due to increased in rainfall intensity and persistence.
There is an increase in precipitation events over 10mm on the west coast with decreases on the east coast; there is an increase in the amount of rain per rain day on the west coast.
The report notes that it is imperative to monitor key climate variables in order to identify trends, which may be an important guide for future change. Climate indicators for Ireland are based primarily on daily synoptic (summary) weather station temperature and precipitation data from Met Éireann’s monitoring network.
The report, ‘Key Meteorological Indicators of Climate Change in Ireland, was prepared by researchers at the Irish Climate Analysis and Research Units (ICARUS) at NUI Maynooth.
Speaking at the launch of the report, the Minister commented, “The report is further confirmation that the impacts of climate change are already happening in Ireland and are accelerating. This report confirms that annual rainfall has increased in the north and west. Not only is it raining more frequently, but the volume and intensity of rainfall is increasing. These conclusions will be self-evident to anybody who has holidayed at home this summer.” The report shows us the absolute need for the people of Ireland to play their part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change,” added Minister Gormley
Minister Gormley recently met the Taoiseach, during which they had a lengthy discussion about climate change-related issues, including the agenda of the cabinet sub committee and the establishment of a special climate change commission.
The cabinet sub committee on climate change which will be meeting for the first time in the coming two weeks will have a central role in formulating and implementing Government policies and initiatives in this area.
“The establishment of a special cabinet sub committee, which includes the Taoiseach, is an indication of the priority this Government is attaching to addressing climate change,” Minister Gormley said, The committee and the Government have an ambitious and challenging programme of work ahead in tackling the climate change issue, in both the shorter and longer term.
The Minister said, “I envisage that by the end of the year there will be a number of positive initiatives on reducing emissions in Ireland. These include proposals for rebalancing VRT and motor tax, the establishment of a climate change commission, and ambitious new energy efficiency targets for new homes.”
However he added that climate change is a global issue that needed to be tackled collectively by all countries.
Minister Gormley, at the request of the Taoiseach, will be traveling to the UN in New York next month to represent Ireland and address a heads of State meeting which will be discussing climate change,
The Minister noted that the report underlines the importance of the EU objective of limiting average global temperature increases to no more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. "Ireland has fully and consistently supported this EU objective," the Minister said. "We are on course to meet our commitments under the Kyoto Protocol" he added "and we fully support the EU position on further ambitious reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the period to 2020 and beyond".
The Minister confirmed the intention of the Government to put in place a national strategy on adaptation to address future impacts of climate change in Ireland. “This will provide the framework for integrating the predicted impacts of climate change into decision-making at national and local level. It is important that we put in place this framework as soon as possible, so that, particularly in areas such as infrastructure, planning, water services and coastal management, we do not end up making the wrong types of expensive investments in the wrong places.”
The EPA report Key Meteorological Indicators of Climate Change in Ireland updates and expands the work of an earlier report, Climate Change: Indicators for Ireland, which was published in 2002. The report is the latest in a series commissioned by the EPA’s Environmental Research Centre, and is funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan.
The main findings of the present report are:
Ireland’s mean annual temperature has increased by 0.7°C between 1890 and 2004.
The average rate of increase is 0.06°C per decade. However, as Ireland experiences considerable climate variability, the trend is not linear.
The highest ten yearly rate of increase has occurred since 1980, with a warming rate of 0.42°C per decade.
Six of the ten warmest years have occurred since 1990; however, 1945 was the warmest year on record.
There has been a reduction in the number of frost days and a shortening of the frost season length.
The annual precipitation has increased on the north and west coasts, with decreases or small increases in the south and east.
The wetter conditions on the west and north coastal regions appear due to increased in rainfall intensity and persistence.
There is an increase in precipitation events over 10mm on the west coast with decreases on the east coast; there is an increase in the amount of rain per rain day on the west coast.
The report notes that it is imperative to monitor key climate variables in order to identify trends, which may be an important guide for future change. Climate indicators for Ireland are based primarily on daily synoptic (summary) weather station temperature and precipitation data from Met Éireann’s monitoring network.
Terminal delay to cost the DAA €3m a week
THE GOVERNMENT has admitted that its own deadline for construction of Dublin Airport's second terminal will be missed by two years.
It was now expected to be some time in 2011 before T2 would be commissioned, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said yesterday.
And Ryanair said it will seek a court order stopping all work on the terminal until its legal challenge is heard and the decision to allow building work to commence is reversed.
Ryanair spokesman Jim Callaghan said the planning permission granted on Wednesday was in breach of planning guidelines and that its High Court challenge would also centre on the lack of access to the airport.
Capacity
There would be sufficient capacity to cater for 26m passengers -- three million more than is currently needed -- when an extended terminal opens in October, and the airport would grow for another two years without passengers being affected.
"We're going to apply for a stay on construction," Mr Callaghan said last night.
"The airport is saying this has to be built by 2009, but the Minister says it won't be built until 2011.
"We're not just trying to block development at the airport, but why not build a low-cost terminal. If we got the green light tomorrow we could have a new terminal in 18 months."
Yesterday Mr Dempsey said the delay in having the terminal built was costing the Dublin Airport Authority €3m a week.
He said the date was originally set for the end of 2009, with commissioning in 2010, but there had been delays in the planning process which set this back. "It is unfortunate that there have been such delays which put things back six or seven months," he said.
"But it is now expected it will be 2011 before it is fully commissioned and that is really pushing the extremities of this."
He said he knew from speaking to the Dublin Airport Authority that they would try to get this completed as quickly as possible. "The delay in planning has been costing them €3m a week and obviously they are not going to hang around.
"Hopefully, the legal challenges can be quickly dismissed and we can move on to the construction," he added.
Mr Dempsey said that the new terminal was a welcome decision.
"This is absolutely necessary. Everybody has had the experience of moving in and out of Dublin Airport and we all know there are huge problems there space-wise.
"I often wonder how people can get around the airport. It is a tribute to the staff there that things work as well as they do in the circumstances," he said.
"It will be a huge opportunity to increase competition at the airport and to attract new business," he added.
Irish Independent
It was now expected to be some time in 2011 before T2 would be commissioned, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said yesterday.
And Ryanair said it will seek a court order stopping all work on the terminal until its legal challenge is heard and the decision to allow building work to commence is reversed.
Ryanair spokesman Jim Callaghan said the planning permission granted on Wednesday was in breach of planning guidelines and that its High Court challenge would also centre on the lack of access to the airport.
Capacity
There would be sufficient capacity to cater for 26m passengers -- three million more than is currently needed -- when an extended terminal opens in October, and the airport would grow for another two years without passengers being affected.
"We're going to apply for a stay on construction," Mr Callaghan said last night.
"The airport is saying this has to be built by 2009, but the Minister says it won't be built until 2011.
"We're not just trying to block development at the airport, but why not build a low-cost terminal. If we got the green light tomorrow we could have a new terminal in 18 months."
Yesterday Mr Dempsey said the delay in having the terminal built was costing the Dublin Airport Authority €3m a week.
He said the date was originally set for the end of 2009, with commissioning in 2010, but there had been delays in the planning process which set this back. "It is unfortunate that there have been such delays which put things back six or seven months," he said.
"But it is now expected it will be 2011 before it is fully commissioned and that is really pushing the extremities of this."
He said he knew from speaking to the Dublin Airport Authority that they would try to get this completed as quickly as possible. "The delay in planning has been costing them €3m a week and obviously they are not going to hang around.
"Hopefully, the legal challenges can be quickly dismissed and we can move on to the construction," he added.
Mr Dempsey said that the new terminal was a welcome decision.
"This is absolutely necessary. Everybody has had the experience of moving in and out of Dublin Airport and we all know there are huge problems there space-wise.
"I often wonder how people can get around the airport. It is a tribute to the staff there that things work as well as they do in the circumstances," he said.
"It will be a huge opportunity to increase competition at the airport and to attract new business," he added.
Irish Independent
EU block on M3 'never reached government'
THE GOVERNMENT was never officially told that work on the controversial M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara would have to stop until a comprehensive assessment was carried out on its impact in the area.
The first that Environment Minister John Gormley heard of the order from the EU Commission was when he read yesterday's Irish Independent.
And Mr Gormley will today raise the issue with EU officials at an informal meeting of environment ministers in Lisbon.
A spokesman said yesterday neither the departments of transport or environment were told of the decision, and that formal lines of communication were never used.
"No-one has come to the Government and said you cannot build this road," he said. "He (the minister) will be raising the issue at the highest level. There's been no formal communication, it's unorthodox to say the least."
The EU Commission said that discovery of a national monument along the motorway route at Lismullin, Co Meath, meant an Environmental Impact Assessment would have to be carried out to measure the impact the road would have on the area.
Ireland faces the prospect of millions of euro in fines if it allows the motorway to proceed, but it is arguing that an EIA is not required as the national monument is being removed.
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said yesterday the decision in relation to the M3 motorway has been made and will not be changed.
Significant
"We can have all the theories we like but the decision is made," said Mr Dempsey.
He said the only thing that could change the routing of the road was if significant archaeological finds were made.
Minister Dempsey said the EU had questioned the legality of a decision made by former Environment Minister Dick Roche to excavate and then remove the monument from the route, and the Department would be giving "a very robust defence" to the questions raised.
"The reasoned opinion is ready and that reply will be with the Commission soon."
Asked about a request from an EU committee for a moratorium, Mr Dempsey said: "Our response would be 'thank you for your opinion, we have followed the EU procedures on an extremely important project and we need to get on with it'.
"This is an extremely important project for Ireland and our infrastructure and we need to get on with it.
"As I see our case, we have answered all the questions."
Mr Dempsey said he agreed with Environment Minister John Gormley's stance that there won't be any major development along the route.
"I would certainly agree with that. People are afraid there is going to be the kind of developments such as shopping centres and I agreed with them on that point. This would not be acceptable," he said.
Irish Independent
The first that Environment Minister John Gormley heard of the order from the EU Commission was when he read yesterday's Irish Independent.
And Mr Gormley will today raise the issue with EU officials at an informal meeting of environment ministers in Lisbon.
A spokesman said yesterday neither the departments of transport or environment were told of the decision, and that formal lines of communication were never used.
"No-one has come to the Government and said you cannot build this road," he said. "He (the minister) will be raising the issue at the highest level. There's been no formal communication, it's unorthodox to say the least."
The EU Commission said that discovery of a national monument along the motorway route at Lismullin, Co Meath, meant an Environmental Impact Assessment would have to be carried out to measure the impact the road would have on the area.
Ireland faces the prospect of millions of euro in fines if it allows the motorway to proceed, but it is arguing that an EIA is not required as the national monument is being removed.
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said yesterday the decision in relation to the M3 motorway has been made and will not be changed.
Significant
"We can have all the theories we like but the decision is made," said Mr Dempsey.
He said the only thing that could change the routing of the road was if significant archaeological finds were made.
Minister Dempsey said the EU had questioned the legality of a decision made by former Environment Minister Dick Roche to excavate and then remove the monument from the route, and the Department would be giving "a very robust defence" to the questions raised.
"The reasoned opinion is ready and that reply will be with the Commission soon."
Asked about a request from an EU committee for a moratorium, Mr Dempsey said: "Our response would be 'thank you for your opinion, we have followed the EU procedures on an extremely important project and we need to get on with it'.
"This is an extremely important project for Ireland and our infrastructure and we need to get on with it.
"As I see our case, we have answered all the questions."
Mr Dempsey said he agreed with Environment Minister John Gormley's stance that there won't be any major development along the route.
"I would certainly agree with that. People are afraid there is going to be the kind of developments such as shopping centres and I agreed with them on that point. This would not be acceptable," he said.
Irish Independent
Dunne showcases his 37 storeys of towering ambition
THOSE who thought hard-nosed multi-millionaire developer Sean Dunne was out to make a killing with his billion-euro plans for leafy Dublin 4 may have got it all wrong. The massive 37-storey development which will see luxury apartments sell for up to €10m is apparently an exercise in philanthropy, judging by his remarks yesterday.
"It will achieve the almost incredible task of giving almost nine acres back to the people," Mr Dunne said yesterday.
He plans to build shops, restaurants and art galleries on the seven-acre site, which will result in nine acres of amenities - across a number of floors - that will also be accessible to the public.
Far from tearing the heart and soul from the cherished suburb, as some have feared, he is in fact reviving a cultural desert to judge from yesterday's remarks.
Mr Dunne yesterday explained: "Ballsbridge has for a long time been wrongly portrayed by some as a village, whereas in actual fact it is a national centre in that it houses the home of Irish rugby, the headquarters of AIB, 1.5m square feet of offices and is home to 29 embassies," he said.
Cycle
"What was considered modern office space in the 1960s and early 1970s has now reached the end of its useful life and the cycle of developing Ballsbridge for the 21st century is now ready to commence.
"While the Jury's/Berkeley Court site measures seven acres, Mountbrook has achieved the almost incredible feat of giving back nearly nine acres to the people of Dublin," he said.
So Dubliners may now look forward to getting their hands on a two-bedroom apartments in Ireland's tallest building with price tags of €1.2m each.
And residents in the exclusive Jury's/Berkeley Court site in leafy Dublin 4 will be using free electric cars to travel about the city.
Yesterday the Carlow businessman and multi-millionaire unveiled his €1bn proposal for the central seven-acre site which will see a 37-storey building -- over twice the height of Liberty Hall -- constructed in the heart of the embassy belt.
He hopes to create a diplomatic quarter by providing office space for 29 embassies, as well as building 536 apartments, an ice-rink, cinema, offices, shopping mall, bars, restaurants and a "cultural quarter" with artists' studios. A 232-bedroom hotel is also in the proposal.
His ambitious plans for the 123-metre building would also see the development being 75pc "carbon neutral" -- meaning no carbon dioxide would be eased from the complex -- rising to 100pc as technology continues to improves.
This will be achieved by using "green" building materials, biomass heating systems and a unique "triple glazed" facade on the landmark diamond-shaped tower.
He also proposes providing electric cars to ferry residents across the city in an effort to promote its "green" credentials. The design team says it takes best practice and "takes it further" to make the complex among the most environmentally-friendly ever built here.
The plans will be lodged with Dublin City Council this morning, but Mr Dunne faces an uphill battle to get planning permission. Councillors have already rejected plans to allow high-rise buildings in Dublin 4, and 15pc of the site is not currently zoned for commercial use.
However, the Dublin City Development Plan, the planning bible which dictates what buildings may be constructed throughout the city, is due to be revised in 2011 and it is hoped that councillors will have warmed to his plans by that stage and allow the development proceed.
The seven-acre site was acquired for €378m and construction costs will be €1bn. The complex, if granted planning permission, will be completed by 2014. Two-bedroom apartments will cost €1.2m, with four-bedroom units costing €10m.
Yesterday Mr Dunne, whose company Mountbrook is behind the scheme, said his plans replaced the "outmoded and ugly" buildings which had "no architectural value" in Dublin 4.
This would be achieved by providing three acres of public streets, while shopping mall, bars and the cultural quarter would provide another 5.85 acres. The landmark tower is designed by architect Ulrik Raysse, who said yesterday it would become a "beacon" for the cultural quarter.
"It has its own special geometry and materiality," he said. "It is cut like a diamond. It was a great opportunity to place a landmark building here. It was crucial for us to position the cultural programme at the base of the tower, so that the tower is not solely the landmark for the redevelopment of Ballsbridge, but also becomes a beacon for the cultural centre."
Three acres of landscaping will also be included, and the plans will be on public display until Sunday at the Berkeley Court Hotel in Ballsbridge from noon until 6pm.
Irish Independent
"It will achieve the almost incredible task of giving almost nine acres back to the people," Mr Dunne said yesterday.
He plans to build shops, restaurants and art galleries on the seven-acre site, which will result in nine acres of amenities - across a number of floors - that will also be accessible to the public.
Far from tearing the heart and soul from the cherished suburb, as some have feared, he is in fact reviving a cultural desert to judge from yesterday's remarks.
Mr Dunne yesterday explained: "Ballsbridge has for a long time been wrongly portrayed by some as a village, whereas in actual fact it is a national centre in that it houses the home of Irish rugby, the headquarters of AIB, 1.5m square feet of offices and is home to 29 embassies," he said.
Cycle
"What was considered modern office space in the 1960s and early 1970s has now reached the end of its useful life and the cycle of developing Ballsbridge for the 21st century is now ready to commence.
"While the Jury's/Berkeley Court site measures seven acres, Mountbrook has achieved the almost incredible feat of giving back nearly nine acres to the people of Dublin," he said.
So Dubliners may now look forward to getting their hands on a two-bedroom apartments in Ireland's tallest building with price tags of €1.2m each.
And residents in the exclusive Jury's/Berkeley Court site in leafy Dublin 4 will be using free electric cars to travel about the city.
Yesterday the Carlow businessman and multi-millionaire unveiled his €1bn proposal for the central seven-acre site which will see a 37-storey building -- over twice the height of Liberty Hall -- constructed in the heart of the embassy belt.
He hopes to create a diplomatic quarter by providing office space for 29 embassies, as well as building 536 apartments, an ice-rink, cinema, offices, shopping mall, bars, restaurants and a "cultural quarter" with artists' studios. A 232-bedroom hotel is also in the proposal.
His ambitious plans for the 123-metre building would also see the development being 75pc "carbon neutral" -- meaning no carbon dioxide would be eased from the complex -- rising to 100pc as technology continues to improves.
This will be achieved by using "green" building materials, biomass heating systems and a unique "triple glazed" facade on the landmark diamond-shaped tower.
He also proposes providing electric cars to ferry residents across the city in an effort to promote its "green" credentials. The design team says it takes best practice and "takes it further" to make the complex among the most environmentally-friendly ever built here.
The plans will be lodged with Dublin City Council this morning, but Mr Dunne faces an uphill battle to get planning permission. Councillors have already rejected plans to allow high-rise buildings in Dublin 4, and 15pc of the site is not currently zoned for commercial use.
However, the Dublin City Development Plan, the planning bible which dictates what buildings may be constructed throughout the city, is due to be revised in 2011 and it is hoped that councillors will have warmed to his plans by that stage and allow the development proceed.
The seven-acre site was acquired for €378m and construction costs will be €1bn. The complex, if granted planning permission, will be completed by 2014. Two-bedroom apartments will cost €1.2m, with four-bedroom units costing €10m.
Yesterday Mr Dunne, whose company Mountbrook is behind the scheme, said his plans replaced the "outmoded and ugly" buildings which had "no architectural value" in Dublin 4.
This would be achieved by providing three acres of public streets, while shopping mall, bars and the cultural quarter would provide another 5.85 acres. The landmark tower is designed by architect Ulrik Raysse, who said yesterday it would become a "beacon" for the cultural quarter.
"It has its own special geometry and materiality," he said. "It is cut like a diamond. It was a great opportunity to place a landmark building here. It was crucial for us to position the cultural programme at the base of the tower, so that the tower is not solely the landmark for the redevelopment of Ballsbridge, but also becomes a beacon for the cultural centre."
Three acres of landscaping will also be included, and the plans will be on public display until Sunday at the Berkeley Court Hotel in Ballsbridge from noon until 6pm.
Irish Independent
Dunne unveils his D4 dream that comes in at a sleek €380m
PROPERTY developer Seán Dunne has unveiled his revised plans for a controversial large-scale residential and commercial complex on the site of the Jurys and Berkeley Court hotels in Ballsbridge.
Mr Dunne confirmed yesterday that he has applied to Dublin City Council for planning permission for his proposed development, which will include a landmark 37-storey building in the upmarket Dublin 4 area.
However, planning experts believe the millionaire businessman will face huge difficulties in obtaining approval for the site under existing planning guidelines because of the sheer scale of the project.
Mr Dunne is seeking planning permission for 536 apartments, a 232-bedroom hotel, 14,000sq m of retail space including a department store, food hall, cafes, bars and restaurants. Other facilities include a cinema, craft gallery, theatre, gym, creche and ice rink.
The Carlow-born developer also hopes to persuade some of the existing 29 embassies located in Ballsbridge to move to a new embassy complex which will constitute 7% of the floor area of the development.
Mr Dunne’s application for planning permission is the latest chapter in his high-risk investment to turn the southside suburb into “Dublin’s Knightsbridge” after his firm Mountbrook Homes paid €379m for the site in 2005 — a record price for land in Ireland at the time of €54m per acre.
“Ballsbridge has for a long time been wrongly portrayed by some as a village, whereas in actual fact it is a national centre,” he remarked yesterday.
But the developer faces an uphill battle to persuade local politicians and residents about the merits of the scheme, which includes seven other buildings ranging from 10 to 15 storeys.
The proposed landmark tower which will be called One Berkeley Court is five storeys higher than Mr Dunne’s original design for the area. The diamond-shaped tower, containing 182 apartments, will stand at 132 metres — more than twice as high as Dublin’s Liberty Hall and 12 metres taller than the Spire on O’Connell Street.
Last June, Dublin City Council voted overwhelmingly in favour of rejecting the draft area plan put forward by city manager John Tierney, which would have allowed for high-rise developments of up to 20 storeys in the city’s embassy belt.
The ruling was seen as a major setback to some of the country’s wealthiest property developers, including Mr Dunne, Bernard McNamara and Ray Grehan.
Mr Dunne hopes to persuade planners of the benefits of the project by claiming 470 apartments, accounting for 88% of all residential units, will be family-friendly with an average size of 197sq m (2,120sq ft). However, an Irish Examiner survey shows that the average size of two, three and four-bedroom units in the development is actually 138sq m (1,485sq ft) based on figures provided by Mr Dunne.
The builder’s application for planning permission will widely be seen as a move to obtain planning permission before a revised area plan for Ballsbridge, which could place permanent height restrictions on buildings in the area, could be passed by Dublin City Council.
Irish Examiner
Mr Dunne confirmed yesterday that he has applied to Dublin City Council for planning permission for his proposed development, which will include a landmark 37-storey building in the upmarket Dublin 4 area.
However, planning experts believe the millionaire businessman will face huge difficulties in obtaining approval for the site under existing planning guidelines because of the sheer scale of the project.
Mr Dunne is seeking planning permission for 536 apartments, a 232-bedroom hotel, 14,000sq m of retail space including a department store, food hall, cafes, bars and restaurants. Other facilities include a cinema, craft gallery, theatre, gym, creche and ice rink.
The Carlow-born developer also hopes to persuade some of the existing 29 embassies located in Ballsbridge to move to a new embassy complex which will constitute 7% of the floor area of the development.
Mr Dunne’s application for planning permission is the latest chapter in his high-risk investment to turn the southside suburb into “Dublin’s Knightsbridge” after his firm Mountbrook Homes paid €379m for the site in 2005 — a record price for land in Ireland at the time of €54m per acre.
“Ballsbridge has for a long time been wrongly portrayed by some as a village, whereas in actual fact it is a national centre,” he remarked yesterday.
But the developer faces an uphill battle to persuade local politicians and residents about the merits of the scheme, which includes seven other buildings ranging from 10 to 15 storeys.
The proposed landmark tower which will be called One Berkeley Court is five storeys higher than Mr Dunne’s original design for the area. The diamond-shaped tower, containing 182 apartments, will stand at 132 metres — more than twice as high as Dublin’s Liberty Hall and 12 metres taller than the Spire on O’Connell Street.
Last June, Dublin City Council voted overwhelmingly in favour of rejecting the draft area plan put forward by city manager John Tierney, which would have allowed for high-rise developments of up to 20 storeys in the city’s embassy belt.
The ruling was seen as a major setback to some of the country’s wealthiest property developers, including Mr Dunne, Bernard McNamara and Ray Grehan.
Mr Dunne hopes to persuade planners of the benefits of the project by claiming 470 apartments, accounting for 88% of all residential units, will be family-friendly with an average size of 197sq m (2,120sq ft). However, an Irish Examiner survey shows that the average size of two, three and four-bedroom units in the development is actually 138sq m (1,485sq ft) based on figures provided by Mr Dunne.
The builder’s application for planning permission will widely be seen as a move to obtain planning permission before a revised area plan for Ballsbridge, which could place permanent height restrictions on buildings in the area, could be passed by Dublin City Council.
Irish Examiner
Thursday, 30 August 2007
Dunne family housing plan given go-ahead
DEVELOPER Sean Dunne's children have been granted permission by An Bord Pleanala to turn a residential apartment block into student housing.
The businessman's children, Stephen, Sean and Elaine Dunne, wanted to turn eight apartments at Merrion Grove, Stillorgan, Co Dublin, into a dormitory for students. However, local residents objected to the plans.
The case went to the Circuit Civil Court, which ruled last month that the development could proceed. Yesterday, An Bord Pleanala also granted permission.
The court heard the apartments were part of an eight-apartment block which had been bought by Mr Dunne's company, Mountbrook Homes, under tax-break legislation for the benefit of the Dunne family.
The block was part of a nine-block development of 124 duplex apartments and houses at Merrion Grove and the Dunnes wanted to convert six of the apartments into student accommodation to serve nearby UCD. Mr Dunne was the original developer of the complex, he bought the eight apartments for his children.
Irish Independent
The businessman's children, Stephen, Sean and Elaine Dunne, wanted to turn eight apartments at Merrion Grove, Stillorgan, Co Dublin, into a dormitory for students. However, local residents objected to the plans.
The case went to the Circuit Civil Court, which ruled last month that the development could proceed. Yesterday, An Bord Pleanala also granted permission.
The court heard the apartments were part of an eight-apartment block which had been bought by Mr Dunne's company, Mountbrook Homes, under tax-break legislation for the benefit of the Dunne family.
The block was part of a nine-block development of 124 duplex apartments and houses at Merrion Grove and the Dunnes wanted to convert six of the apartments into student accommodation to serve nearby UCD. Mr Dunne was the original developer of the complex, he bought the eight apartments for his children.
Irish Independent
2+1 adds up to a different road
TRANSPORT planners in Co Meath have unveiled proposals for a rail link from Dublin to Navan, and a '2 + 1' road, instead of the controversial M3 motorway.
The plan would also see the creation of a Meath World Heritage Park in the Tara Skryne Valley and lead to savings of €300m for the taxpayer, as well as safeguarding archeological remains in the area.
Brian Guckian and Tadhg Crowley said yesterday their plans would solve the transport issues for commuters "in the long term" and protect the heritage of the area, without having to reroute the M3.
They also believe that up to €300m could be saved, which could be used to buy-out the contract to toll the road, saving commuters hundreds of euro every year.
The most radical element of the proposal is for a 2+1 road to be built , instead of a motorway, near the Hill of Tara.
These are roads, pioneered in Sweden, where motorists have two lanes of traffic going in one direction, and one lane in the opposite direction, alternating every two kilometres.
This means that drivers are afforded the opportunity to overtake in safely every 2km.
The introduction of the 2+1 roads in Sweden significantly decreased road deaths and, although the National Roads Authority has built a number of these roads here, it recently announced it was abandoning them in favour of dual carriageways as these could be built at a slightly increased cost.
The Meath Master (Model archeological and Sustainable Economic Region) Plan calls for the M3 to be built as a motorway to Roestown, north of Dunshaughlin, which would change to a 2+1 on the existing N3, and bypass Navan and on to Kells.
No re-routing of the M3 would be required, and traffic volumes would be cut by at least one-third, while a rail link would be re-opened to Navan and Kells.
Heavy goods vehicles would be banned from the area and there would be subsidised rail use for commuters.
Each train could lead to 500 cars a day being removed from the busy road network, and the cost of building the 2+1 road and rail network to Navan and Kells would be €1.2bn.
The Heritage Park would reconstruct archeological sites and include heritage trails and interpretative centres, and there would be five main settlements of Navan, Kells, Trim, Dunshaughlin and Slane.
Heritage stations would be built using model green building practices, and connect networks of heritage trails and provide interpretation centres, bike rental facilities, accommodation and restaurants.
Only small eco-friendly developments would be allowed in the area.The promoters of the plan said yesterday it would be a model of sustainable economic development, which would help develop heritage and tourist activity. They hope to gain support from all political parties.
Irish Independent
The plan would also see the creation of a Meath World Heritage Park in the Tara Skryne Valley and lead to savings of €300m for the taxpayer, as well as safeguarding archeological remains in the area.
Brian Guckian and Tadhg Crowley said yesterday their plans would solve the transport issues for commuters "in the long term" and protect the heritage of the area, without having to reroute the M3.
They also believe that up to €300m could be saved, which could be used to buy-out the contract to toll the road, saving commuters hundreds of euro every year.
The most radical element of the proposal is for a 2+1 road to be built , instead of a motorway, near the Hill of Tara.
These are roads, pioneered in Sweden, where motorists have two lanes of traffic going in one direction, and one lane in the opposite direction, alternating every two kilometres.
This means that drivers are afforded the opportunity to overtake in safely every 2km.
The introduction of the 2+1 roads in Sweden significantly decreased road deaths and, although the National Roads Authority has built a number of these roads here, it recently announced it was abandoning them in favour of dual carriageways as these could be built at a slightly increased cost.
The Meath Master (Model archeological and Sustainable Economic Region) Plan calls for the M3 to be built as a motorway to Roestown, north of Dunshaughlin, which would change to a 2+1 on the existing N3, and bypass Navan and on to Kells.
No re-routing of the M3 would be required, and traffic volumes would be cut by at least one-third, while a rail link would be re-opened to Navan and Kells.
Heavy goods vehicles would be banned from the area and there would be subsidised rail use for commuters.
Each train could lead to 500 cars a day being removed from the busy road network, and the cost of building the 2+1 road and rail network to Navan and Kells would be €1.2bn.
The Heritage Park would reconstruct archeological sites and include heritage trails and interpretative centres, and there would be five main settlements of Navan, Kells, Trim, Dunshaughlin and Slane.
Heritage stations would be built using model green building practices, and connect networks of heritage trails and provide interpretation centres, bike rental facilities, accommodation and restaurants.
Only small eco-friendly developments would be allowed in the area.The promoters of the plan said yesterday it would be a model of sustainable economic development, which would help develop heritage and tourist activity. They hope to gain support from all political parties.
Irish Independent
EU threatens huge fines if Tara M3 work is not halted
WORK on the controversial section of the M3 near the Hill of Tara must now stop.
And the Government now faces the prospect of being hit with millions of euro in fines if it allows construction to proceed.
The Irish Independent has learned that the EU Commission has told the Goverment that no work can be carried out near the national monument discovered at Lismullin, Co Meath.
And it has ordered that a comprehensive assessment of what impact the road will have on the Tara Skryne Valley be carried out before the road is built.
The warning came as a legal challenge was launched yesterday aimed at stopping the proposed motorway.
Michael Canney from the Campaign to Save Tara group issued legal proceedings against the Minister for the Environment, the Minister for Transport, the National Roads Authority and Eurolink Ltd, the consortium awarded the construction and tolling contract.
The case centres on how the route of the motorway was chosen and Mr Canney alleges that a comprehensive assessment of each route was not carried out in line with EU law before the 'preferred' route was chosen.
And the Irish Independent can reveal that the EU Commission has warned the Government that Ireland is in breach of EU law by not carrying out a second investigation after the discovery of a national monument along the route.
Former Environment Minister Dick Roche, in one of his last acts in office, issued a direction that the Lismullin monument be excavated before the road is built over it.
But a spokesperson for EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said yesterday that Ireland was in breach of EU law by not carrying out a second Environmental Impact Assessment after the monument was discovered.
"At the moment we are still talking to the Irish authorities," the spokesperson said. "We want a second assessment. The road cannot be built until the second assessment is done.
"We have a legal disagreement with Ireland. We are saying you have now uncovered this national monument, and you cannot proceed until there is a second assessment."
In a separate development Michael Canney is seeking a court ruling that construction works on the motorway should be halted pending the outcome of the case currently being taken by the EU Commission.
The case is the first of three threatened legal challenges to the €800m motorway planned to help ease congestion on the Dublin to Meath route.
Yesterday Mr Canney said it was being taken as a 'last resort' and because the 'political and commercial backers' of the project had ignored public concerns about the road.
"It has never been my ambition to put my name forward in a legal challenge, especially a challenge against such a seemingly impregnable array of powerful political and economic forces," he said.
"I have only done so as a last resort, and only because it is absolutely essential that the silent majority who oppose this road have their concerns heard."
Irish Independent
And the Government now faces the prospect of being hit with millions of euro in fines if it allows construction to proceed.
The Irish Independent has learned that the EU Commission has told the Goverment that no work can be carried out near the national monument discovered at Lismullin, Co Meath.
And it has ordered that a comprehensive assessment of what impact the road will have on the Tara Skryne Valley be carried out before the road is built.
The warning came as a legal challenge was launched yesterday aimed at stopping the proposed motorway.
Michael Canney from the Campaign to Save Tara group issued legal proceedings against the Minister for the Environment, the Minister for Transport, the National Roads Authority and Eurolink Ltd, the consortium awarded the construction and tolling contract.
The case centres on how the route of the motorway was chosen and Mr Canney alleges that a comprehensive assessment of each route was not carried out in line with EU law before the 'preferred' route was chosen.
And the Irish Independent can reveal that the EU Commission has warned the Government that Ireland is in breach of EU law by not carrying out a second investigation after the discovery of a national monument along the route.
Former Environment Minister Dick Roche, in one of his last acts in office, issued a direction that the Lismullin monument be excavated before the road is built over it.
But a spokesperson for EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said yesterday that Ireland was in breach of EU law by not carrying out a second Environmental Impact Assessment after the monument was discovered.
"At the moment we are still talking to the Irish authorities," the spokesperson said. "We want a second assessment. The road cannot be built until the second assessment is done.
"We have a legal disagreement with Ireland. We are saying you have now uncovered this national monument, and you cannot proceed until there is a second assessment."
In a separate development Michael Canney is seeking a court ruling that construction works on the motorway should be halted pending the outcome of the case currently being taken by the EU Commission.
The case is the first of three threatened legal challenges to the €800m motorway planned to help ease congestion on the Dublin to Meath route.
Yesterday Mr Canney said it was being taken as a 'last resort' and because the 'political and commercial backers' of the project had ignored public concerns about the road.
"It has never been my ambition to put my name forward in a legal challenge, especially a challenge against such a seemingly impregnable array of powerful political and economic forces," he said.
"I have only done so as a last resort, and only because it is absolutely essential that the silent majority who oppose this road have their concerns heard."
Irish Independent
Irish Independent on the Dublin Airport terminal decision
THE long-awaited second terminal and new runway for Dublin airport were last night cleared for take-off.
But the beleaguered €760m project faces the prospect of fresh delays after Ryanair confirmed it would take legal action to prevent the terminal being built.
The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) is now facing a race against time to have the second terminal completed by a 2009 deadline.
In a decision which allows the airport to effectively double in size, An Bord Pleanala last night ruled that the DAA must abide by 61 planning conditions.
Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary wants to see an independent second terminal which would effectively act as competition to the DAA's facility, while local residents and An Taisce may also mount a legal challenge against the project.
Confirming it would take High Court action, Ryanair described the terminal plan as a "gold-plated abusive waste" by a "monopoly".
DAA chief executive Declan Collier said work should commence in the coming weeks, and that congestion for passengers would be "eliminated" when the terminal opened in early 2010.
He said just one "commercial organisation" opposed plans for the terminal, and suggested its position was motivated by "narrow self-interest" rather than the interests of passengers.
Giving the green light to the two projects, the planning appeals board capped the number of passengers who can use the airport at 32 million per year, and restricted the number of aircraft landing per night to 65.
The second terminal, known as T2, will be 75,000 sqm and will cater for 15 million passengers a year.
The DAA was refused permission to build 17,000 sqm of extensions in the future, meaning that if it wants to increase capacity at the airport it must re-apply for planning permission.
Permission was refused for the extensions because the local road network could not cope with the increased traffic.
The planning permission, which lasts for five years, will allow construction of the new terminal building which will provide parking spaces for 19 aircraft, an upgrade of the road network in the airport and provision for a Metro North stop.
It will cost €395m to build, but associated works will lead to an eventual bill of €609m.
The new runway will be built 1.7km north of the existing runway.
It will expand the potential airfield capacity of Dublin to 50m passengers per year, but this would require a third terminal to be built.
The board found that the runway and new terminal complied with national and regional planning guidelines, was in the National Development Plan and the Government's Transport 21 programme.
"It is considered that the proposed development is necessary to meet the foreseeable need for aviation travel at Dublin airport and to provide for the safe expansion of air traffic at the airport," it said.
The inspector dealing with the runway application raised concerns about "deficiencies" in the planning application, but the board found there was sufficient information to grant approval.
It found there would be "no significant deterioration" in night-time noise, and in fact some improvements during the day for some residents.
The ruling caps the number of long-term car parking spaces at 26,800, and 4,000 short-term.
Irish Independent
But the beleaguered €760m project faces the prospect of fresh delays after Ryanair confirmed it would take legal action to prevent the terminal being built.
The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) is now facing a race against time to have the second terminal completed by a 2009 deadline.
In a decision which allows the airport to effectively double in size, An Bord Pleanala last night ruled that the DAA must abide by 61 planning conditions.
Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary wants to see an independent second terminal which would effectively act as competition to the DAA's facility, while local residents and An Taisce may also mount a legal challenge against the project.
Confirming it would take High Court action, Ryanair described the terminal plan as a "gold-plated abusive waste" by a "monopoly".
DAA chief executive Declan Collier said work should commence in the coming weeks, and that congestion for passengers would be "eliminated" when the terminal opened in early 2010.
He said just one "commercial organisation" opposed plans for the terminal, and suggested its position was motivated by "narrow self-interest" rather than the interests of passengers.
Giving the green light to the two projects, the planning appeals board capped the number of passengers who can use the airport at 32 million per year, and restricted the number of aircraft landing per night to 65.
The second terminal, known as T2, will be 75,000 sqm and will cater for 15 million passengers a year.
The DAA was refused permission to build 17,000 sqm of extensions in the future, meaning that if it wants to increase capacity at the airport it must re-apply for planning permission.
Permission was refused for the extensions because the local road network could not cope with the increased traffic.
The planning permission, which lasts for five years, will allow construction of the new terminal building which will provide parking spaces for 19 aircraft, an upgrade of the road network in the airport and provision for a Metro North stop.
It will cost €395m to build, but associated works will lead to an eventual bill of €609m.
The new runway will be built 1.7km north of the existing runway.
It will expand the potential airfield capacity of Dublin to 50m passengers per year, but this would require a third terminal to be built.
The board found that the runway and new terminal complied with national and regional planning guidelines, was in the National Development Plan and the Government's Transport 21 programme.
"It is considered that the proposed development is necessary to meet the foreseeable need for aviation travel at Dublin airport and to provide for the safe expansion of air traffic at the airport," it said.
The inspector dealing with the runway application raised concerns about "deficiencies" in the planning application, but the board found there was sufficient information to grant approval.
It found there would be "no significant deterioration" in night-time noise, and in fact some improvements during the day for some residents.
The ruling caps the number of long-term car parking spaces at 26,800, and 4,000 short-term.
Irish Independent
Wave energy may be on national grid by 2009
WAVE energy could be producing electricity for the Irish market by 2009, following successful tests off the west coast.
Specialised wave energy company, Ocean Energy, has just completed eight months of tests using a wave energy converter known as the OE Buoy.
They now say that the trials, in severe sea conditions in Galway Bay, have proved that the Irish-designed and built technology can generate a commercially viable source of power.
If everything goes according to plan, the company hopes to be in a position to supply electricity to the national grid by 2009.
Testing of OE Buoy took place at a Marine Institute-designated site and the results have been validated by the Hydraulic Marine Research Centre at University College Cork.
Worldwide, only two other companies are at the same level of testing of wave energy systems, one in Denmark and one in Scotland.
Dr Tony Lewis of the research centre at UCC said yesterday: “If Ireland could capture this opportunity then we have the potential to create a substantial number of jobs, solve our energy problems, and become a world leader in the production of wave energy devices.”
Ocean Energy’s John Keating said the data collected indicates the project is commercially feasible and that the results also show that the government’s wave energy generation target of 500 mega watts by 2020, as set out in its Ocean Energy Strategy, is achievable.
“In fact, the interim target of 75 mega watts by 2012, recently set by the Green Party when they entered Government, is also on course to be met,” he said.
By 2020 wave power generation will contribute just over 7% of the country’s total 7,000 mega watt output, he predicted. Dr Lewis says there is no reason Ocean Energy should not become a world leader in the production of wave energy generation. The 28-tonne OE Buoy was assembled in Cork and moored off Spiddal, Co Galway, on Christmas Day of 2006.
Irish Examiner
Specialised wave energy company, Ocean Energy, has just completed eight months of tests using a wave energy converter known as the OE Buoy.
They now say that the trials, in severe sea conditions in Galway Bay, have proved that the Irish-designed and built technology can generate a commercially viable source of power.
If everything goes according to plan, the company hopes to be in a position to supply electricity to the national grid by 2009.
Testing of OE Buoy took place at a Marine Institute-designated site and the results have been validated by the Hydraulic Marine Research Centre at University College Cork.
Worldwide, only two other companies are at the same level of testing of wave energy systems, one in Denmark and one in Scotland.
Dr Tony Lewis of the research centre at UCC said yesterday: “If Ireland could capture this opportunity then we have the potential to create a substantial number of jobs, solve our energy problems, and become a world leader in the production of wave energy devices.”
Ocean Energy’s John Keating said the data collected indicates the project is commercially feasible and that the results also show that the government’s wave energy generation target of 500 mega watts by 2020, as set out in its Ocean Energy Strategy, is achievable.
“In fact, the interim target of 75 mega watts by 2012, recently set by the Green Party when they entered Government, is also on course to be met,” he said.
By 2020 wave power generation will contribute just over 7% of the country’s total 7,000 mega watt output, he predicted. Dr Lewis says there is no reason Ocean Energy should not become a world leader in the production of wave energy generation. The 28-tonne OE Buoy was assembled in Cork and moored off Spiddal, Co Galway, on Christmas Day of 2006.
Irish Examiner
€70m bypass to ease traffic
A CONTRACT has been awarded for the construction of a €70 million motorway in Co Cork, which could be open to traffic within two years.
Roadbridge Ltd were appointed by the NRA to construct the Mitchelstown bypass, which will run from the tolled Fermoy bypass north to Kilbehenny.
The motorway project will include the construction of six bridges and nine underpasses. It will run to the east of the town.
Locally based county councillor Frank O’Flynn said: “This development is very welcome and it is expected that it will alleviate the excessive amount of unnecessary traffic, including large heavy lorries, currently passing through Mitchelstown by day and night.”
A bypass was built to the western side of Mitchelstown to coincide with the opening of the Fermoy bypass more than a year ago.
It was felt that the creation of the Fermoy bypass would pump traffic at a faster rate into Mitchelstown, thus causing bottlenecks. In the interim, planning went ahead with the new motorway.
“When operational it will help to give the town back to its people. This initiative will make Mitchelstown more attractive for investment I am appealing to the IDA to prioritise Mitchelstown its surrounding area for industrial development,” Mr O’Flynn said.
Irish Examiner
Roadbridge Ltd were appointed by the NRA to construct the Mitchelstown bypass, which will run from the tolled Fermoy bypass north to Kilbehenny.
The motorway project will include the construction of six bridges and nine underpasses. It will run to the east of the town.
Locally based county councillor Frank O’Flynn said: “This development is very welcome and it is expected that it will alleviate the excessive amount of unnecessary traffic, including large heavy lorries, currently passing through Mitchelstown by day and night.”
A bypass was built to the western side of Mitchelstown to coincide with the opening of the Fermoy bypass more than a year ago.
It was felt that the creation of the Fermoy bypass would pump traffic at a faster rate into Mitchelstown, thus causing bottlenecks. In the interim, planning went ahead with the new motorway.
“When operational it will help to give the town back to its people. This initiative will make Mitchelstown more attractive for investment I am appealing to the IDA to prioritise Mitchelstown its surrounding area for industrial development,” Mr O’Flynn said.
Irish Examiner
An Bord Pleanála gives terminal the green light
PLANS by Dublin Airport to open its much-needed second passenger terminal in 2009 could face further delays, despite yesterday’s decision by an Bord Pleanála to grant planning permission for the €609 million project.
Ryanair last night indicated it will mount a High Court challenge to overturn the decision, which it claims was based on “political interference”.
The planning authority gave the green light for the second terminal — known as T2 — subject to 30 conditions, including a restriction that the combined capacity of both terminals shall not exceed 32 million passengers per annum.
However, it refused the Dublin Airport Authority planning permission for the proposed second phase of T2 on the basis it would be premature without improvements to the local road network.
The original decision by Fingal County Council last October to approve the project was appealed by a large number of parties, including Ryanair, An Taisce and local residents including the Portmarnock Community Association.
Despite Ryanair’s threat of a legal challenge, the DAA said preliminary construction work on the terminal could begin in a few weeks.
DAA chief executive Declan Collier accused Ryanair of being motivated by “narrow self-interest rather than the interests of Dublin Airport, passengers and the wider Irish economy”.
However, Ryanair criticised the ABP ruling, claiming the planning authority had merely rubber-stamped a development that was shown to be in breach of Fingal County Council’s own capacity limits and allowed for the destruction of a protected structure, Corballis House.
In a separate decision, the planning authority also granted approval for the construction of a 3.1km runway at Dublin Airport against the advice of its own planning inspector.
However, it placed 31 separate conditions on the planning permission, including a restriction on night-time flights and other measures to limit noise from aviation traffic in order to address the concerns of local residents and schools.
The new €150m runway, which is expected to be fully operational by 2012, will allow Dublin Airport to handle up to 60m passengers in the long term.
Irish Examiner
Ryanair last night indicated it will mount a High Court challenge to overturn the decision, which it claims was based on “political interference”.
The planning authority gave the green light for the second terminal — known as T2 — subject to 30 conditions, including a restriction that the combined capacity of both terminals shall not exceed 32 million passengers per annum.
However, it refused the Dublin Airport Authority planning permission for the proposed second phase of T2 on the basis it would be premature without improvements to the local road network.
The original decision by Fingal County Council last October to approve the project was appealed by a large number of parties, including Ryanair, An Taisce and local residents including the Portmarnock Community Association.
Despite Ryanair’s threat of a legal challenge, the DAA said preliminary construction work on the terminal could begin in a few weeks.
DAA chief executive Declan Collier accused Ryanair of being motivated by “narrow self-interest rather than the interests of Dublin Airport, passengers and the wider Irish economy”.
However, Ryanair criticised the ABP ruling, claiming the planning authority had merely rubber-stamped a development that was shown to be in breach of Fingal County Council’s own capacity limits and allowed for the destruction of a protected structure, Corballis House.
In a separate decision, the planning authority also granted approval for the construction of a 3.1km runway at Dublin Airport against the advice of its own planning inspector.
However, it placed 31 separate conditions on the planning permission, including a restriction on night-time flights and other measures to limit noise from aviation traffic in order to address the concerns of local residents and schools.
The new €150m runway, which is expected to be fully operational by 2012, will allow Dublin Airport to handle up to 60m passengers in the long term.
Irish Examiner
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
NRA considers building a new road in West Wicklow
The National Roads Authority are looking into new ways to tackle ongoing problems on the N81 through west Wicklow, which could result in the creation of a new road from Hollywood to Tallaght.
The NRA are investing a budget of €150,000 into a physical study on the N81 from the Dublin boundary to Hollywood, which is being carried out at their design office in Naas.
A number of fatal accidents have occurred on the N81 during the years, and it has been labelled one of the most dangerous roads in Ireland. Previous funding has only centred around upgrading certain dangerous bends, but this is the first time a different strategy has been taken.
Cllr. Edward Timmins hopes the study proves fruitful.
'There are no specifics at the moment but it could result in new stretches of road. The study will look into the feasibility of that and other options. Its more of a long term plan than previous solutions. The €150,000 helps to kick start it and I can't see why the NRA would put that money into a study if they didn't intend providing some really significant funding further down the line.'
A further allocation of €300,000 covers design work at Hangman's Bends and another €300,000 to carry out similar works at Knockroe Bends.
Another €700,000 has been set aside for pavement and minor works on the Annalecky to Drumreagh Overlay.
A total of €2,166,432 has been allocated for works on the N81 this year, up 20 per cent from the €1,809,382 from last year.
However, Cllr. Timmins insists an increase in funding has been a long time coming.
'We have seen some improvements in the funding allocation, but from 2000 to 2004 the average we received for the N81 was only €800,000.
Wicklow People
The NRA are investing a budget of €150,000 into a physical study on the N81 from the Dublin boundary to Hollywood, which is being carried out at their design office in Naas.
A number of fatal accidents have occurred on the N81 during the years, and it has been labelled one of the most dangerous roads in Ireland. Previous funding has only centred around upgrading certain dangerous bends, but this is the first time a different strategy has been taken.
Cllr. Edward Timmins hopes the study proves fruitful.
'There are no specifics at the moment but it could result in new stretches of road. The study will look into the feasibility of that and other options. Its more of a long term plan than previous solutions. The €150,000 helps to kick start it and I can't see why the NRA would put that money into a study if they didn't intend providing some really significant funding further down the line.'
A further allocation of €300,000 covers design work at Hangman's Bends and another €300,000 to carry out similar works at Knockroe Bends.
Another €700,000 has been set aside for pavement and minor works on the Annalecky to Drumreagh Overlay.
A total of €2,166,432 has been allocated for works on the N81 this year, up 20 per cent from the €1,809,382 from last year.
However, Cllr. Timmins insists an increase in funding has been a long time coming.
'We have seen some improvements in the funding allocation, but from 2000 to 2004 the average we received for the N81 was only €800,000.
Wicklow People
Ashford area plan meeting
Residents of Ashford will have the opportunity to express their views on the future development of their village at a special meeting next Thursday, August 30.
Wicklow County Council is preparing a draft local area plan for Ashford and will host the public meeting in Chester Beatty's in Ashford from 7.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The meeting will take the form of a clinic and all members of the community are invited to attend to discuss their views on the future of the village with the planning team.
An issues paper, which sets out the policies that a local area plan deals with, is available from the planning department of the county council or from the council's website.
Written submissions can be made from August 30 to September 2.
Wicklow People
Wicklow County Council is preparing a draft local area plan for Ashford and will host the public meeting in Chester Beatty's in Ashford from 7.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The meeting will take the form of a clinic and all members of the community are invited to attend to discuss their views on the future of the village with the planning team.
An issues paper, which sets out the policies that a local area plan deals with, is available from the planning department of the county council or from the council's website.
Written submissions can be made from August 30 to September 2.
Wicklow People
New power station placed on planning fast track
IRELAND's richest businessman, Sean Quinn has been given permission to 'fast track' a planning application to construct one of the biggest power stations ever built here.
An Bord Pleanala has ruled that a 450-megawatt gas-fired station planned in Co Louth is strategic infrastructure and should not have to go through the usual planning process.
If approved it could provide enough power for almost 300,000 homes. Industry sources described the proposed power station as "huge".
The Strategic Infrastructure Bill, which came into force earlier this year, allows planning applications of national or regional importance to be lodged directly with An Bord Pleanala instead of the local authority.
The planning applications can be fast-tracked and dealt with in six months, so instead of Sean Quinn having to apply for planning permission from Louth Co Council, the board will instead decide if the massive project should be approved.
The plant at Toomes in Co Louth is one of two planned by the Fermanagh businessman, who also proposes a second station near Tynagh in Co Galway.
Yesterday it emerged that the proposed gas-fired station for Toomes will be one of the biggest power stations ever built in Ireland.
Irish Independent
An Bord Pleanala has ruled that a 450-megawatt gas-fired station planned in Co Louth is strategic infrastructure and should not have to go through the usual planning process.
If approved it could provide enough power for almost 300,000 homes. Industry sources described the proposed power station as "huge".
The Strategic Infrastructure Bill, which came into force earlier this year, allows planning applications of national or regional importance to be lodged directly with An Bord Pleanala instead of the local authority.
The planning applications can be fast-tracked and dealt with in six months, so instead of Sean Quinn having to apply for planning permission from Louth Co Council, the board will instead decide if the massive project should be approved.
The plant at Toomes in Co Louth is one of two planned by the Fermanagh businessman, who also proposes a second station near Tynagh in Co Galway.
Yesterday it emerged that the proposed gas-fired station for Toomes will be one of the biggest power stations ever built in Ireland.
Irish Independent
Clonburris Strategic Development Zone
SOUTH Dublin county council wants all new homes constructed in a massive new urban development scheme to have the highest energy efficiency rating and to get 30% of their power from renewable sources.
In a draft plan for the Clonburris Strategic Development Zone in Clondalkin, released last week, the council proposed that 12,000 to 16,000 new homes in eight new neighbourhoods be constructed in the area, along with retail and office space, schools and parks.
The zone, which runs along the Grand Canal north of the Bawnogue area of Clondalkin, will be served by new railway stations to be built on the Kildare line at Fonthill and Kishoge and, in the long term, the new Metro West line, which will run through the site and is due for completion in 2014.
According to project manager Fionnula Lennon, South Dublin county council is flexible on which renewable energy sources can be used, which means combined heat and power plants, solar or wind energy could conceivably be employed by property developers.
The council is proposing that all new buildings in the zone be constructed with an A grade building energy rating, which means homes will have to use less than 50 kilowatt hours per square metre to cover typical heating, hot water, ventilation and lighting requirements for a whole year. An average house satisfying current building regulations will have a rating of about 90 kWh per square metre per annum.
This is the first time South Dublin has set such ambitious targets for a development.
"We included some aspects in the Adamstown plan but wanted to take it a further step. Essentially we are nailing our colours to the mast with this one. We believe it is the way forward, " said Lennon. She added that, should the plan prove successful, it could be a template for future strategic development plans.
Lennon said that, before finalising the plan, the local authority commissioned a consultants' report to assess the feasibility of the environmental aspects of the plan.
"We were looking to the long term, but have set targets that we believe are achievable, " Lennon said, adding that an economic assessment of the plan concluded that the environmental standards would not drastically affect the cost of construction.
The plan for the 265hectare zone will now enter a public consultation period which will end on 1 October, after which a final version of the plan will be approved.
Planning permissions granted for the area will then have to conform to the guidelines outlined in the development plan.
While South Dublin County Council has a significant land holding in the area, large tracts are also owned by property developers, including Treasury Holdings, Owen O'Callaghan and Liam Carroll.
The council said no aspect of the plan would proceed until the two new railway stations are developed. Should the rail project stay on timetable, it anticipated that construction in the area could begin on a phased basis from 2010 onwards.
Tribune
In a draft plan for the Clonburris Strategic Development Zone in Clondalkin, released last week, the council proposed that 12,000 to 16,000 new homes in eight new neighbourhoods be constructed in the area, along with retail and office space, schools and parks.
The zone, which runs along the Grand Canal north of the Bawnogue area of Clondalkin, will be served by new railway stations to be built on the Kildare line at Fonthill and Kishoge and, in the long term, the new Metro West line, which will run through the site and is due for completion in 2014.
According to project manager Fionnula Lennon, South Dublin county council is flexible on which renewable energy sources can be used, which means combined heat and power plants, solar or wind energy could conceivably be employed by property developers.
The council is proposing that all new buildings in the zone be constructed with an A grade building energy rating, which means homes will have to use less than 50 kilowatt hours per square metre to cover typical heating, hot water, ventilation and lighting requirements for a whole year. An average house satisfying current building regulations will have a rating of about 90 kWh per square metre per annum.
This is the first time South Dublin has set such ambitious targets for a development.
"We included some aspects in the Adamstown plan but wanted to take it a further step. Essentially we are nailing our colours to the mast with this one. We believe it is the way forward, " said Lennon. She added that, should the plan prove successful, it could be a template for future strategic development plans.
Lennon said that, before finalising the plan, the local authority commissioned a consultants' report to assess the feasibility of the environmental aspects of the plan.
"We were looking to the long term, but have set targets that we believe are achievable, " Lennon said, adding that an economic assessment of the plan concluded that the environmental standards would not drastically affect the cost of construction.
The plan for the 265hectare zone will now enter a public consultation period which will end on 1 October, after which a final version of the plan will be approved.
Planning permissions granted for the area will then have to conform to the guidelines outlined in the development plan.
While South Dublin County Council has a significant land holding in the area, large tracts are also owned by property developers, including Treasury Holdings, Owen O'Callaghan and Liam Carroll.
The council said no aspect of the plan would proceed until the two new railway stations are developed. Should the rail project stay on timetable, it anticipated that construction in the area could begin on a phased basis from 2010 onwards.
Tribune
Towering apartment project for top address
HIGH living is the promise at Ballsbridge — the epicentre of fashionable Dublin 4 — with an exclusive €600 million project.
Occupants of the 109 luxury apartments will have unrivalled views from the top levels of a planned 15-storey residential tower.
If Dublin City Council approves the plans from Glenkerrin development company it aims to provide a number of innovative features in its landmark project.
As well as providing maximum brightness to the lofty residents, glass louvres on the high-rise building’s planned old world facade will control sunlight.
The project, which is earmarked for the former Veterinary College site, is being billed as one of Dublin’s “most exciting and innovative” mixed-use schemes.
It is envisaged to centre the buildings — for offices, retail units, leisure and cultural facilities — around two new plazas and two new shared pedestrian streets.
Developer Ray Grehan of Glenkerrin Homes paid the State €171.5m — the equivalent of a record €84m an acre — for the 2.2 acre site.
Earlier this year assistant city manager Michael Stubbs sent a report to councillors that favoured the rezoning of Ballsbridge sites to allow “mixed-use development of which office, retail and residential would be the dominant uses”.
It is speculated the rezoning plan could pave the way for high-rise buildings up to 20-storeys high for the prestigious Dublin 4 area.
The planning application for Number One Ballsbridge was lodged with Dublin City Council by HKR Architects, the international architecture and design practice.
HKR director David King Smith said careful consideration was given during the design process to concerns expressed by residents.
“This process has resulted in a design that will not only have minimal visual impact but will also integrate with and complement the character and design of the surrounding buildings and Ballsbridge area,” he added.
High-profile developer Sean Dunne paid €260m for Jurys Hotel and Towers site and a further €119m for the Berkeley Court in Ballsbridge in 2005. The price per acre for those deals came to more than €50m.
Meanwhile, Dublin-based Doncot Developments is seeking planning permission to build 152 residential units on a 3.45 acre site at Terenure in the south city.
Comprising seven blocks, the project on the St Pancras Works site, Mount Tallant Avenue, include four-bedroom terrace houses and a series of one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
Irish Examiner
Occupants of the 109 luxury apartments will have unrivalled views from the top levels of a planned 15-storey residential tower.
If Dublin City Council approves the plans from Glenkerrin development company it aims to provide a number of innovative features in its landmark project.
As well as providing maximum brightness to the lofty residents, glass louvres on the high-rise building’s planned old world facade will control sunlight.
The project, which is earmarked for the former Veterinary College site, is being billed as one of Dublin’s “most exciting and innovative” mixed-use schemes.
It is envisaged to centre the buildings — for offices, retail units, leisure and cultural facilities — around two new plazas and two new shared pedestrian streets.
Developer Ray Grehan of Glenkerrin Homes paid the State €171.5m — the equivalent of a record €84m an acre — for the 2.2 acre site.
Earlier this year assistant city manager Michael Stubbs sent a report to councillors that favoured the rezoning of Ballsbridge sites to allow “mixed-use development of which office, retail and residential would be the dominant uses”.
It is speculated the rezoning plan could pave the way for high-rise buildings up to 20-storeys high for the prestigious Dublin 4 area.
The planning application for Number One Ballsbridge was lodged with Dublin City Council by HKR Architects, the international architecture and design practice.
HKR director David King Smith said careful consideration was given during the design process to concerns expressed by residents.
“This process has resulted in a design that will not only have minimal visual impact but will also integrate with and complement the character and design of the surrounding buildings and Ballsbridge area,” he added.
High-profile developer Sean Dunne paid €260m for Jurys Hotel and Towers site and a further €119m for the Berkeley Court in Ballsbridge in 2005. The price per acre for those deals came to more than €50m.
Meanwhile, Dublin-based Doncot Developments is seeking planning permission to build 152 residential units on a 3.45 acre site at Terenure in the south city.
Comprising seven blocks, the project on the St Pancras Works site, Mount Tallant Avenue, include four-bedroom terrace houses and a series of one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
Irish Examiner
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
Developer plans €70m retail project for village
A PLANNING application for a €70m development of Slane village will be lodged by the end of the year.
Shannon Homes managing director Phil Reilly confirmed yesterday that planning would be sought from Meath County Council over the next few months.
The plans are for a 35-acre land holding to the eastern side of the N2, the main Dublin to Derry road, situated on the northern end of the village to the rear of the village school.
It is to include a commercial and retail centre incorporating a medical centre, pharmacy and other retail units.
The plan requires the relocation of the GAA pitch and Mr Reilly said that a new state of the art flood lit pitch and clubhouse would be built.
The scheme also includes a residential element but that will be subject to strict criteria in the recently adopted Meath county development plan, which caps the number of new homes that could be built and wants development to be focused along the new rail service between Dublin and south Meath.
Irish Independent
Shannon Homes managing director Phil Reilly confirmed yesterday that planning would be sought from Meath County Council over the next few months.
The plans are for a 35-acre land holding to the eastern side of the N2, the main Dublin to Derry road, situated on the northern end of the village to the rear of the village school.
It is to include a commercial and retail centre incorporating a medical centre, pharmacy and other retail units.
The plan requires the relocation of the GAA pitch and Mr Reilly said that a new state of the art flood lit pitch and clubhouse would be built.
The scheme also includes a residential element but that will be subject to strict criteria in the recently adopted Meath county development plan, which caps the number of new homes that could be built and wants development to be focused along the new rail service between Dublin and south Meath.
Irish Independent
Firm ordered to rebuild razed convent in only three months
A COMPANY which illegally demolished a 19th-century convent earmarked for preservation has been ordered to rebuild it by next November.
Dublin City Council has instructed developers Kimpton Vale and its principal, Laurence Keegan, to reinstate the Presentation Convent in Terenure after it was razed on November 5 last.
The demolition happened just two weeks after the council began the process of adding it to the Record of Protected Structures (RPS).
But despite already serving an enforcement notice on the company obliging it to rebuild the convent, the council was forced to withdraw it because the title of the property was in doubt. The original enforcement notice obliged Kimpton Vale to rebuild the convent by last March.
However, it later emerged that the property was conveyed to Laurence Keegan in May 2006, meaning another notice had to be served on both the company and Mr Keegan.
Yesterday it appeared that little work had been done on re-instating the convent, which was described as being in "good condition" when sold for €15m in April last year.
But it was demolished the following November -- just weeks after the council began to consider adding it to the record of protected structures.
Bulldozers moved in to demolish the convent at 7am on November 4 and by the time a dangerous buildings officer arrived at 9.30am, so much was razed that the remainder had to be demolished on public safety grounds.
The company also faces legal proceedings because it failed to secure planning permission before demolishing the convent, and may be fined up to €12.7m.
The 1830s convent was part of a three-acre site on Terenure Road West sold for infill development.
Yesterday it emerged the convent would have to be reinstated "to the satisfaction of the planning department of Dublin City Council".
Anyone seeking to demolish a "habitable" building is required to get permission prior to the work being carried out.
A council spokesperson confirmed the building was to be reinstated, but refused to comment further as the matter is now the subject of legal proceedings.
Irish Independent
Dublin City Council has instructed developers Kimpton Vale and its principal, Laurence Keegan, to reinstate the Presentation Convent in Terenure after it was razed on November 5 last.
The demolition happened just two weeks after the council began the process of adding it to the Record of Protected Structures (RPS).
But despite already serving an enforcement notice on the company obliging it to rebuild the convent, the council was forced to withdraw it because the title of the property was in doubt. The original enforcement notice obliged Kimpton Vale to rebuild the convent by last March.
However, it later emerged that the property was conveyed to Laurence Keegan in May 2006, meaning another notice had to be served on both the company and Mr Keegan.
Yesterday it appeared that little work had been done on re-instating the convent, which was described as being in "good condition" when sold for €15m in April last year.
But it was demolished the following November -- just weeks after the council began to consider adding it to the record of protected structures.
Bulldozers moved in to demolish the convent at 7am on November 4 and by the time a dangerous buildings officer arrived at 9.30am, so much was razed that the remainder had to be demolished on public safety grounds.
The company also faces legal proceedings because it failed to secure planning permission before demolishing the convent, and may be fined up to €12.7m.
The 1830s convent was part of a three-acre site on Terenure Road West sold for infill development.
Yesterday it emerged the convent would have to be reinstated "to the satisfaction of the planning department of Dublin City Council".
Anyone seeking to demolish a "habitable" building is required to get permission prior to the work being carried out.
A council spokesperson confirmed the building was to be reinstated, but refused to comment further as the matter is now the subject of legal proceedings.
Irish Independent
Old Irish Times’ office revamp to increase floor space by 25 per cent
The redevelopment of the former Irish Times head office on D’Olier Street will increase the gross floor space on the site by 25 per cent.
Using a vehicle called Veba, planning has been lodged to demolish more than half the floor space in the building and increase the floor space to 8,428 metres. The listed structures will be retained.
The plan includes the provision of a number of shops, restaurants and offices and the extensive use of glazing to increase the amount of natural light allowed into the building.
Veba is owned equally by P Elliott & Co chief executive David Mackey and Mark, Noel Senior, Noel Junior and Darragh Elliott. Mackey is chief executive of P Elliott & Co and chairman of the Central Fisheries Board.
He is a former Cavan county manager, spent ten years as group general manager of the Quinn Group and a further four years as chief executive of the group.
He began working with the Elliotts in 1999 after they formed Flag Properties.
The site was bought for €29 million in 2005 through CBRE.
The Irish Times relocated to Tara Street and has an option to purchase the building it currently rents.
Sunday Business Post
Using a vehicle called Veba, planning has been lodged to demolish more than half the floor space in the building and increase the floor space to 8,428 metres. The listed structures will be retained.
The plan includes the provision of a number of shops, restaurants and offices and the extensive use of glazing to increase the amount of natural light allowed into the building.
Veba is owned equally by P Elliott & Co chief executive David Mackey and Mark, Noel Senior, Noel Junior and Darragh Elliott. Mackey is chief executive of P Elliott & Co and chairman of the Central Fisheries Board.
He is a former Cavan county manager, spent ten years as group general manager of the Quinn Group and a further four years as chief executive of the group.
He began working with the Elliotts in 1999 after they formed Flag Properties.
The site was bought for €29 million in 2005 through CBRE.
The Irish Times relocated to Tara Street and has an option to purchase the building it currently rents.
Sunday Business Post
New €125m retail centre for Tuam
Plans for a new €125 million retail centre in Tuam have been submitted to Galway County Council.
If planning permission is approved, the centre will include a supermarket, department store, 55 shops and commercial units,112 residential units, a creche, a restaurant and office accommodation.
The development is proposed for the Palace Centre Site and will have the Bishop’s Palace as a centrepiece. The palace is a seven-bay, three-storey over-basement house dating from about 1790.
It became part of the Presentation convent school and was renovated for use as a restaurant and offices in the mid-1990s.
The scheme has be en dubbed Palace Centre @ Tuam and will have 29,540 square metres of floor space, including just under 950 basement and surface parking spaces.
It will be developed by Joe and Helen O’Toole, who own the SuperValu in the town.
‘‘This development will reinvigorate the centre of Tuam and contribute significantly to the ongoing development of Tuam as a key arterial town in Co Galway,” said Joe O’Toole.
John Mannion of letting agent DNG John Mannion said ‘‘that the proposal will create a vibrant retail identity for Tuam and will provide the local population with the type of shopping facilities they deserve’’.
The planning application seeks permission for a supermarket of just under 2,900 square metres, a department store of 1,300 metres and a 3,000 square metre household store.
The development includes some of the proposed inner relief road and will also feature an open landscaped plaza around the Bishop’s Palace.
It was designed by OKM Architects in Galway.
Tuam is 30 minute drive north of Galway and has a population of about 6,000 people.
Sunday Business Post
If planning permission is approved, the centre will include a supermarket, department store, 55 shops and commercial units,112 residential units, a creche, a restaurant and office accommodation.
The development is proposed for the Palace Centre Site and will have the Bishop’s Palace as a centrepiece. The palace is a seven-bay, three-storey over-basement house dating from about 1790.
It became part of the Presentation convent school and was renovated for use as a restaurant and offices in the mid-1990s.
The scheme has be en dubbed Palace Centre @ Tuam and will have 29,540 square metres of floor space, including just under 950 basement and surface parking spaces.
It will be developed by Joe and Helen O’Toole, who own the SuperValu in the town.
‘‘This development will reinvigorate the centre of Tuam and contribute significantly to the ongoing development of Tuam as a key arterial town in Co Galway,” said Joe O’Toole.
John Mannion of letting agent DNG John Mannion said ‘‘that the proposal will create a vibrant retail identity for Tuam and will provide the local population with the type of shopping facilities they deserve’’.
The planning application seeks permission for a supermarket of just under 2,900 square metres, a department store of 1,300 metres and a 3,000 square metre household store.
The development includes some of the proposed inner relief road and will also feature an open landscaped plaza around the Bishop’s Palace.
It was designed by OKM Architects in Galway.
Tuam is 30 minute drive north of Galway and has a population of about 6,000 people.
Sunday Business Post
Objectors thwart Trim development
COUNCILLORS in Trim are concerned that objections to a number of proposed retail projects are thwarting the commercial development of the town. Local politicians are appealing to residents not to oppose proposals for a retail park planned for the outskirts of the Co Meath town.
Already, plans to build a shopping complex in the centre of town are on hold, possibly for at least a year, following an appeal to An Bord Pleanala against the SuperValu-anchored scheme. Now councillors fear similar delays in constructing the planned retail park will have a detrimental effect on the town's future development.
There are fears too that the new Office of Public Works headquarters to be build adjacent to the SuperValu centre and by the same developer, could face delays if construction of the shopping complex does not proceed.
"People are worried about that possibility, " says local councillor, Vincent McHugh.
"Personally I don't think the OPW building is in any danger.
But the two projects are part of the same package. If the shopping centre doesn't get the go-ahead then we won't have anything like the development we anticipated.
"As public representatives we're continually hammered for not supporting local industry, " McHugh says. "The shopping centre and the retail park will benefit local traders and the town's growing population.
For years now there's been war over parking in the town.
Making deliveries means blocking traffic and people avoid the town centre for that reason. Here we have an opportunity for traders who need the space to move to a retail park where traffic wouldn't be an issue. There are proposals for a car park with up to 1,000 spaces at the SuperValu centre. That will mean people continue to shop in town.
"We've spent the last 20 years trying to attract commercial development to our town. The population is now increasing rapidly. Ten or 15 years ago there were 3,000 or 4,000 living here. Today the figure is around 10,000 and the estimation is that by 2009 there will be 15,000 people living in Trim. Why anyone would object to a shopping centre to facilitate that number of people is beyond me. It's vitally important to avoid similar delays with the retail park."
From Sunday Tribune
Already, plans to build a shopping complex in the centre of town are on hold, possibly for at least a year, following an appeal to An Bord Pleanala against the SuperValu-anchored scheme. Now councillors fear similar delays in constructing the planned retail park will have a detrimental effect on the town's future development.
There are fears too that the new Office of Public Works headquarters to be build adjacent to the SuperValu centre and by the same developer, could face delays if construction of the shopping complex does not proceed.
"People are worried about that possibility, " says local councillor, Vincent McHugh.
"Personally I don't think the OPW building is in any danger.
But the two projects are part of the same package. If the shopping centre doesn't get the go-ahead then we won't have anything like the development we anticipated.
"As public representatives we're continually hammered for not supporting local industry, " McHugh says. "The shopping centre and the retail park will benefit local traders and the town's growing population.
For years now there's been war over parking in the town.
Making deliveries means blocking traffic and people avoid the town centre for that reason. Here we have an opportunity for traders who need the space to move to a retail park where traffic wouldn't be an issue. There are proposals for a car park with up to 1,000 spaces at the SuperValu centre. That will mean people continue to shop in town.
"We've spent the last 20 years trying to attract commercial development to our town. The population is now increasing rapidly. Ten or 15 years ago there were 3,000 or 4,000 living here. Today the figure is around 10,000 and the estimation is that by 2009 there will be 15,000 people living in Trim. Why anyone would object to a shopping centre to facilitate that number of people is beyond me. It's vitally important to avoid similar delays with the retail park."
From Sunday Tribune
Monday, 27 August 2007
New €500m masterplan unveiled for sugar plant
A MASSIVE €500m redevelopment of a former Irish Sugar plant which promises to create 1,000 new jobs has been included in a special council blueprint.
Greencore last night unveiled its ambitious MallowWest master plan for the biggest single-site mixed use development attempted in an Irish town.
It follows consultation with Cork county council.
In May 2006, Greencore ended almost 80 years of Irish sugar production with the decision to shutdown its Mallow plant in North Cork in the wake of sweeping Brussels changes to the EU sugar regime.
Mallow was Ireland's sole remaining sugar facility with sister plants at Tuam, Thurles and Carlow having shut down over the previous 20 years.
Almost 300 workers lost their jobs in Mallow. But Greencore insisted that MallowWest offers the potential to create up to 1,000 new jobs in various commercial, industrial and technology projects planned for the new development.
The MallowWest project has now been included by Cork county council in its Special Local Area Plan (SLAP) for the booming North Cork town.
Greencore designers will now develop the outline blueprint for the MallowWest regeneration project in consultation with council planners and, when completed, a formal planning application will follow.
Irish Independent
Greencore last night unveiled its ambitious MallowWest master plan for the biggest single-site mixed use development attempted in an Irish town.
It follows consultation with Cork county council.
In May 2006, Greencore ended almost 80 years of Irish sugar production with the decision to shutdown its Mallow plant in North Cork in the wake of sweeping Brussels changes to the EU sugar regime.
Mallow was Ireland's sole remaining sugar facility with sister plants at Tuam, Thurles and Carlow having shut down over the previous 20 years.
Almost 300 workers lost their jobs in Mallow. But Greencore insisted that MallowWest offers the potential to create up to 1,000 new jobs in various commercial, industrial and technology projects planned for the new development.
The MallowWest project has now been included by Cork county council in its Special Local Area Plan (SLAP) for the booming North Cork town.
Greencore designers will now develop the outline blueprint for the MallowWest regeneration project in consultation with council planners and, when completed, a formal planning application will follow.
Irish Independent
Liffey Valley to be turned into park stretching for 20km
THE HEART of the Liffey Valley is to be dramatically transformed over the next decade through plans to build a 20km park spanning the River Liffey that would link the heart of Dublin with Celbridge, Co Kildare.
The ambitious plan to develop the banks of the Liffey into Ireland's largest linear park is awaiting approval and funding from the Environment Department.
However, work has already begun on some sections of the project, a spokesman for the Office of Public Works confirmed.
The project, involving four local authorities, would see the banks of the Liffey transformed into a greenbelt with cycle and pedestrian paths along the river that would incorporate 14 "flagship" projects along the park route.
The concept was borrowed from the Lagan Valley Regional Park in Northern Ireland which features a 17.6km parkway that snakes along the banks of the River Lagan from the heart of Belfast to the Union Locks in Lisburn.
Eugene Keane, project co-ordinator at the OPW whose achievements include designing the interpretive centres at Newgrange and the site of the Battle of the Boyne, said the aim of the project is to create an urban greenspace rivalling that of our European neighbours.
"The essence of the park is already in existence, but linking it all together will create a far greater appreciation of what is effectively a green lung reaching into Dublin. By linking all these projects together, we can create an entity that defies administrative boundaries and would be the envy of other European cities," he said.
The centrepiece of the project will be the €6m restoration of the Anna Liffey mill, a former flour mill in the heart of the Strawberry Beds near Lucan. The first project would see Dublin City Council extend the Liffey boardwalk to Heuston Station, followed by plans to build a 40-metre pedestrian bridge at Chapelizod that would link up with a new riverside park near Islandbridge.
The site would also feature a new entrance to the National War Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge, as well as a link to the gardens via a new bridge from the Phoenix Park.
A new riverside park will also be created in Celbridge, while the riverbank in the heart of Leixlip will get improved pedestrian access. The nearby Lucan Demesne will be linked up with St Catherine's Park by another pedestrian bridge. Other projects include the restoration of the historic Guinness bridge near Palmerstown. While the project will be subject to approval from the Department of the Environment, other hurdles include wrestling some of the land in question from owners and developers who own sizeable chunks of the land bank near the Anna Liffey mill site.
Irish Independent
The ambitious plan to develop the banks of the Liffey into Ireland's largest linear park is awaiting approval and funding from the Environment Department.
However, work has already begun on some sections of the project, a spokesman for the Office of Public Works confirmed.
The project, involving four local authorities, would see the banks of the Liffey transformed into a greenbelt with cycle and pedestrian paths along the river that would incorporate 14 "flagship" projects along the park route.
The concept was borrowed from the Lagan Valley Regional Park in Northern Ireland which features a 17.6km parkway that snakes along the banks of the River Lagan from the heart of Belfast to the Union Locks in Lisburn.
Eugene Keane, project co-ordinator at the OPW whose achievements include designing the interpretive centres at Newgrange and the site of the Battle of the Boyne, said the aim of the project is to create an urban greenspace rivalling that of our European neighbours.
"The essence of the park is already in existence, but linking it all together will create a far greater appreciation of what is effectively a green lung reaching into Dublin. By linking all these projects together, we can create an entity that defies administrative boundaries and would be the envy of other European cities," he said.
The centrepiece of the project will be the €6m restoration of the Anna Liffey mill, a former flour mill in the heart of the Strawberry Beds near Lucan. The first project would see Dublin City Council extend the Liffey boardwalk to Heuston Station, followed by plans to build a 40-metre pedestrian bridge at Chapelizod that would link up with a new riverside park near Islandbridge.
The site would also feature a new entrance to the National War Memorial Gardens at Islandbridge, as well as a link to the gardens via a new bridge from the Phoenix Park.
A new riverside park will also be created in Celbridge, while the riverbank in the heart of Leixlip will get improved pedestrian access. The nearby Lucan Demesne will be linked up with St Catherine's Park by another pedestrian bridge. Other projects include the restoration of the historic Guinness bridge near Palmerstown. While the project will be subject to approval from the Department of the Environment, other hurdles include wrestling some of the land in question from owners and developers who own sizeable chunks of the land bank near the Anna Liffey mill site.
Irish Independent
Green fuels plant on way
IRELAND'S renewable energy resources are to be boosted by a €50m bio-diesel plant capable of producing 250,000 tonnes of fuel each year.
The plant, which is proposed by alternative energy firm, Bioverda, has been earmarked for a site at Ringskiddy in Cork harbour.
The proposed plant is one of a series of high-tech bio-diesel facilities being developed throughout the EU.
They are aimed at slowly reducing Europe's reliance on oil-based fuels and can produce 'green' fuels from a range of crops and vegetable oils.
Formal planning permission for the high-tech plant will be sought this autumn and, if granted, will see the plant process vegetable oil into high-grade bio-diesel for both the Irish and EU markets.
At peak production, the facility will be able to manufacture close to 250,000 tonnes of bio-diesel and will employ 35 staff.
Bioverda is proposing the development in conjunction with the O'Flynn family, the owners of South Coast Transport, a North Cork-based haulage firm.
If planning is granted for the plant, the developers hope to be able to begin construction work next year.
The plant is earmarked to be operational by 2010.
The project was unveiled after Greencore ruled out the development of a major bio-diesel plant at their former Irish Sugar plant in Mallow,Co Cork.
Studies indicated that, without Government support levies, it would not be commercially viable to use the Mallow plant to process sugar beet for bio-fuels.
Irish Independent
The plant, which is proposed by alternative energy firm, Bioverda, has been earmarked for a site at Ringskiddy in Cork harbour.
The proposed plant is one of a series of high-tech bio-diesel facilities being developed throughout the EU.
They are aimed at slowly reducing Europe's reliance on oil-based fuels and can produce 'green' fuels from a range of crops and vegetable oils.
Formal planning permission for the high-tech plant will be sought this autumn and, if granted, will see the plant process vegetable oil into high-grade bio-diesel for both the Irish and EU markets.
At peak production, the facility will be able to manufacture close to 250,000 tonnes of bio-diesel and will employ 35 staff.
Bioverda is proposing the development in conjunction with the O'Flynn family, the owners of South Coast Transport, a North Cork-based haulage firm.
If planning is granted for the plant, the developers hope to be able to begin construction work next year.
The plant is earmarked to be operational by 2010.
The project was unveiled after Greencore ruled out the development of a major bio-diesel plant at their former Irish Sugar plant in Mallow,Co Cork.
Studies indicated that, without Government support levies, it would not be commercially viable to use the Mallow plant to process sugar beet for bio-fuels.
Irish Independent
Church may add mobile phone mast to bell tower
A mobile phone mast on a Church of Ireland church has caused consternation among residents of south Dublin. Locals fear the equipment planned for the church bell tower of St Matthias Church on Church Road in Ballybrack could damage their health and the health of children in a nearby school.
Mobile phone company Vodafone have applied for planning permission for the erection of four antennae and radio dishes and associated equipment cabinets in the church tower.
"It defies belief that they are going to put these masts into the belfry of the church," says John Kavanagh who lives nearby.
"It is going to be beaming down on all of us and all our kids. I am opposed to this on health grounds because there is no conclusive evidence that these things are not dangerous in the long-term.
"I just think that there are better places to site these things rather than beside a school and in the middle of a residential area. I am a bit shocked that the church are considering this."
Last year, local councillors Tom Kivlehan (GP) and John Bailey (FG) proposed that the county council should review its policy and phone masts would not be located closer than 600 metres to a school, childcare facility, residential area or nursing home.
The Sunday Independent asked the Church of Ireland what consultation they had with residents about the mast.
In a statement, they said: "The notification process to local residents is facilitated through the application for planning permission made by Vodafone through the local authority."
We also asked Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to comment on local wishes that they defer the decision on the mast until the Dail committee had issued its findings.
A council spokesperson said: "The application will be considered in accordance with the Planning and Development Act, and the council cannot pre-empt the decision."
Irish Independent
Mobile phone company Vodafone have applied for planning permission for the erection of four antennae and radio dishes and associated equipment cabinets in the church tower.
"It defies belief that they are going to put these masts into the belfry of the church," says John Kavanagh who lives nearby.
"It is going to be beaming down on all of us and all our kids. I am opposed to this on health grounds because there is no conclusive evidence that these things are not dangerous in the long-term.
"I just think that there are better places to site these things rather than beside a school and in the middle of a residential area. I am a bit shocked that the church are considering this."
Last year, local councillors Tom Kivlehan (GP) and John Bailey (FG) proposed that the county council should review its policy and phone masts would not be located closer than 600 metres to a school, childcare facility, residential area or nursing home.
The Sunday Independent asked the Church of Ireland what consultation they had with residents about the mast.
In a statement, they said: "The notification process to local residents is facilitated through the application for planning permission made by Vodafone through the local authority."
We also asked Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to comment on local wishes that they defer the decision on the mast until the Dail committee had issued its findings.
A council spokesperson said: "The application will be considered in accordance with the Planning and Development Act, and the council cannot pre-empt the decision."
Irish Independent
Friday, 24 August 2007
New town to boast 16,000 energy-efficient homes
A NEW 'green' town to include 16,000 homes is planned for the capital.
The new suburb will be in Clonburris and Liffey Valley, and will offer new residents a direct rail link to the city centre.
The houses will also be among the 'greenest' ever built here, with builders using the most environmentally friendly products available.
South Dublin County Council has developed a masterplan for the area between Lucan and Clondalkin, which sets out how the town will be developed.
Clonburris has joined nearby Adamstown in being designated a Strategic Development Zone, meaning the community facilities and public transport links will be built in tandem with the new homes.
Landowners will be asked to help pay for rail links and essential infrastructure for the new town.
The council are already developing a new town in nearby Adamstown, also a Strategic Development Zone, and developers involved in this scheme have helped pay for infrastructure.
And the public are being asked to give their views on the massive development planned for the south west of the city. The site lies west of the M50 motorway, and the Dublin-Kildare railway line bisects it with the Grand Canal bordering its southern end.
The Clonburris area covers 265 hectares, and the new district of eight new neighbourhoods will be based around a new Main Street adjacent to the rail and metro station at Fonthill Road.
It will include "significant" shopping and employment floorspace, between 11,800 and 16,000 new homes, and a range of community and other facilities such as schools and parks to support the new community.
New bridges will be built across the canal and railway to provide good public transport links, while a "sustainability toolkit" sets out standards that new development will need to meet. This includes "A" rated energy-efficient new homes and and the use of renewable energy sources.
The proposed Local Area Plan for the Liffey Valley Centre covers 64 hectares and provides a high quality mixed use urban centre, based on upgraded public transport and urban design. The new town centre will incorporate retail, commercial, residential, recreational, community and cultural activities.
It promises "innovative" buildings and a network of urban squares and streets. A new bus/taxi interchange, with possible future Luas, will be provided at the heart of the new town centre.
The public consultation period on both plans runs until October 1 next, and the public are asked to make written submissions. The plans can be inspected at council offices.
Irish Independent
The new suburb will be in Clonburris and Liffey Valley, and will offer new residents a direct rail link to the city centre.
The houses will also be among the 'greenest' ever built here, with builders using the most environmentally friendly products available.
South Dublin County Council has developed a masterplan for the area between Lucan and Clondalkin, which sets out how the town will be developed.
Clonburris has joined nearby Adamstown in being designated a Strategic Development Zone, meaning the community facilities and public transport links will be built in tandem with the new homes.
Landowners will be asked to help pay for rail links and essential infrastructure for the new town.
The council are already developing a new town in nearby Adamstown, also a Strategic Development Zone, and developers involved in this scheme have helped pay for infrastructure.
And the public are being asked to give their views on the massive development planned for the south west of the city. The site lies west of the M50 motorway, and the Dublin-Kildare railway line bisects it with the Grand Canal bordering its southern end.
The Clonburris area covers 265 hectares, and the new district of eight new neighbourhoods will be based around a new Main Street adjacent to the rail and metro station at Fonthill Road.
It will include "significant" shopping and employment floorspace, between 11,800 and 16,000 new homes, and a range of community and other facilities such as schools and parks to support the new community.
New bridges will be built across the canal and railway to provide good public transport links, while a "sustainability toolkit" sets out standards that new development will need to meet. This includes "A" rated energy-efficient new homes and and the use of renewable energy sources.
The proposed Local Area Plan for the Liffey Valley Centre covers 64 hectares and provides a high quality mixed use urban centre, based on upgraded public transport and urban design. The new town centre will incorporate retail, commercial, residential, recreational, community and cultural activities.
It promises "innovative" buildings and a network of urban squares and streets. A new bus/taxi interchange, with possible future Luas, will be provided at the heart of the new town centre.
The public consultation period on both plans runs until October 1 next, and the public are asked to make written submissions. The plans can be inspected at council offices.
Irish Independent
€18m public park will have green credentials
PLANS for a major new public park in the capital have been unveiled.
The €18m 'avant garde' Fr Collins' Park in Donaghmede will be among the most environmentally-sound public parks ever built here, with wind turbines used to generate power for street lighting and reed beds used to recycle and clean water for its lake.
Dublin City Council has also announced a massive redevelopment of the Northside Shopping Centre to include 1,400 new homes. The existing Cromcastle flat complexes will be demolished to make way for the new houses and apartments, while the Coolock shopping centre will be re-located to a new site. The ambitious plans form part of an Urban Village renewal programme in the area. The council has entered into a public private partnership with Headland Property Holdings which will build the new shopping centre and provide a public swimming pool, leisure centre and 1,400 new homes, of which 30pc will be earmarked for social and affordable housing.
Construction work is due to begin late next year, and the first phase will deliver 45,000 square metres of retail space, a medical centre, 953 new homes -- of which 283 will be for social and affordable housing -- and two creches. The second phase, which should be complete by 2013, will see a new main street, cinema, offices and 450 new homes, of which 360 will be private units.
Although no costs were outlined yesterday, the council expects 'hundreds of millions of euro' to be invested.
"We are actively working to create strong and vibrant communities and villages that we can all be very proud of in our growing city," Dublin Lord Mayor Paddy Bourke said yesterday. "Already villages such as Irishtown and Ballyfermot have benefited from urban village renewal, and Dublin City Council will continue its programme of schemes in the coming years."
Parks Superintendent Gerry Barry said the 55-acre Fr Collins' Park would be the last major public park to be built by the council as land was becoming increasingly scarce in the city.
Designed by Argentinian firm Romero Architects, it will be complete by 2009 and include five playing pitches, cycle and running paths, three play areas for children of different ages, picnic areas and a lake and promenade.
Irish Independent
The €18m 'avant garde' Fr Collins' Park in Donaghmede will be among the most environmentally-sound public parks ever built here, with wind turbines used to generate power for street lighting and reed beds used to recycle and clean water for its lake.
Dublin City Council has also announced a massive redevelopment of the Northside Shopping Centre to include 1,400 new homes. The existing Cromcastle flat complexes will be demolished to make way for the new houses and apartments, while the Coolock shopping centre will be re-located to a new site. The ambitious plans form part of an Urban Village renewal programme in the area. The council has entered into a public private partnership with Headland Property Holdings which will build the new shopping centre and provide a public swimming pool, leisure centre and 1,400 new homes, of which 30pc will be earmarked for social and affordable housing.
Construction work is due to begin late next year, and the first phase will deliver 45,000 square metres of retail space, a medical centre, 953 new homes -- of which 283 will be for social and affordable housing -- and two creches. The second phase, which should be complete by 2013, will see a new main street, cinema, offices and 450 new homes, of which 360 will be private units.
Although no costs were outlined yesterday, the council expects 'hundreds of millions of euro' to be invested.
"We are actively working to create strong and vibrant communities and villages that we can all be very proud of in our growing city," Dublin Lord Mayor Paddy Bourke said yesterday. "Already villages such as Irishtown and Ballyfermot have benefited from urban village renewal, and Dublin City Council will continue its programme of schemes in the coming years."
Parks Superintendent Gerry Barry said the 55-acre Fr Collins' Park would be the last major public park to be built by the council as land was becoming increasingly scarce in the city.
Designed by Argentinian firm Romero Architects, it will be complete by 2009 and include five playing pitches, cycle and running paths, three play areas for children of different ages, picnic areas and a lake and promenade.
Irish Independent
Thursday, 23 August 2007
Protesters take fight to the EU as Gormley feels heat
ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley is now under pressure to reveal what the EU has told him it thinks of building new roads over monuments.
Campaigners against the M3 motorway route want to keep the pressure on the Green Party, given their objections in the past to proposed roads.
Opponents of the highly controversial M3 motorway are vowing to continue their fight against the routing of the road through the archeological site at Lismullen.
In a major setback to the campaigners, An Bord Pleanala gave the green light for the road without demanding a new environmental impact assessment.
Campaigners of the road want the Green Party Minister to release a European Commission report on the law allowing road building to proceed -- even when a national monument is found on the route.
The Tarawatch group says it is appealing directly to the European Commission over the latest Bord Pleanala decision.
Opinion
The group says it wants Minister Gormley to publish a so-called reasoned opinion from the Commission on the National Monuments Act 2004. The law is possibly in breach of EU environmental directives.
Last night, the Department of the Environment said that such documents are never published because it forms part of potential legal proceedings by the European Commission against the Government.
Tarawatch's Vincent Salafia said the decision of An Bord Pleanala was made without any public consultation or opportunity for independent assessment to be given.
"That is exactly why the EU is saying the decision to demolish the site is illegal," he explained.
Independent MEP Kathy Sinnott said the National Roads Authority is to blame for the delays in the project because it only conducted an Environment Impact Assessment on one route.
"We could have had this road finished by now without all these problems. We've created a terrible dilemma," she said.
Sinn Fein MEP Mary-Lou McDonald said the decision to allow the M3 motorway to proceed along its original route is a blow to Irish heritage.
"The commuters of Meath need and deserve an immediate transport solution. However, it has been proved that this does not have to be at the expense of our heritage," she argued.
Irish Independent
Campaigners against the M3 motorway route want to keep the pressure on the Green Party, given their objections in the past to proposed roads.
Opponents of the highly controversial M3 motorway are vowing to continue their fight against the routing of the road through the archeological site at Lismullen.
In a major setback to the campaigners, An Bord Pleanala gave the green light for the road without demanding a new environmental impact assessment.
Campaigners of the road want the Green Party Minister to release a European Commission report on the law allowing road building to proceed -- even when a national monument is found on the route.
The Tarawatch group says it is appealing directly to the European Commission over the latest Bord Pleanala decision.
Opinion
The group says it wants Minister Gormley to publish a so-called reasoned opinion from the Commission on the National Monuments Act 2004. The law is possibly in breach of EU environmental directives.
Last night, the Department of the Environment said that such documents are never published because it forms part of potential legal proceedings by the European Commission against the Government.
Tarawatch's Vincent Salafia said the decision of An Bord Pleanala was made without any public consultation or opportunity for independent assessment to be given.
"That is exactly why the EU is saying the decision to demolish the site is illegal," he explained.
Independent MEP Kathy Sinnott said the National Roads Authority is to blame for the delays in the project because it only conducted an Environment Impact Assessment on one route.
"We could have had this road finished by now without all these problems. We've created a terrible dilemma," she said.
Sinn Fein MEP Mary-Lou McDonald said the decision to allow the M3 motorway to proceed along its original route is a blow to Irish heritage.
"The commuters of Meath need and deserve an immediate transport solution. However, it has been proved that this does not have to be at the expense of our heritage," she argued.
Irish Independent
Tara group fury as M3 is finally given green light
RELIEF is finally coming down the road for thousands of urban sprawl commuters stuck in horrendous gridlock between Meath and Dublin.
But the decision yesterday to allow the controversial €800m M3 tolled motorway be built over a national monument has angered objectors who vowed to continue their battle in Irish courts and at EU level.
The National Roads Authority welcomed the Bord Pleanala decision, pointing out that the existing N3 road has one of the highest crash death records in the country, more than 50pc higher than the average main national route.
The new motorway would be far safer, the NRA said. There will be a toll of €1.30 for car drivers.
An NRA spokesman also said the motorway, work on which has already started at the northern and southern ends, passes further from the Hill of Tara that the existing road.
The M3, which has been delayed for several years because of legal challenges, will run 60km from Clonee to Kells and is due to be completed by 2011. The motorway will bypass the towns of Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells.
However, the TaraWatch action group said it planned to make an immediate appeal to the European Commission over the decision of An Bord Pleanala to allow the M3 motorway to be built over the newly discovered Lismullin national monument.
The decision means that the site, close to the Hill of Tara, will be examined and recorded by archaeologists before the road is constructed on top of it.
The Lismullin site consists of two circular enclosures, the largest 80m in diameter, and dates from somewhere between 1000BC to 400AD. Last month, the NRA submitted its plans to preserve the site 'by record' to Bord Pleanala. This means the NRA archaeologists will examine it in detail and then build the M3 over it.
The decision was approved by the outgoing Environment Minister Dick Roche and his successor John Gormley, the Green Party leader, said his hands were tied as the decision had been taken.
An Bord Pleanala approved the Lismullin action yesterday on the grounds that the plan did not constitute a material alteration to the M3 scheme which it had already approved. The authority said it took account of the order by the Environment Minister that the site would be fully excavated and recorded.
This was the last planning obstacle to the construction of the road which has been dogged by delays lasting several years because of legal challenges.
TaraWatch said it was taking legal advice on how to make a direct application to the EU, and ask them to step in and bring the demolition works to a halt. Members are also taking legal advice on whether it will be possible to get an injunction in the Irish courts, to give time to the EU to pursue their legal action.
Spokesman Vincent Salafia said: "The decision of the Bord was made without any public consultation or opportunity for independent assessment to be given.
"That is exactly why the EU is saying the decision to demolish the site is illegal."
Irish Independent
But the decision yesterday to allow the controversial €800m M3 tolled motorway be built over a national monument has angered objectors who vowed to continue their battle in Irish courts and at EU level.
The National Roads Authority welcomed the Bord Pleanala decision, pointing out that the existing N3 road has one of the highest crash death records in the country, more than 50pc higher than the average main national route.
The new motorway would be far safer, the NRA said. There will be a toll of €1.30 for car drivers.
An NRA spokesman also said the motorway, work on which has already started at the northern and southern ends, passes further from the Hill of Tara that the existing road.
The M3, which has been delayed for several years because of legal challenges, will run 60km from Clonee to Kells and is due to be completed by 2011. The motorway will bypass the towns of Dunboyne, Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kells.
However, the TaraWatch action group said it planned to make an immediate appeal to the European Commission over the decision of An Bord Pleanala to allow the M3 motorway to be built over the newly discovered Lismullin national monument.
The decision means that the site, close to the Hill of Tara, will be examined and recorded by archaeologists before the road is constructed on top of it.
The Lismullin site consists of two circular enclosures, the largest 80m in diameter, and dates from somewhere between 1000BC to 400AD. Last month, the NRA submitted its plans to preserve the site 'by record' to Bord Pleanala. This means the NRA archaeologists will examine it in detail and then build the M3 over it.
The decision was approved by the outgoing Environment Minister Dick Roche and his successor John Gormley, the Green Party leader, said his hands were tied as the decision had been taken.
An Bord Pleanala approved the Lismullin action yesterday on the grounds that the plan did not constitute a material alteration to the M3 scheme which it had already approved. The authority said it took account of the order by the Environment Minister that the site would be fully excavated and recorded.
This was the last planning obstacle to the construction of the road which has been dogged by delays lasting several years because of legal challenges.
TaraWatch said it was taking legal advice on how to make a direct application to the EU, and ask them to step in and bring the demolition works to a halt. Members are also taking legal advice on whether it will be possible to get an injunction in the Irish courts, to give time to the EU to pursue their legal action.
Spokesman Vincent Salafia said: "The decision of the Bord was made without any public consultation or opportunity for independent assessment to be given.
"That is exactly why the EU is saying the decision to demolish the site is illegal."
Irish Independent
Mayor blasts council over housing
DUBLIN city council is facing a call that it be stripped of its social house-building powers after new figures showed that it has built fewer than 1,000 homes in five years.
Despite the capital city being the epicentre of unprecedented housing demand, the local authority charged with alleviating the crisis has singularly failed, a Fianna Fail backbencher said last night.
Figures prepared by Dublin city council and seen by the Irish Independent reveal that the local authority built only 189 new units in the whole of last year for those on the housing list. At the same time it provided only 52 senior citizen units -- and was forced to buy 216 houses and apartments from private developers. In the five years since 2002, only 914 council homes have been built by the local authority under its social housing responsibilities.
At the same time there remain more than 5,000 on the city housing list, with thousands more not bothering even to register.
Last night former Dublin Mayor Michael Mulcahy said he believed the time had come to take house-building powers away from the city council and to vest them in the new Junior Minister for Housing, Batt O'Keeffe. "The figures revealed by the city manager are a disgrace," Mr Mulcahy said. "One developer could provide this level of housing with his eyes closed. Dublin city council has simply failed to put in place a comprehensive house building programme as it is obliged to do under the Housing Acts.
"The thousands on the housing list are just the tip of the iceberg," he added. "Thousands more would come on if they had any realistic prospect of accommodation. I personally know of cases such as eight people living in a two-bedroom house where a mother and two children will have been years on the list."
Irish Independent
Despite the capital city being the epicentre of unprecedented housing demand, the local authority charged with alleviating the crisis has singularly failed, a Fianna Fail backbencher said last night.
Figures prepared by Dublin city council and seen by the Irish Independent reveal that the local authority built only 189 new units in the whole of last year for those on the housing list. At the same time it provided only 52 senior citizen units -- and was forced to buy 216 houses and apartments from private developers. In the five years since 2002, only 914 council homes have been built by the local authority under its social housing responsibilities.
At the same time there remain more than 5,000 on the city housing list, with thousands more not bothering even to register.
Last night former Dublin Mayor Michael Mulcahy said he believed the time had come to take house-building powers away from the city council and to vest them in the new Junior Minister for Housing, Batt O'Keeffe. "The figures revealed by the city manager are a disgrace," Mr Mulcahy said. "One developer could provide this level of housing with his eyes closed. Dublin city council has simply failed to put in place a comprehensive house building programme as it is obliged to do under the Housing Acts.
"The thousands on the housing list are just the tip of the iceberg," he added. "Thousands more would come on if they had any realistic prospect of accommodation. I personally know of cases such as eight people living in a two-bedroom house where a mother and two children will have been years on the list."
Irish Independent
Housing plan ‘could bring village to standstill’
PLANNERS have been accused of increasing the risk of traffic jams in one of Co Cork’s worst bottlenecks for motorists.
Concern has been voiced about the number of houses being granted planning permission in Castlemartyr, which is a nightmare for motorists at peak times.
Fears of an even more congested village were heightened in the past few days after Cork Co Council approved a €55 million housing project there.
Limerick-based Chieftain Construction was granted permission to construct a mixed development of 200 homes, a crèche, and two sports pitches in the townland of Gotnahomna More.
Castlemartyr is an attractive proposition for developers, located a few miles from Midleton and within easy reach of a planned new commuter rail line to Cork — expected to become operational in early 2009.
However. there are fears the road infrastructure will not adequately cope with the increasing traffic demands.
Castlemartyr-based FG Deputy David Stanton said, like many residents, he was extremely concerned at housing development outpacing road improvements.
“Castlemartyr can experience very lengthy delays at peak time and this is going to get worse with more housing in the area. People are taking to narrow county roads to avoid the village and this is creating its own problem. We need to fast-track a bypass,” the Fine Gael TD said.
A Cork County Council spokeswoman admitted yesterday that it could be some years even before the local authority was in a position to start construction of a bypass.
Engineers want to build a new road from Midleton which will skip both Castlemartyr and Killeagh before hooking up with the existing Youghal bypass.
“The proposed project is a good bit down the road. We have received a small amount of money (from the Department of Environment) for a study on a proposed new road. This will take about a year-and-a-half to complete. Then we will have to select a route corridor and route options and it could be another two years before the optimum route is decided upon,” the spokeswoman said.
After that, construction will be dependent on obtaining funding from the department.
In the meantime, the National Roads Authority (NRA) is preparing to carry out traffic calming and other improvement works in Castlemartyr. They will get underway next month.
Although urgent, the work is likely to lead to some disruption and more delays for motorists.
The NRA is also planning to resurface the village’s main street.
Irish Examiner
Concern has been voiced about the number of houses being granted planning permission in Castlemartyr, which is a nightmare for motorists at peak times.
Fears of an even more congested village were heightened in the past few days after Cork Co Council approved a €55 million housing project there.
Limerick-based Chieftain Construction was granted permission to construct a mixed development of 200 homes, a crèche, and two sports pitches in the townland of Gotnahomna More.
Castlemartyr is an attractive proposition for developers, located a few miles from Midleton and within easy reach of a planned new commuter rail line to Cork — expected to become operational in early 2009.
However. there are fears the road infrastructure will not adequately cope with the increasing traffic demands.
Castlemartyr-based FG Deputy David Stanton said, like many residents, he was extremely concerned at housing development outpacing road improvements.
“Castlemartyr can experience very lengthy delays at peak time and this is going to get worse with more housing in the area. People are taking to narrow county roads to avoid the village and this is creating its own problem. We need to fast-track a bypass,” the Fine Gael TD said.
A Cork County Council spokeswoman admitted yesterday that it could be some years even before the local authority was in a position to start construction of a bypass.
Engineers want to build a new road from Midleton which will skip both Castlemartyr and Killeagh before hooking up with the existing Youghal bypass.
“The proposed project is a good bit down the road. We have received a small amount of money (from the Department of Environment) for a study on a proposed new road. This will take about a year-and-a-half to complete. Then we will have to select a route corridor and route options and it could be another two years before the optimum route is decided upon,” the spokeswoman said.
After that, construction will be dependent on obtaining funding from the department.
In the meantime, the National Roads Authority (NRA) is preparing to carry out traffic calming and other improvement works in Castlemartyr. They will get underway next month.
Although urgent, the work is likely to lead to some disruption and more delays for motorists.
The NRA is also planning to resurface the village’s main street.
Irish Examiner
M3 route plan likely to face legal challenge
THE decision by An Bord Pleanála to approve the National Roads Authority’s (NRA) plans to excavate and build over the national monument on the M3 motorway route is likely to be challenged in the High Court.
Vincent Salafia, of protest group Tara Watch, said a legal challenge was being considered following the ruling issued by the appeals board yesterday. It clears the way for an archaeological examination of the site at Lismullin, Co Meath, but for the site then to be recorded, rather than preserved. The monument includes two circular enclosures dating from between 1,000BC to AD400 and its preservation has been the subject of political and public controversy, including protests disrupting access to the site which was discovered in April.
Outgoing environment minister Dick Roche signed an order for the site to be recorded and the new road built over it in the days before John Gormley took over. The new minister subsequently approved the move after receiving advice on the matter.
The National Roads Authority had to seek clearance to go ahead with that plan from An Bord Pleanála, to determine if the work constituted sufficient change to the €1 billion scheme cleared by the board in August 2003 to require a fresh planning application. The board has decided that no material alteration has arisen to the road scheme.
Mr Salafia said that evidence from an independent archaeological expert suggests the site’s importance has been underestimated because it could be an ancient amphitheatre. However, An Bord Pleanála did not accept submissions from the public in considering the matter.
“We will take legal advice with a view to going to court. An Bord Pleanála is normally the place to appeal decisions, so the only place to go is the EU or to the courts, but it would take too long bringing it to the European Commission,” he said.
A judicial review would first require approval of the High Court before going to a full hearing and could add months to the timescale of the M3 project, scheduled for completion in 2010.
A NRA spokesman said excavation work began two weeks ago and should be completed in two months.
“The High Court has already found in favour of the national monuments legislation and confirmed the adequacy of the planning and environmental assessment procedures on this project. We’re confident that any further challenge in this area would fail on the grounds that it has already been tested and adjudicated on in the courts,” he said.
A Department of Environment spokesman said Mr Gormley did not have any comment in response to An Bord Pleanála’s decision.
The project has been delayed by about a year in total because of legal challenges and archaeological finds along the 60km route, which will join Clonee in south Meath to the northside of Kells.
Irish Examiner
Vincent Salafia, of protest group Tara Watch, said a legal challenge was being considered following the ruling issued by the appeals board yesterday. It clears the way for an archaeological examination of the site at Lismullin, Co Meath, but for the site then to be recorded, rather than preserved. The monument includes two circular enclosures dating from between 1,000BC to AD400 and its preservation has been the subject of political and public controversy, including protests disrupting access to the site which was discovered in April.
Outgoing environment minister Dick Roche signed an order for the site to be recorded and the new road built over it in the days before John Gormley took over. The new minister subsequently approved the move after receiving advice on the matter.
The National Roads Authority had to seek clearance to go ahead with that plan from An Bord Pleanála, to determine if the work constituted sufficient change to the €1 billion scheme cleared by the board in August 2003 to require a fresh planning application. The board has decided that no material alteration has arisen to the road scheme.
Mr Salafia said that evidence from an independent archaeological expert suggests the site’s importance has been underestimated because it could be an ancient amphitheatre. However, An Bord Pleanála did not accept submissions from the public in considering the matter.
“We will take legal advice with a view to going to court. An Bord Pleanála is normally the place to appeal decisions, so the only place to go is the EU or to the courts, but it would take too long bringing it to the European Commission,” he said.
A judicial review would first require approval of the High Court before going to a full hearing and could add months to the timescale of the M3 project, scheduled for completion in 2010.
A NRA spokesman said excavation work began two weeks ago and should be completed in two months.
“The High Court has already found in favour of the national monuments legislation and confirmed the adequacy of the planning and environmental assessment procedures on this project. We’re confident that any further challenge in this area would fail on the grounds that it has already been tested and adjudicated on in the courts,” he said.
A Department of Environment spokesman said Mr Gormley did not have any comment in response to An Bord Pleanála’s decision.
The project has been delayed by about a year in total because of legal challenges and archaeological finds along the 60km route, which will join Clonee in south Meath to the northside of Kells.
Irish Examiner
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
Wexford shopping centre to create over 400 jobs
More than 400 jobs will be created in Co Wexford over the coming months with the opening of a major new shopping centre in Gorey, it was announced yesterday.
The €20m Gorey Shopping Centre is due to open in early October and will include Dunnes Stores as anchor tenant and another 24 shops as well as a medical centre.
Over 200 workers will be employed in the 83,000 square foot Dunnes outlet alone and will be one of the company's largest stores in the south east.
There will also be parking for 400 cars, half of them in a specially designed underground facility that will boast state of the art security lighting.
The centre's manager, Brendan O'Bracken, reassured business owners that the new development will not lure away their customers. "You could say it was an extension of the Main Street," O'Bracken added.
Irish Independent
The €20m Gorey Shopping Centre is due to open in early October and will include Dunnes Stores as anchor tenant and another 24 shops as well as a medical centre.
Over 200 workers will be employed in the 83,000 square foot Dunnes outlet alone and will be one of the company's largest stores in the south east.
There will also be parking for 400 cars, half of them in a specially designed underground facility that will boast state of the art security lighting.
The centre's manager, Brendan O'Bracken, reassured business owners that the new development will not lure away their customers. "You could say it was an extension of the Main Street," O'Bracken added.
Irish Independent
Tough new laws for farm pollution
FARMERS who pollute rivers with slurry will be jailed for a year and face a €500,000 fine under tough new laws.
Currently the maximum fine in €3,000 in the district court and a one-month jail term.
But now Environment Minister John Gormley has cleared the way for farmers to be brought before the Circuit Criminal Court and put behind bars if they breach EU rules.
The new regulations were introduced last week and took immediate effect but were not publicly announced.
Farmyard slurries and fertilisers have been implicated in recent bouts of serious tap water contamination.
Mr Gormley said the maximum fines permitted by the original nitrates regulations were disproportionately low and did not reflect the potential gravity of offences.
There would now be a more realistic range of fines which can be applied by the courts.
The courts will decide the appropriate level of penalty in any particular case having regard to all the circumstances.
Ireland had finally been brought into compliance with the EU Nitrates Directive dating back to 1991, the minister added.
Irish Independent
Currently the maximum fine in €3,000 in the district court and a one-month jail term.
But now Environment Minister John Gormley has cleared the way for farmers to be brought before the Circuit Criminal Court and put behind bars if they breach EU rules.
The new regulations were introduced last week and took immediate effect but were not publicly announced.
Farmyard slurries and fertilisers have been implicated in recent bouts of serious tap water contamination.
Mr Gormley said the maximum fines permitted by the original nitrates regulations were disproportionately low and did not reflect the potential gravity of offences.
There would now be a more realistic range of fines which can be applied by the courts.
The courts will decide the appropriate level of penalty in any particular case having regard to all the circumstances.
Ireland had finally been brought into compliance with the EU Nitrates Directive dating back to 1991, the minister added.
Irish Independent
Developers seek green light for hi-tech park
PROPERTY development giants Treasury Holdings are seeking planning permission for a business and technology park which would create up to 2,500 jobs along the Waterford-Tipperary border.
The initial phase of planning permission has been sought by the company for lands at Coolnamuck, about three kilometres west of Carrick-on-Suir (Carrick).
The 320-acre site for the proposed €10 million campus development runs along the N24 national primary route as well as the R680 regional route.
Public consultation meetings have already been held with residents in Carrick and the neighbouring town of Rathgormack while discussions have taken place with council officials in advance of the start of the planning process.
The project has the backing of the IDA which is in favour of attracting new investment to the area. The region has lost several industries in recent years and has been labelled by local politicians as an “unemployment blackspot”.
The traditional tannery employers of the region have fallen away over the last two decades while an attempt to attract government decentralisation to Carrick was unsuccessful.
The developers envisage research and development to be a major component of the technology park, with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology areas key to its future.
Most of the proposed 2,500 jobs forecast for the campus would be of a hi-tech nature, while local representatives also hope that the development will help to attract other employers to the region.
Plans lodged this week, in the name of John Ronan of Treasury Holdings to Waterford and South Tipperary county councils cover a new roundabout on the N24, with access to a proposed new bridge across the Suir, leading to another roundabout to access the development. If given the go-ahead, the bridge would carry two lanes of vehicular traffic and one pedestrian walkway. There will also be causeway works with an arched pedestrian walkway at each side of the river.
The developers also want to build a new access road and car park close to the R680, for the purposes of providing leisure amenity access.
These planning applications, drawn up by Dublin-based architects Henry J Lyons & Partners, cover access issues to the site, while future plans will involve the buildings and other relevant development. The proposal is currently at pre-validation stage and a decision is due by early October.
The lands were zoned for “special development” by Waterford County Council in 2005.
Irish Examiner
The initial phase of planning permission has been sought by the company for lands at Coolnamuck, about three kilometres west of Carrick-on-Suir (Carrick).
The 320-acre site for the proposed €10 million campus development runs along the N24 national primary route as well as the R680 regional route.
Public consultation meetings have already been held with residents in Carrick and the neighbouring town of Rathgormack while discussions have taken place with council officials in advance of the start of the planning process.
The project has the backing of the IDA which is in favour of attracting new investment to the area. The region has lost several industries in recent years and has been labelled by local politicians as an “unemployment blackspot”.
The traditional tannery employers of the region have fallen away over the last two decades while an attempt to attract government decentralisation to Carrick was unsuccessful.
The developers envisage research and development to be a major component of the technology park, with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology areas key to its future.
Most of the proposed 2,500 jobs forecast for the campus would be of a hi-tech nature, while local representatives also hope that the development will help to attract other employers to the region.
Plans lodged this week, in the name of John Ronan of Treasury Holdings to Waterford and South Tipperary county councils cover a new roundabout on the N24, with access to a proposed new bridge across the Suir, leading to another roundabout to access the development. If given the go-ahead, the bridge would carry two lanes of vehicular traffic and one pedestrian walkway. There will also be causeway works with an arched pedestrian walkway at each side of the river.
The developers also want to build a new access road and car park close to the R680, for the purposes of providing leisure amenity access.
These planning applications, drawn up by Dublin-based architects Henry J Lyons & Partners, cover access issues to the site, while future plans will involve the buildings and other relevant development. The proposal is currently at pre-validation stage and a decision is due by early October.
The lands were zoned for “special development” by Waterford County Council in 2005.
Irish Examiner
Tara ruins must be preserved, US academic warns
NEWLY discovered 2,000-year-old ruins at the ancient Hill of Tara site must be fully preserved because of their unique size and character, according to a US academic.
State archaeologists began excavation work on the prehistoric Lismullen structure earlier this month, claiming it was under threat from adverse weather.
But Dr Ronald Hicks of Ball State University, Indiana, argues it is part of a larger ancient ritual complex and must be preserved in situ.
Controversy has surrounded the site since the ruins were uncovered by workers during construction work on the controversial M3 motorway last April.
Tara Watch, which is demanding the site be preserved, has called on the Government to halt excavation until An Bord Pleanála rules whether a fresh planning application for the road project is needed in light of the find.
“This independent report proves the national monument is much more significant and substantial than the National Roads Authority has reported,” campaigner Vincent Salafia said.
“In light of this report, the minister should halt the demolition works until An Bord Pleanála concludes its current deliberative process,” he said.
Dr Hicks argues Lismullen is comparable to ceremonial enclosures at Tara and other royal sites in Ireland, but is twice as large as any other.
The site’s discovery came a day after then transport minister Martin Cullen turned the sod on the €850 million road project.
The discovery was granted National Monument status and all works were halted.
But in one of his final acts of office, former environment minister Dick Roche used the National Monuments Act 2004 and signed an order of preservation by record, meaning the prehistoric henge would be photographed, sketched and measured, then razed to make way for the motorway.
Environment Minister John Gormley maintains he does not have the authority to revoke his predecessor’s decision without a material change in circumstance.
Tara Watch has sent a solicitor’s letter to Mr Gormley demanding the work be stopped, to which it claims no reply has been received.
Irish Examiner
State archaeologists began excavation work on the prehistoric Lismullen structure earlier this month, claiming it was under threat from adverse weather.
But Dr Ronald Hicks of Ball State University, Indiana, argues it is part of a larger ancient ritual complex and must be preserved in situ.
Controversy has surrounded the site since the ruins were uncovered by workers during construction work on the controversial M3 motorway last April.
Tara Watch, which is demanding the site be preserved, has called on the Government to halt excavation until An Bord Pleanála rules whether a fresh planning application for the road project is needed in light of the find.
“This independent report proves the national monument is much more significant and substantial than the National Roads Authority has reported,” campaigner Vincent Salafia said.
“In light of this report, the minister should halt the demolition works until An Bord Pleanála concludes its current deliberative process,” he said.
Dr Hicks argues Lismullen is comparable to ceremonial enclosures at Tara and other royal sites in Ireland, but is twice as large as any other.
The site’s discovery came a day after then transport minister Martin Cullen turned the sod on the €850 million road project.
The discovery was granted National Monument status and all works were halted.
But in one of his final acts of office, former environment minister Dick Roche used the National Monuments Act 2004 and signed an order of preservation by record, meaning the prehistoric henge would be photographed, sketched and measured, then razed to make way for the motorway.
Environment Minister John Gormley maintains he does not have the authority to revoke his predecessor’s decision without a material change in circumstance.
Tara Watch has sent a solicitor’s letter to Mr Gormley demanding the work be stopped, to which it claims no reply has been received.
Irish Examiner
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
We'll drink to that . . . cheers and fears as water crisis finally over
ANOTHER contaminated tap water crisis could break out on the same scale as the deadly Galway outbreak which finally ended yesterday. The Environmental Protection Agency last night issued a warning to all local authorities that they had to provide safe drinking water.
Gerard O'Leary, EPA programme manager, said the agency had directed Galway city council to install an ultraviolet light disinfection system at the Terryland New plant. This system provides an effective barrier to cryptosporidium entering the drinking water supply.
"The cryptosporidium contamination incident in Galway city, and more recently in Clonmel, is a timely reminder to all local authorities of the importance of both the need for source protection and provision of adequate treatment facilities," said the EPA chief.
The culprits behind the crisis which affected 90,000 people and left hundreds very ill escaped scot free, it was also revealed yesterday.
Five months later, and at a cost of millions in lost tourism revenue, the green light was finally given for householders to drink their water in Galway.
Officials suspect septic tanks belonging to householders were to blame for polluting Lough Corrib from which the water is drawn.
But yesterday they admitted: "It is unlikely that a point source or sources of the outbreak will ever be identified."
Politicians were furious that the authorities were unable to track down the cause of the contamination.
They warned that a similar outbreak could easily happen as other tap water supplies nationwide are also polluted.
As much as 30pc of groundwater sources from which tap water is abstracted and treated contains cryptosporidium and e-coli bugs which can be fatal in elderly or those with poor immune systems.
The EU is threatening to take Ireland to court for not forcing local authorities to provide safe drinking water around the country.
HSE officials and city and county engineers in Galway confirmed yesterday they are satisfied that water supplies no longer need to be boiled and are drinkable.
Up to 90,000 people have been forced to either boil water before use or buy bottled supplies since the outbreak of cryptosporidium in March.
The HSE yesterday said people could now use tap water in Galway for drinking, food preparation, ice making and teeth brushing without first boiling it, unless they are immuno-compromised and have had specific advice from their family doctor.
The decision follows the installation, testing and commissioning of an ultraviolet light disinfection system at the Terryland water treatment plant where water is subjected to three separate treatment processes.
These are chemical treatment, full filtration and ultra violet disinfection.
Barrier
The UV disinfection is the largest of its kind in the country and provides an additional barrier against cryptosporidium.
The old Terryland water treatment plant is no longer in use and additional water is supplied to Galway City from Galway County Council's Luimnagh water treatment plant.
Galway City Council and Galway County Council have set up a helpline for further questions relating to the water supply. This number is 091 536400 (office hours).
John Power, Irish Hotels Federation chief executive, said the outbreak "showed the weakness in how local authorities operate safe water systems". Opposition politicians warned that the Galway water crisis could recur due to the failure to find a definitive cause.
They also expressed concern at the lack of investment in sewage treatment plants.
Fine Gael Galway West TD Padraic McCormack said it was "incredible" that the HSE West had failed to discover the source of the water contamination.
"Is the HSE now saying that everything in the garden is rosy? I believe they should establish the cause, so that it can be eliminated," he said
Mr McCormack said the early testing for water contamination had pointed to human waste, which could have come from any of the towns and villages around Galway city still lacking sewage treatment plants.
"There's one under way in Headford but Claregalway, Oughterard, Clonbur and Corrnamona don't have any. This is due to the neglect of the Government over the past 10 years when we had plenty of money but no progress on sewerage schemes."
(c) Irish Independent
Gerard O'Leary, EPA programme manager, said the agency had directed Galway city council to install an ultraviolet light disinfection system at the Terryland New plant. This system provides an effective barrier to cryptosporidium entering the drinking water supply.
"The cryptosporidium contamination incident in Galway city, and more recently in Clonmel, is a timely reminder to all local authorities of the importance of both the need for source protection and provision of adequate treatment facilities," said the EPA chief.
The culprits behind the crisis which affected 90,000 people and left hundreds very ill escaped scot free, it was also revealed yesterday.
Five months later, and at a cost of millions in lost tourism revenue, the green light was finally given for householders to drink their water in Galway.
Officials suspect septic tanks belonging to householders were to blame for polluting Lough Corrib from which the water is drawn.
But yesterday they admitted: "It is unlikely that a point source or sources of the outbreak will ever be identified."
Politicians were furious that the authorities were unable to track down the cause of the contamination.
They warned that a similar outbreak could easily happen as other tap water supplies nationwide are also polluted.
As much as 30pc of groundwater sources from which tap water is abstracted and treated contains cryptosporidium and e-coli bugs which can be fatal in elderly or those with poor immune systems.
The EU is threatening to take Ireland to court for not forcing local authorities to provide safe drinking water around the country.
HSE officials and city and county engineers in Galway confirmed yesterday they are satisfied that water supplies no longer need to be boiled and are drinkable.
Up to 90,000 people have been forced to either boil water before use or buy bottled supplies since the outbreak of cryptosporidium in March.
The HSE yesterday said people could now use tap water in Galway for drinking, food preparation, ice making and teeth brushing without first boiling it, unless they are immuno-compromised and have had specific advice from their family doctor.
The decision follows the installation, testing and commissioning of an ultraviolet light disinfection system at the Terryland water treatment plant where water is subjected to three separate treatment processes.
These are chemical treatment, full filtration and ultra violet disinfection.
Barrier
The UV disinfection is the largest of its kind in the country and provides an additional barrier against cryptosporidium.
The old Terryland water treatment plant is no longer in use and additional water is supplied to Galway City from Galway County Council's Luimnagh water treatment plant.
Galway City Council and Galway County Council have set up a helpline for further questions relating to the water supply. This number is 091 536400 (office hours).
John Power, Irish Hotels Federation chief executive, said the outbreak "showed the weakness in how local authorities operate safe water systems". Opposition politicians warned that the Galway water crisis could recur due to the failure to find a definitive cause.
They also expressed concern at the lack of investment in sewage treatment plants.
Fine Gael Galway West TD Padraic McCormack said it was "incredible" that the HSE West had failed to discover the source of the water contamination.
"Is the HSE now saying that everything in the garden is rosy? I believe they should establish the cause, so that it can be eliminated," he said
Mr McCormack said the early testing for water contamination had pointed to human waste, which could have come from any of the towns and villages around Galway city still lacking sewage treatment plants.
"There's one under way in Headford but Claregalway, Oughterard, Clonbur and Corrnamona don't have any. This is due to the neglect of the Government over the past 10 years when we had plenty of money but no progress on sewerage schemes."
(c) Irish Independent
Archaeologists uncover county’s ‘first capital’
ARCHAEOLOGISTS believe they have discovered what may have been Cork’s ancient capital, built 3,200 years ago at a time when Rameses III was pharaoh of Egypt.
A team of archaeologists from UCC, led by Professor William O’Brien, have carried out extensive research that sheds new light on what is the largest prehistoric monument in Co Cork and the oldest dated ringfort in the country.
Their three-year project, funded by the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences and the Royal Irish Academy, shows that huge wooden defence walls once surrounded the ringfort at Knockavilla, near Innishannon.
Radiocarbon dating shows that the ringfort was constructed about 1200BC confirming it as the oldest known prehistoric ringfort in Ireland, according to Prof O’Brien. This puts its importance on a par with prehistoric sites such as Dún Aengus on Inishmore and Mooghaun, Co Clare.
Archaeologists have concluded that several thousand timber posts surrounded the ancient structure, known as the “cathair”, which enclosed nearly 20 acres — enough space for today’s developers to construct about 300 houses.
It would have taken hundreds, if not thousands, of people to construct it and may have been built in a matter of months.
“The antiquity and immense size of this monument suggests that it was one of the most important prehistoric settlements in the south-west region, and arguably Cork’s first capital,” said Prof O’Brien.
The outer defence walls had a perimeter of more than one kilometre and were built with wattle fencing. These were erected behind a dug-out ditch defence.
The inner timber defence, built entirely of solid oak, was 800m at its perimeter.
Archaeologists discovered evidence that part of the inner palisade fence had been burnt, which Prof O’Brien and his team believe “was a deliberate act of war”.
The people who built the ringfort may have been slaughtered.
At any rate their kingdom seems to have disintegrated as no efforts were made to repair the fort and it was never inhabited again.
Irish Examiner
A team of archaeologists from UCC, led by Professor William O’Brien, have carried out extensive research that sheds new light on what is the largest prehistoric monument in Co Cork and the oldest dated ringfort in the country.
Their three-year project, funded by the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences and the Royal Irish Academy, shows that huge wooden defence walls once surrounded the ringfort at Knockavilla, near Innishannon.
Radiocarbon dating shows that the ringfort was constructed about 1200BC confirming it as the oldest known prehistoric ringfort in Ireland, according to Prof O’Brien. This puts its importance on a par with prehistoric sites such as Dún Aengus on Inishmore and Mooghaun, Co Clare.
Archaeologists have concluded that several thousand timber posts surrounded the ancient structure, known as the “cathair”, which enclosed nearly 20 acres — enough space for today’s developers to construct about 300 houses.
It would have taken hundreds, if not thousands, of people to construct it and may have been built in a matter of months.
“The antiquity and immense size of this monument suggests that it was one of the most important prehistoric settlements in the south-west region, and arguably Cork’s first capital,” said Prof O’Brien.
The outer defence walls had a perimeter of more than one kilometre and were built with wattle fencing. These were erected behind a dug-out ditch defence.
The inner timber defence, built entirely of solid oak, was 800m at its perimeter.
Archaeologists discovered evidence that part of the inner palisade fence had been burnt, which Prof O’Brien and his team believe “was a deliberate act of war”.
The people who built the ringfort may have been slaughtered.
At any rate their kingdom seems to have disintegrated as no efforts were made to repair the fort and it was never inhabited again.
Irish Examiner
Gormley extends Skellig Michael consultation
Mr John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, has announced an extension to the public consultation process regarding the Draft Management Plan for Skellig Michael World Heritage Site.
In 1996, Skellig Michael was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO - the body which selects World Heritage Sites as representing the best international examples of cultural and natural heritage. The Draft Management Plan sets out the measures required to ensure the protection, conservation and management of this important heritage site for the next ten years, to 2017.
This draft plan is a comprehensive document which gives detailed information on the history of Skellig Michael, a description of the features of the site, the natural heritage elements of the island and the statutory protection measures which relate to the site.
The Minister outlined that the draft plan documents the conservation works carried out to-date by the Office of Public Works in accordance with best international practice to protect and conserve this World Heritage Site. It also details proposed future works - including ongoing maintenance works - confirms current arrangements regarding visitor access and addresses other important management issues.
In order to facilitate the most inclusive consultation process possible, the Minister has extended the deadline for receipt of submissions on the draft management plan to 28 September, 2007.
The Minister stated that he was been pleased with the high level of interest in the draft plan and he would encourage all community interest groups, professional and technical personnel and the wider public to actively engage in this worthwhile public consultation process.
In 1996, Skellig Michael was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO - the body which selects World Heritage Sites as representing the best international examples of cultural and natural heritage. The Draft Management Plan sets out the measures required to ensure the protection, conservation and management of this important heritage site for the next ten years, to 2017.
This draft plan is a comprehensive document which gives detailed information on the history of Skellig Michael, a description of the features of the site, the natural heritage elements of the island and the statutory protection measures which relate to the site.
The Minister outlined that the draft plan documents the conservation works carried out to-date by the Office of Public Works in accordance with best international practice to protect and conserve this World Heritage Site. It also details proposed future works - including ongoing maintenance works - confirms current arrangements regarding visitor access and addresses other important management issues.
In order to facilitate the most inclusive consultation process possible, the Minister has extended the deadline for receipt of submissions on the draft management plan to 28 September, 2007.
The Minister stated that he was been pleased with the high level of interest in the draft plan and he would encourage all community interest groups, professional and technical personnel and the wider public to actively engage in this worthwhile public consultation process.
Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project reaches final submission stage of the UN World Habitat Awards 2007
Galway City Council's entry of 'The Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project' in the World Habitat Awards 2006/2007 reached the final submission stage of the awards.
A citation honouring the project reaching the final submission stage of the Awards will be granted to the City Council shortly. Pictures of the Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project will also feature in the Building and Social Housing Foundation calendar for 2008.
The Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project was selected among 12 projects in the world which competed for the United Nations Habitat Award 2006/2007. This is the first occasion that an Irish project has been deemed worthy of inclusion in this selection.
The Project has already won (for Galway City Council) the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland Award for Excellence in Community Development and also the Taoiseach's Award for Excellence in Local Government this year.
The Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project is the result of a public private partnership to provide a neighbourhood centre in an area of social disadvantage. It consists of enterprise units, a credit union outlet, retail outlets, a library, medical centre, Garda room and residential units.
World Habitat Awards
The World Habitat Awards were established in 1985 by the Building and Social Housing Foundation, as part of its contribution to the United Nations International Year of Shelter for the Homeless.
Two awards are given annually to projects from the global north as well as the south that provide practical and innovative solutions to current housing needs and problems. Every year an award of £10,000 is presented to each of the two winners at the annual United Nations global celebration of World Habitat Day. Travel and accommodation costs are also met for one representative of each winning project to attend the awards ceremony.
A citation honouring the project reaching the final submission stage of the Awards will be granted to the City Council shortly. Pictures of the Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project will also feature in the Building and Social Housing Foundation calendar for 2008.
The Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project was selected among 12 projects in the world which competed for the United Nations Habitat Award 2006/2007. This is the first occasion that an Irish project has been deemed worthy of inclusion in this selection.
The Project has already won (for Galway City Council) the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland Award for Excellence in Community Development and also the Taoiseach's Award for Excellence in Local Government this year.
The Ballybane Neighbourhood Village Project is the result of a public private partnership to provide a neighbourhood centre in an area of social disadvantage. It consists of enterprise units, a credit union outlet, retail outlets, a library, medical centre, Garda room and residential units.
World Habitat Awards
The World Habitat Awards were established in 1985 by the Building and Social Housing Foundation, as part of its contribution to the United Nations International Year of Shelter for the Homeless.
Two awards are given annually to projects from the global north as well as the south that provide practical and innovative solutions to current housing needs and problems. Every year an award of £10,000 is presented to each of the two winners at the annual United Nations global celebration of World Habitat Day. Travel and accommodation costs are also met for one representative of each winning project to attend the awards ceremony.
O'Keeffe to 'ramp-up' action against anti-social behaviour
Mr. Batt O'Keeffe, T.D., Minister for Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing Areas, has pledged to ramp-up action against anti-social behaviour in local authority housing estates.
"Stronger powers and more resources will be key to ensuring that local authorities can respond - not only to the symptoms, but also to the causes of such behaviour" - the Minister said. "Anti-social behaviour disrupts the lives of householders and has the potential to destabilise communities" - he continued.
"Local authorities - as landlords of some 110,000 dwellings - have a duty to secure and protect the interests of their tenants as far as reasonably possible, by abating or preventing anti-social behaviour in their estates."
Action against the symptoms - stronger laws
The Minister aims to tackle the symptoms of anti-social behaviour in local authority estates by advancing strong, new legislation as quickly as possible.
The planned legislation will provide a more powerful and comprehensive legal framework within which local authorities and approved housing bodies can operate, promote a more expansive, pro-active and integrated response by local authorities and voluntary and co-operative housing bodies to the problem and improve liaison between local authorities, housing bodies and the Gardaí in dealing with individuals behaving in an anti-social manner in social housing estates.
Building on the existing powers of local authorities to apply to the District Court for an order to exclude a person engaging in anti-social behaviour from a local authority dwelling and estate, the proposed legislation will include provision for -
* A broader definition of what constitutes anti-social behaviour, in line with the definition included in the Criminal Justice Act 2006;
* Adoption by the local elected members of a policy to combat anti-social behaviour;
* A tiered approach to dealing with individual cases - culminating, if necessary, in an excluding order application.
Action against the causes - projects worth €8 million on the way
The Minister is determined not only to deal with the symptoms of anti-social behaviour, but also to engage with the causes. "We need to tackle a range of issues if we are to eliminate anti-social behaviour" - the Minister said. "All our State Agencies need to dovetail their activities to deliver a holistic approach to improving the day-to-day lives of persons who may find themselves marginalised. Local authorities can play a key role in tackling aspects of social exclusion, improving community morale and delivering better housing services.
"For this reason" - added the Minister - "my Department has significantly increased funding this year to support the efforts of housing authorities to enhance services and living conditions in local authority estates. This is on top of funding under the Housing Management Initiative, which has operated successfully for many years."
The new Sustainable Communities Fund was introduced this year to enable local authorities take further initiatives to improve quality of life in their housing estates and to ensure that these estates integrate successfully into the wider community. The Department has sought innovative proposals from local authorities under the Fund which aim to deliver real and lasting benefits in terms of residents' experiences of their living environments.
The Minister indicated that consideration of the individual proposals under the scheme is being finalised. He looks forward to announcing allocations under the fund in the near future, which will provide finance to projects around the country worth at least €8 million over the next three years.
The Minister will also be making funds in excess of €1 million available to local authorities later this year under the Housing Management Initiative. This Initiative has, since 1995, provided some €6.25 million to local authorities in support of about 470 projects around the country, which aim to deliver better housing services to local authority tenants.
"Stronger powers and more resources will be key to ensuring that local authorities can respond - not only to the symptoms, but also to the causes of such behaviour" - the Minister said. "Anti-social behaviour disrupts the lives of householders and has the potential to destabilise communities" - he continued.
"Local authorities - as landlords of some 110,000 dwellings - have a duty to secure and protect the interests of their tenants as far as reasonably possible, by abating or preventing anti-social behaviour in their estates."
Action against the symptoms - stronger laws
The Minister aims to tackle the symptoms of anti-social behaviour in local authority estates by advancing strong, new legislation as quickly as possible.
The planned legislation will provide a more powerful and comprehensive legal framework within which local authorities and approved housing bodies can operate, promote a more expansive, pro-active and integrated response by local authorities and voluntary and co-operative housing bodies to the problem and improve liaison between local authorities, housing bodies and the Gardaí in dealing with individuals behaving in an anti-social manner in social housing estates.
Building on the existing powers of local authorities to apply to the District Court for an order to exclude a person engaging in anti-social behaviour from a local authority dwelling and estate, the proposed legislation will include provision for -
* A broader definition of what constitutes anti-social behaviour, in line with the definition included in the Criminal Justice Act 2006;
* Adoption by the local elected members of a policy to combat anti-social behaviour;
* A tiered approach to dealing with individual cases - culminating, if necessary, in an excluding order application.
Action against the causes - projects worth €8 million on the way
The Minister is determined not only to deal with the symptoms of anti-social behaviour, but also to engage with the causes. "We need to tackle a range of issues if we are to eliminate anti-social behaviour" - the Minister said. "All our State Agencies need to dovetail their activities to deliver a holistic approach to improving the day-to-day lives of persons who may find themselves marginalised. Local authorities can play a key role in tackling aspects of social exclusion, improving community morale and delivering better housing services.
"For this reason" - added the Minister - "my Department has significantly increased funding this year to support the efforts of housing authorities to enhance services and living conditions in local authority estates. This is on top of funding under the Housing Management Initiative, which has operated successfully for many years."
The new Sustainable Communities Fund was introduced this year to enable local authorities take further initiatives to improve quality of life in their housing estates and to ensure that these estates integrate successfully into the wider community. The Department has sought innovative proposals from local authorities under the Fund which aim to deliver real and lasting benefits in terms of residents' experiences of their living environments.
The Minister indicated that consideration of the individual proposals under the scheme is being finalised. He looks forward to announcing allocations under the fund in the near future, which will provide finance to projects around the country worth at least €8 million over the next three years.
The Minister will also be making funds in excess of €1 million available to local authorities later this year under the Housing Management Initiative. This Initiative has, since 1995, provided some €6.25 million to local authorities in support of about 470 projects around the country, which aim to deliver better housing services to local authority tenants.
White Tailed Eagles released into the wild in Kerry
Mr. John Gormley T.D. Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has released a number of young White Tailed Eagles into the wild in Killarney National Park, as part of the programme to reintroduce this native bird of prey to Ireland.
The Minister said he was delighted to release these magnificent birds into the wild.
The Minister added - "One of my first duties on becoming Minister was to be present last month in County Wicklow at the re-introduction into the wild of a number of young red kites (Click Here). This reintroduction of the White Tailed Eagle complements both the red kite and golden eagle projects."
The Minister continued - "These eagles had pride of place in the cultural and natural heritage of Ireland for hundreds of years - but, due to trapping and shooting in the 19th and early 20th centuries, they became extinct."
The Minister was also pleased to note that the project will help to fulfil part of Ireland's commitment to maintain and enhance our native wildlife under the obligations of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Minister Gormley said that the project will have a viable and long-term benefit for tourism in the South West Region of Ireland.
"I know that, in Scotland, White Tailed Eagles attract thousands of visitors annually and hopefully, in time, these eagles will attract similar visitor numbers and will prove another attraction in promoting the wild and unspoilt landscape of the south-west region."
The White Tailed Eagle Project is a partnership between the Golden Eagle Trust, The National Parks and Wildlife Service and others - with funding provided by the Minister's Department. The eagle chicks came from Norway and were flown into Kerry Airport in June. The project will operate over a five-year period and will follow the methods of other successful projects in Ireland and Scotland.
It is expected that most of the eagles released will disperse to the coastline after a few months and monitoring will take place after release.
In conclusion, the Minister thanked the White Tailed Eagle Steering Group in bringing this restoration project to fruition. "I know that the co-operation of all those involved in the project will ensure its continued success" - concluded the Minister.
The Minister said he was delighted to release these magnificent birds into the wild.
The Minister added - "One of my first duties on becoming Minister was to be present last month in County Wicklow at the re-introduction into the wild of a number of young red kites (Click Here). This reintroduction of the White Tailed Eagle complements both the red kite and golden eagle projects."
The Minister continued - "These eagles had pride of place in the cultural and natural heritage of Ireland for hundreds of years - but, due to trapping and shooting in the 19th and early 20th centuries, they became extinct."
The Minister was also pleased to note that the project will help to fulfil part of Ireland's commitment to maintain and enhance our native wildlife under the obligations of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.
Minister Gormley said that the project will have a viable and long-term benefit for tourism in the South West Region of Ireland.
"I know that, in Scotland, White Tailed Eagles attract thousands of visitors annually and hopefully, in time, these eagles will attract similar visitor numbers and will prove another attraction in promoting the wild and unspoilt landscape of the south-west region."
The White Tailed Eagle Project is a partnership between the Golden Eagle Trust, The National Parks and Wildlife Service and others - with funding provided by the Minister's Department. The eagle chicks came from Norway and were flown into Kerry Airport in June. The project will operate over a five-year period and will follow the methods of other successful projects in Ireland and Scotland.
It is expected that most of the eagles released will disperse to the coastline after a few months and monitoring will take place after release.
In conclusion, the Minister thanked the White Tailed Eagle Steering Group in bringing this restoration project to fruition. "I know that the co-operation of all those involved in the project will ensure its continued success" - concluded the Minister.
Third report from the LGMSB on Local Authority Service Indicators
Mr. John Gormley, TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has welcomed the third report from the Local Government Management Services Board on Local Authority Service Indicators.
The report details the performance of local authorities in 2006 in relation to 42 indicators of service and 160 sub-indicators covering a wide range of local authority activities - e.g. housing, water, planning, fire service, environment and finance.
In welcoming the Report, Minister Gormley pointed out that - "Local government plays a very important role in our everyday lives, so it is essential that services are delivered to the highest standard possible".
He also praised the work of local authorities and their ongoing commitment and drive to ensuring quality customer service. "Progress made by local authorities in recent years is evident by the information contained within the Service Indicator Report. Nonetheless, local authorities must strive to do better to improve services to the public" - he stated.
The Minister hopes that all local authorities will follow the examples of those local authorities which are leading the way. "County Monaghan has 5 times more childrens' playgrounds than average. However, on other issues, local authorities which are lagging behind are encouraged to improve service delivery at all times" - the Minister added. For example, while local authority dwellings are - on average - re-let after less than 4 weeks, some local authorities have average delays of up to 20 weeks.
According to the Report, there is a wide variation in recycling performance for household waste - varying from 6% to 56% between different counties and the Minister called for - "an improved performance for those counties with low recycling rates.
"I am also particularly keen that all planning authorities intensify their efforts in the area of planning enforcement. I am determined that all local authorities take their responsibilities seriously in this regard and my Department will continue to do everything possible to support their efforts."
Minister Gormley continued - "I am committed to the reform of local government and the issue of customer service will be to the forefront of the reform programme outlined in the Programme for Government."
The Minister acknowledged that much effort had been made in recent years by local authorities in focusing on service delivery and it is his intention that the reform programme will build on that work. He went on to say that local government had taken the lead in the public service on reporting on service delivery in such a detailed way for its sector and welcomed the comparison in the report between performance in 2004, 2005 and 2006 - showing that, with a few exceptions, the overall trend was moving in the right direction.
Commenting on the findings, the Minister noted the improvement in a number of indicators compared to 2005, in particular -
* An increase in the use of Library Services - both in the number of registered members and a significant increased availability and usage of internet, now available in virtually all libraries.
* Considerable usage of Pre-planning consultations that are now a key feature of the service provided by planning sections - with a total of 28,113 meetings facilitated nationally.
* With regard to Litter, comparison between 2005 and 2006 show that total percentage of litter-free areas has increased from 6.1% to 6.8% - and, in the case of slightly polluted areas, it has increased from 49.5% to 53.6%. Areas significantly polluted and areas grossly polluted has fallen from 8.5% to 7.4 % and 1.5% to 0.6%, respectively.
The Minister stressed however, that this was an area - "where I am determined to see local authorities ramp up their activity, with a particular focus on enforcement and educate people not to litter".
* Local Authority Housing Stock has increased to 115,386 dwellings - an increase of nearly 1,700 since 2005 and time taken to inform applicants has generally gone down nationally.
The average time to inform applicants of shared ownership has decreased from 11 days in 2005, to 8.7 days in 2006 - in the case of housing loans, it has gone down from an average of 13 days to 8 days in the same period.
The Minister noted that - "while a variety of factors can influence the relative performance of local authorities, the real challenge for each local authority is to put in place a strategy to ensure that its own performance is improved on an ongoing basis".
Minister Gormley asked local authorities to provide feedback and analysis of results to elected members, so that reasons are identified in the case of both good and poor performance. He also urged members of the public to read the report and check out how their council is performing. The report itself provides a wide picture of many local authorities activities.
The Minister also announced that, later in the year, he will make available the outcome of the on-going review of the service indicator initiative, which is being undertaken by the Local Authority Customer Service Group, who drew up the original indicators. Any new indicators or amendments to existing indicators will be in place prior to January 2008 to enable reporting on service delivery.
The Minister acknowledged the important role played by the Independent Assessment Panel, chaired by Professor Philip Bourke - the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business, UCD - in quality assuring the entire service indicators' process. The other members of the Panel are Ms Mary O'Dea, Consumer Director, Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority and Mr Arthur Coldrick, Chairman of the Performance Verification Group for the Local Government Sector under the National Partnership agreements.
The report details the performance of local authorities in 2006 in relation to 42 indicators of service and 160 sub-indicators covering a wide range of local authority activities - e.g. housing, water, planning, fire service, environment and finance.
In welcoming the Report, Minister Gormley pointed out that - "Local government plays a very important role in our everyday lives, so it is essential that services are delivered to the highest standard possible".
He also praised the work of local authorities and their ongoing commitment and drive to ensuring quality customer service. "Progress made by local authorities in recent years is evident by the information contained within the Service Indicator Report. Nonetheless, local authorities must strive to do better to improve services to the public" - he stated.
The Minister hopes that all local authorities will follow the examples of those local authorities which are leading the way. "County Monaghan has 5 times more childrens' playgrounds than average. However, on other issues, local authorities which are lagging behind are encouraged to improve service delivery at all times" - the Minister added. For example, while local authority dwellings are - on average - re-let after less than 4 weeks, some local authorities have average delays of up to 20 weeks.
According to the Report, there is a wide variation in recycling performance for household waste - varying from 6% to 56% between different counties and the Minister called for - "an improved performance for those counties with low recycling rates.
"I am also particularly keen that all planning authorities intensify their efforts in the area of planning enforcement. I am determined that all local authorities take their responsibilities seriously in this regard and my Department will continue to do everything possible to support their efforts."
Minister Gormley continued - "I am committed to the reform of local government and the issue of customer service will be to the forefront of the reform programme outlined in the Programme for Government."
The Minister acknowledged that much effort had been made in recent years by local authorities in focusing on service delivery and it is his intention that the reform programme will build on that work. He went on to say that local government had taken the lead in the public service on reporting on service delivery in such a detailed way for its sector and welcomed the comparison in the report between performance in 2004, 2005 and 2006 - showing that, with a few exceptions, the overall trend was moving in the right direction.
Commenting on the findings, the Minister noted the improvement in a number of indicators compared to 2005, in particular -
* An increase in the use of Library Services - both in the number of registered members and a significant increased availability and usage of internet, now available in virtually all libraries.
* Considerable usage of Pre-planning consultations that are now a key feature of the service provided by planning sections - with a total of 28,113 meetings facilitated nationally.
* With regard to Litter, comparison between 2005 and 2006 show that total percentage of litter-free areas has increased from 6.1% to 6.8% - and, in the case of slightly polluted areas, it has increased from 49.5% to 53.6%. Areas significantly polluted and areas grossly polluted has fallen from 8.5% to 7.4 % and 1.5% to 0.6%, respectively.
The Minister stressed however, that this was an area - "where I am determined to see local authorities ramp up their activity, with a particular focus on enforcement and educate people not to litter".
* Local Authority Housing Stock has increased to 115,386 dwellings - an increase of nearly 1,700 since 2005 and time taken to inform applicants has generally gone down nationally.
The average time to inform applicants of shared ownership has decreased from 11 days in 2005, to 8.7 days in 2006 - in the case of housing loans, it has gone down from an average of 13 days to 8 days in the same period.
The Minister noted that - "while a variety of factors can influence the relative performance of local authorities, the real challenge for each local authority is to put in place a strategy to ensure that its own performance is improved on an ongoing basis".
Minister Gormley asked local authorities to provide feedback and analysis of results to elected members, so that reasons are identified in the case of both good and poor performance. He also urged members of the public to read the report and check out how their council is performing. The report itself provides a wide picture of many local authorities activities.
The Minister also announced that, later in the year, he will make available the outcome of the on-going review of the service indicator initiative, which is being undertaken by the Local Authority Customer Service Group, who drew up the original indicators. Any new indicators or amendments to existing indicators will be in place prior to January 2008 to enable reporting on service delivery.
The Minister acknowledged the important role played by the Independent Assessment Panel, chaired by Professor Philip Bourke - the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business, UCD - in quality assuring the entire service indicators' process. The other members of the Panel are Ms Mary O'Dea, Consumer Director, Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority and Mr Arthur Coldrick, Chairman of the Performance Verification Group for the Local Government Sector under the National Partnership agreements.
Sunday, 19 August 2007
'Recycling' is ending up in the dump
A number of Ireland's leading recycling companies are dumping significant amounts of waste from some of their facilities into landfill sites.
Waste management companies, including Oxigen, Thorntons, Panda and Greenstar, are all dumping up to 60 per cent of their waste from some of their facilities into rubbish dumps, according to the latest figures obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Details of the companies' activities, including the percentage tonnage that has ended up in the country's landfills, have been specified in each company's EPA Annual Environmental Report 2006.
The Oxigen group has confirmed that almost all of its waste from its Robin Hood facility, and over 60 per cent of waste (35,000 tonnes) from its Dundalk facility, had been consigned to landfill in 2006.
In the same year, of the total waste content that the Thornton's waste management company sent to its facility on Killeen Road in Dundalk, 59 per cent ended up in a landfill, in comparison to the 41 per cent which has been recycled.
However, a spokesperson for Thorntons has stated that the company has since introduced a new line of recycling equipment into the Dundalk site, which has subsequently led to a reduction in the amount of waste consigned to landfill.
Meanwhile, documents submitted from the Panda waste management company to the EPA illustrate how the company's two largest consignments of waste materials had been destined for landfill sites.
In 2006, Panda sent its largest waste load, nearly 37,000 tonnes, to the Whiteriver landfill site in Co Louth, while an estimated 24,000 tonnes, its second largest batch, was sent to the Knockharley landfill in Co Meath.
Although the Panda waste management company said that it was unable to provide a full breakdown of individual figures for each site at the time of going to print, a spokesperson for the company stated, "Our overall recycling rate for 2006 equates to 81 per cent, therefore 19 per cent of our material was landfilled."
He continued, "Currently there is a massive emphasis on recycling waste from our domestic collection in Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, with 62 per cent of material recycled. This figure should jump dramatically with the introduction of our new free glass household collection which commences in September."
Meanwhile, waste management companies have explained that the significant level of waste which has been consigned to landfill sites is due to the fact that certain types of waste, such as unsegregated municipal waste, cannot be recycled.
Managing director at Oxigen, Peter McLoughlin, says it has an overall recycling rate of 70 per cent.
"In 2006, nearly 64,000 tonnes of municipal waste was delivered to the Robin Hood site, all of which has been consigned to landfill. All of that material went to landfill because you cannot recycle municipal waste, which is unsegregated."
Stephen Cowman, head of Greenstar, which has an overall recovery rate of 66 per cent, says the Government also has to take a certain amount of responsibility for the low recycling rates at certain sites in Ireland.
"In a recent Forfas report, we ranked among the lowest of the 10 companies that they had actually benchmarked in terms of our waste management infrastructure. So we're coming from a zero base here and the low recovery rate is symptomatic of the fact that we just don't have the right levels of infrastructure in Ireland."
The figures come just a week after it was revealed that the national recycling scheme is under threat because Government targets on waste here have not actually changed in 10 years.
Irish Independent
Waste management companies, including Oxigen, Thorntons, Panda and Greenstar, are all dumping up to 60 per cent of their waste from some of their facilities into rubbish dumps, according to the latest figures obtained from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Details of the companies' activities, including the percentage tonnage that has ended up in the country's landfills, have been specified in each company's EPA Annual Environmental Report 2006.
The Oxigen group has confirmed that almost all of its waste from its Robin Hood facility, and over 60 per cent of waste (35,000 tonnes) from its Dundalk facility, had been consigned to landfill in 2006.
In the same year, of the total waste content that the Thornton's waste management company sent to its facility on Killeen Road in Dundalk, 59 per cent ended up in a landfill, in comparison to the 41 per cent which has been recycled.
However, a spokesperson for Thorntons has stated that the company has since introduced a new line of recycling equipment into the Dundalk site, which has subsequently led to a reduction in the amount of waste consigned to landfill.
Meanwhile, documents submitted from the Panda waste management company to the EPA illustrate how the company's two largest consignments of waste materials had been destined for landfill sites.
In 2006, Panda sent its largest waste load, nearly 37,000 tonnes, to the Whiteriver landfill site in Co Louth, while an estimated 24,000 tonnes, its second largest batch, was sent to the Knockharley landfill in Co Meath.
Although the Panda waste management company said that it was unable to provide a full breakdown of individual figures for each site at the time of going to print, a spokesperson for the company stated, "Our overall recycling rate for 2006 equates to 81 per cent, therefore 19 per cent of our material was landfilled."
He continued, "Currently there is a massive emphasis on recycling waste from our domestic collection in Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, with 62 per cent of material recycled. This figure should jump dramatically with the introduction of our new free glass household collection which commences in September."
Meanwhile, waste management companies have explained that the significant level of waste which has been consigned to landfill sites is due to the fact that certain types of waste, such as unsegregated municipal waste, cannot be recycled.
Managing director at Oxigen, Peter McLoughlin, says it has an overall recycling rate of 70 per cent.
"In 2006, nearly 64,000 tonnes of municipal waste was delivered to the Robin Hood site, all of which has been consigned to landfill. All of that material went to landfill because you cannot recycle municipal waste, which is unsegregated."
Stephen Cowman, head of Greenstar, which has an overall recovery rate of 66 per cent, says the Government also has to take a certain amount of responsibility for the low recycling rates at certain sites in Ireland.
"In a recent Forfas report, we ranked among the lowest of the 10 companies that they had actually benchmarked in terms of our waste management infrastructure. So we're coming from a zero base here and the low recovery rate is symptomatic of the fact that we just don't have the right levels of infrastructure in Ireland."
The figures come just a week after it was revealed that the national recycling scheme is under threat because Government targets on waste here have not actually changed in 10 years.
Irish Independent
Opponents may legally challenge Greystones plan
I was away during the week, so I am just posting this story from Tuesday last now.
Opponents of a €300 million redevelopment scheme for Greystones harbour in Co Wicklow are to meet next week to examine grounds for a legal challenge to the scheme.
The move will follow a meeting this week between Wicklow County Council and its private sector partners, the Sispar consortium, aimed at setting a five-year construction timetable for the project.
Envisaged in the redevelopment of the harbour is a modern marina, some 5,500sq m of commercial units and 341 new homes, a public park and new premises for existing harbour users.
The council, which is to provide some 70 acres for the project, said it has already begun work on redesigning access to the site and implementing a traffic management programme in the local area, as required by Bord Pleanála.
The council hopes land-based construction work will begin this year, with major marine works starting next spring. Last week, a council spokesman said the commitment to providing the new harbour in advance of 341 new homes, planned as part of the development, remained intact.
However, speaking yesterday, Fiachra Etchingham of the Greystones Protection and Development Association (GPDA) said legal moves to halt the scheme were being examined. The association was looking at a number of aspects of the board's decision as well as the processes used by the council to acquire land for the development, he added.
The council originally owned about 40 acres of the 70-acre site and used the compulsory purchase order system to acquire the remainder. However, the GPDA has questioned the use of the system to acquire the foreshore, which they claim is constitutionally complicated.
The association is also anxious to see details of a wave-modelling scheme commissioned by Sispar, which would demonstrate the suitability of the harbour piers to withstand easterly gales. Mr Etchingham said such detail was denied to the planning inquiry, despite repeated requests.
Should there be no challenge, construction is to take place over the next five years. Much concrete manufacturing activity is to be carried out on site in an effort to minimise the number of lorries servicing the site by road.
The council is also required to carry out detailed archaeological works on the site in advance of construction. Two of the 13 conditions imposed on Sispar in the grant of planning permission relate to detailed archaeological surveys in the area of the proposed cement plants and at a former football field.
Included in the project is the rebuilding of the old Victorian harbour. A lighthouse base originally intended for the Kish bank is to be removed. Also set to go is a crumbling north wall.
Tim O'Brien
2007 The Irish Times
Opponents of a €300 million redevelopment scheme for Greystones harbour in Co Wicklow are to meet next week to examine grounds for a legal challenge to the scheme.
The move will follow a meeting this week between Wicklow County Council and its private sector partners, the Sispar consortium, aimed at setting a five-year construction timetable for the project.
Envisaged in the redevelopment of the harbour is a modern marina, some 5,500sq m of commercial units and 341 new homes, a public park and new premises for existing harbour users.
The council, which is to provide some 70 acres for the project, said it has already begun work on redesigning access to the site and implementing a traffic management programme in the local area, as required by Bord Pleanála.
The council hopes land-based construction work will begin this year, with major marine works starting next spring. Last week, a council spokesman said the commitment to providing the new harbour in advance of 341 new homes, planned as part of the development, remained intact.
However, speaking yesterday, Fiachra Etchingham of the Greystones Protection and Development Association (GPDA) said legal moves to halt the scheme were being examined. The association was looking at a number of aspects of the board's decision as well as the processes used by the council to acquire land for the development, he added.
The council originally owned about 40 acres of the 70-acre site and used the compulsory purchase order system to acquire the remainder. However, the GPDA has questioned the use of the system to acquire the foreshore, which they claim is constitutionally complicated.
The association is also anxious to see details of a wave-modelling scheme commissioned by Sispar, which would demonstrate the suitability of the harbour piers to withstand easterly gales. Mr Etchingham said such detail was denied to the planning inquiry, despite repeated requests.
Should there be no challenge, construction is to take place over the next five years. Much concrete manufacturing activity is to be carried out on site in an effort to minimise the number of lorries servicing the site by road.
The council is also required to carry out detailed archaeological works on the site in advance of construction. Two of the 13 conditions imposed on Sispar in the grant of planning permission relate to detailed archaeological surveys in the area of the proposed cement plants and at a former football field.
Included in the project is the rebuilding of the old Victorian harbour. A lighthouse base originally intended for the Kish bank is to be removed. Also set to go is a crumbling north wall.
Tim O'Brien
2007 The Irish Times
Ballina man to build €1bn ‘green city’ in Colombia
BALLINA man Richard Barrett is set to take on his biggest project yet, building a €1billion ‘green city’ in South America. The property empire of Treasury Holdings, the largest developer in Ireland, co-owned by Richard Barrett and John Ronan, looks set to transform the Colombian capital of Bogota after it was reported that city planners made an approach to build a green city there.
The offer comes on foot of Colombia’s increasing environmental problems as a result of the growing population which is soaring by 140,000 annually causing the carbon footprint to escalate. The Bogota plan is now said to be similar to Treasury Holdings €1.2 billion ‘eco-city’ near Shanghai in China.
The world’s first purpose- build eco-city at Dongtan on the island of Chongming is now underway with phase one expected to be completed in 2010. It will be finished in time for the World Expo to be held in Shanghai. The area will then be home to 80,000 people.
In an interview with national newspapers last week, Richard Barrett said he is confident that his company is on the cusp of something great. “We’ve got limited amounts of expertise for these projects at the moment, but we’re trying to build larger teams so we can take on new projects outside China. Eco-city developments are a new way of thinking and I’m sure that eventually it’ll be the biggest thing we can do as a company.”
The Ballina barrister and economist developed an interest in property law and was involved in property development prior to founding Treasury Holdings with John Ronan in 1989. Since then, the company has gone on to become internationally recognised and the Dongtan development has generated huge interest across the globe.
The eco-city will combat the carbon footprint problems by using an environ-mental planning scheme. With China in the grip of a population explosion, between now and 2020, the country needs to build 400 new towns to accommodate more than 300 million people from the rural areas. The project was taken on by the Shanghai Industrial Development Corporation (SIIC) who will work with the Irish company to develop a model town.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has lauded the work of Treasury Holdings and described the Shanghai venture as “a most exciting development which highlights the mutual benefits of co-operation between Irish and Chinese companies.”
With Dublin now rivalling Los Angeles in terms of its carbon footprint, the company has shown no moves to use their expertise on home ground. It seems that although there is no development of that type in Ireland to date, it is not something that has gone unnoticed by Mr Barrett.
“If we owned all of Dublin’s North Docks, we could have built an eco-development there,” he said.
Anna-Marie Flynn
Western People
The offer comes on foot of Colombia’s increasing environmental problems as a result of the growing population which is soaring by 140,000 annually causing the carbon footprint to escalate. The Bogota plan is now said to be similar to Treasury Holdings €1.2 billion ‘eco-city’ near Shanghai in China.
The world’s first purpose- build eco-city at Dongtan on the island of Chongming is now underway with phase one expected to be completed in 2010. It will be finished in time for the World Expo to be held in Shanghai. The area will then be home to 80,000 people.
In an interview with national newspapers last week, Richard Barrett said he is confident that his company is on the cusp of something great. “We’ve got limited amounts of expertise for these projects at the moment, but we’re trying to build larger teams so we can take on new projects outside China. Eco-city developments are a new way of thinking and I’m sure that eventually it’ll be the biggest thing we can do as a company.”
The Ballina barrister and economist developed an interest in property law and was involved in property development prior to founding Treasury Holdings with John Ronan in 1989. Since then, the company has gone on to become internationally recognised and the Dongtan development has generated huge interest across the globe.
The eco-city will combat the carbon footprint problems by using an environ-mental planning scheme. With China in the grip of a population explosion, between now and 2020, the country needs to build 400 new towns to accommodate more than 300 million people from the rural areas. The project was taken on by the Shanghai Industrial Development Corporation (SIIC) who will work with the Irish company to develop a model town.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has lauded the work of Treasury Holdings and described the Shanghai venture as “a most exciting development which highlights the mutual benefits of co-operation between Irish and Chinese companies.”
With Dublin now rivalling Los Angeles in terms of its carbon footprint, the company has shown no moves to use their expertise on home ground. It seems that although there is no development of that type in Ireland to date, it is not something that has gone unnoticed by Mr Barrett.
“If we owned all of Dublin’s North Docks, we could have built an eco-development there,” he said.
Anna-Marie Flynn
Western People
Objections to €30m Strandhill hotel plan
A DECISION by Sligo County Council to give the go ahead for a €30 million development in Strandhill, which will include a hotel, an aparthotel, retail units, houses and apartments, has now been appealed to An Bord Pleanala.
Casscon Building Company Ltd were given planning permission a month ago by to demolish the existing Ocean View Hotel and four houses at Carrowbunnaun on the top road in the village to make way for the new hotel and aparthotel and on an adjoining site to build houses and apartments.
Objectors to the development have claimed that it would obscure views of Knocknarea, was out of character for the village and according to one, would turn the resort into “a mini Torremolinos”.
The commercial development will involve a new hotel, including a leisure and fitness centre, bar and restaurant, conferencing facility and 13 bedrooms.
It will also include an aparthotel consisting of 61 units in four two-three storey blocks, 553 square metres of retail at the ground floor of two of the blocks and an underground car park providing 158 spaces.
One of 32 conditions attached to the permission is that the aparthotel units can only be used for short-term tourist and commercial visitor lettings and they cannot be places for permanent residence.
On the adjoining site, Casscon have been granted planning permission, subject to 31 conditions, for the construction of 34 residential units, comprising of 18 two-storey terrace houses in four blocks, two two-storey semi-detached houses and 14 apartments in two two-storey blocks.
At the time of the granting of planning permission it was stated that the project would employ up to 100 people during the construction phase and about as the same number when it was up and running.
Construction would take about two years.
Objections and submissions in relation to both developments were lodged with Sligo County Council by a number of people, including neighbouring residents.
Two of those, Sinead Lennon and Padraig Ryan of Carrowbunnaun, have now appealed the grant of planning permission to An Bord Pleanala.
In the course of their objection to the council they said that they had been living in Strandhill for 14 years and had seen it undergo dramatic changes.
They also claimed that “the travesty of inadequate planning has destroyed the flavour of the village rather than added to it.”
Friends of the Irish Environment
Casscon Building Company Ltd were given planning permission a month ago by to demolish the existing Ocean View Hotel and four houses at Carrowbunnaun on the top road in the village to make way for the new hotel and aparthotel and on an adjoining site to build houses and apartments.
Objectors to the development have claimed that it would obscure views of Knocknarea, was out of character for the village and according to one, would turn the resort into “a mini Torremolinos”.
The commercial development will involve a new hotel, including a leisure and fitness centre, bar and restaurant, conferencing facility and 13 bedrooms.
It will also include an aparthotel consisting of 61 units in four two-three storey blocks, 553 square metres of retail at the ground floor of two of the blocks and an underground car park providing 158 spaces.
One of 32 conditions attached to the permission is that the aparthotel units can only be used for short-term tourist and commercial visitor lettings and they cannot be places for permanent residence.
On the adjoining site, Casscon have been granted planning permission, subject to 31 conditions, for the construction of 34 residential units, comprising of 18 two-storey terrace houses in four blocks, two two-storey semi-detached houses and 14 apartments in two two-storey blocks.
At the time of the granting of planning permission it was stated that the project would employ up to 100 people during the construction phase and about as the same number when it was up and running.
Construction would take about two years.
Objections and submissions in relation to both developments were lodged with Sligo County Council by a number of people, including neighbouring residents.
Two of those, Sinead Lennon and Padraig Ryan of Carrowbunnaun, have now appealed the grant of planning permission to An Bord Pleanala.
In the course of their objection to the council they said that they had been living in Strandhill for 14 years and had seen it undergo dramatic changes.
They also claimed that “the travesty of inadequate planning has destroyed the flavour of the village rather than added to it.”
Friends of the Irish Environment
Cork Council takes legal action against quarry operators
THE owners of a quarry alleged to be illegal have been told to halt all operations. Cork County Council has initiated legal proceedings against the operators of a large quarry at Curraglass, near Conna.
The quarry borders Cork and Waterford. It is believed to be a working quarry. The matter is likely to come before the district court in Tallow, Co Waterford shortly.
Officials from the council’s Enforcement Section have visited the site twice in recent months and despite the threat of legal proceedings, council sources insist there are visible signs of recent work activity.
Cllr Liam O’Doherty, who had highlighted the situation on numerous occasions at county hall meetings, yesterday welcomed the council’s get-tough policy.
The county councillor said, however, that he was concerned at the length of time it had taken to progress the matter to a legal stage.
Significantly, it was a council official who made the first complaint about the quarry on October 24, 2006. A warning letter was then issued.
“An agent working for the quarry operator contacted the council requesting a pre-planning meeting and indicated that he would submit a planning application for retention,” a county council spokeswoman said yesterday.
On November 28, an inspector from the council’s enforcement section called to the quarry and reported that, as an unauthorised development, it contravened section 151 of the Planning and Developments Acts (2000).
“In February, we were again told by the agent that an application for retention would be submitted to the council by March 9. On March 8, the council started legal proceedings,” the spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, on March 21, a planning application was finally lodged but council officials returned it to the quarry operator’s agent on as it was incomplete.
On May 8, the council received another letter from the agent saying that the application would be resubmitted with the additional information requested by the council.
“In early June, we got photographic evidence that plant and machinery were in use at the site,” the council spokeswoman said.
A planning application was finally submitted by the quarry operator last week, seeking permission to retain the quarry and temporary processing plant on an indefinite basis. The application has yet to be validated.
On the same day — August 8 — an inspector from the enforcement section visited the site again.
“There was no activity on that particular day but it appeared that work had been carried out there since the visit in June,” the spokeswoman claimed.
She said that last Wednesday the council had issued a notice to the quarry operator advising him to cease all quarrying and associated activities on the site and remove all plant and machinery.
“We will be closely monitoring the situation,” the spokeswoman said.
Mr O’Doherty said it was “high time” Cork County Council set an example.
“It’s not fair on local residents, especially when it’s hard enough to get one-off planning for houses in rural areas,” he said.
Sean O’Riordan
Irish Examiner
The quarry borders Cork and Waterford. It is believed to be a working quarry. The matter is likely to come before the district court in Tallow, Co Waterford shortly.
Officials from the council’s Enforcement Section have visited the site twice in recent months and despite the threat of legal proceedings, council sources insist there are visible signs of recent work activity.
Cllr Liam O’Doherty, who had highlighted the situation on numerous occasions at county hall meetings, yesterday welcomed the council’s get-tough policy.
The county councillor said, however, that he was concerned at the length of time it had taken to progress the matter to a legal stage.
Significantly, it was a council official who made the first complaint about the quarry on October 24, 2006. A warning letter was then issued.
“An agent working for the quarry operator contacted the council requesting a pre-planning meeting and indicated that he would submit a planning application for retention,” a county council spokeswoman said yesterday.
On November 28, an inspector from the council’s enforcement section called to the quarry and reported that, as an unauthorised development, it contravened section 151 of the Planning and Developments Acts (2000).
“In February, we were again told by the agent that an application for retention would be submitted to the council by March 9. On March 8, the council started legal proceedings,” the spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, on March 21, a planning application was finally lodged but council officials returned it to the quarry operator’s agent on as it was incomplete.
On May 8, the council received another letter from the agent saying that the application would be resubmitted with the additional information requested by the council.
“In early June, we got photographic evidence that plant and machinery were in use at the site,” the council spokeswoman said.
A planning application was finally submitted by the quarry operator last week, seeking permission to retain the quarry and temporary processing plant on an indefinite basis. The application has yet to be validated.
On the same day — August 8 — an inspector from the enforcement section visited the site again.
“There was no activity on that particular day but it appeared that work had been carried out there since the visit in June,” the spokeswoman claimed.
She said that last Wednesday the council had issued a notice to the quarry operator advising him to cease all quarrying and associated activities on the site and remove all plant and machinery.
“We will be closely monitoring the situation,” the spokeswoman said.
Mr O’Doherty said it was “high time” Cork County Council set an example.
“It’s not fair on local residents, especially when it’s hard enough to get one-off planning for houses in rural areas,” he said.
Sean O’Riordan
Irish Examiner
Man promises Coillte not to trespass on mast site
A LANDOWNER has been freed from jail after promising not to trespass on or interfere with one of the most strategic communications sites in south-west Ireland.
Walter Evans, aged 52, of Carrigfadda, Skibbereen, Co Cork, is in a protracted dispute with the State forestry company, Coillte Teoranta, over ownership of land at the summit of Nowen Hill in west Cork.
On Monday, Judge Sean Ó Donnabháin sent him to Cork Prison for refusing to accept a Circuit Court order demanding he would not enter Coillte lands, interfere with locks and publicly dispute the title of the lands on the internet.
On Wednesday, Evans appeared before the court again and agreed to abide by the conditions imposed on him sought by Coillte.
Nowen Hill, at 1,763ft, is a strategic vantage point hosting communications masts for the region’s mobile phone, broadband and radio signals. Each of the sites generates revenue of about €30,000 a year.
Evans’s counsel Greg Casey said although Evans accepted the conditions he plans to take a separate case to decide the ownership of the land.
Judge Ó Donnabháin said Evans was within his rights to bring the boundary dispute to court but he could not trespass on the land until a ruling was made.
“Nobody is going to stop him [Evans] appealing the land ownership. But what we are here about is that Evans is taking the law into his own hands by cutting locks and breaking barriers,” said the judge.
Evans has leased the land from Coillte since 1988 and developed several transmitter sites which were rented out to communications companies.
In recent years he purchased the patch adjoining Coillte’s property from a relative so the masts could be transferred to his own land.
The border between this land and the Coillte property is in dispute.
Maps given to Evans in 1990 showed a boundary of the Coillte property to be different to a recent version drawn up by GPS satellite technology.
However, the judge did not allow arguments on the ownership of the land to be heard and said this had to be taken as separate legal proceedings.
Counsel for Coillte, Marjorie Farrelly, said the only issue before the court was that of contempt: “The matter that comes before the court refers not the issue of the boundary but to the breaking of barriers and the cutting of locks.”
However, Mr Casey said Evans still needed access to the land.
“In relation to the Coillte mast site there has been a significant problem with one of the masts belonging to Evans which was required to be taken down under one of the conditions of the planning permission for another mast,” he said.
The same road accesses both Coillte land and Evans’s land. However, because he is prevented from trespassing on Coillte property he cannot reach his tract or the mast he owns on the forestry company’s property. The latest proceedings were set off after a photograph at the site with Kathy Sinnott MEP appeared on the Indymedia website.
The article posted by Evans disputed the ownership of the land.
Coillte has collected comprehensive surveillance records of Evans’s movements on the site and Ms Farrelly said the cost of this had run into “hundreds of thousands of euro”.
Conor Ryan
Irish Examiner
Walter Evans, aged 52, of Carrigfadda, Skibbereen, Co Cork, is in a protracted dispute with the State forestry company, Coillte Teoranta, over ownership of land at the summit of Nowen Hill in west Cork.
On Monday, Judge Sean Ó Donnabháin sent him to Cork Prison for refusing to accept a Circuit Court order demanding he would not enter Coillte lands, interfere with locks and publicly dispute the title of the lands on the internet.
On Wednesday, Evans appeared before the court again and agreed to abide by the conditions imposed on him sought by Coillte.
Nowen Hill, at 1,763ft, is a strategic vantage point hosting communications masts for the region’s mobile phone, broadband and radio signals. Each of the sites generates revenue of about €30,000 a year.
Evans’s counsel Greg Casey said although Evans accepted the conditions he plans to take a separate case to decide the ownership of the land.
Judge Ó Donnabháin said Evans was within his rights to bring the boundary dispute to court but he could not trespass on the land until a ruling was made.
“Nobody is going to stop him [Evans] appealing the land ownership. But what we are here about is that Evans is taking the law into his own hands by cutting locks and breaking barriers,” said the judge.
Evans has leased the land from Coillte since 1988 and developed several transmitter sites which were rented out to communications companies.
In recent years he purchased the patch adjoining Coillte’s property from a relative so the masts could be transferred to his own land.
The border between this land and the Coillte property is in dispute.
Maps given to Evans in 1990 showed a boundary of the Coillte property to be different to a recent version drawn up by GPS satellite technology.
However, the judge did not allow arguments on the ownership of the land to be heard and said this had to be taken as separate legal proceedings.
Counsel for Coillte, Marjorie Farrelly, said the only issue before the court was that of contempt: “The matter that comes before the court refers not the issue of the boundary but to the breaking of barriers and the cutting of locks.”
However, Mr Casey said Evans still needed access to the land.
“In relation to the Coillte mast site there has been a significant problem with one of the masts belonging to Evans which was required to be taken down under one of the conditions of the planning permission for another mast,” he said.
The same road accesses both Coillte land and Evans’s land. However, because he is prevented from trespassing on Coillte property he cannot reach his tract or the mast he owns on the forestry company’s property. The latest proceedings were set off after a photograph at the site with Kathy Sinnott MEP appeared on the Indymedia website.
The article posted by Evans disputed the ownership of the land.
Coillte has collected comprehensive surveillance records of Evans’s movements on the site and Ms Farrelly said the cost of this had run into “hundreds of thousands of euro”.
Conor Ryan
Irish Examiner
Carlow Council slaughters application for abattoir
SLAUGHTERHOUSE was refused planning permission by Carlow County Council last week after residents vehemently objected to the building. The proposed abattoir would have been situated in Rathornan, Leighlinbridge. Furious residents feared that their properties would have been devalued if the slaughterhouse went ahead.
Local man Gerald Cullen along with Darren O’Gorman applied to the council on November 20, 2006, to build a “purpose-built shed for usage as a slaughter facility for cattle, sheep and pigs”. They also sought permission for “a new entrance, security palisade, fencing and associated ancillary works”.
Over 45 residents attended a meeting in July to voice their upset at the proposed abattoir. They claimed that if the abattoir went ahead it could pose a pollution hazard if effluent from the building seeped into the nearby Rathornan river.
They also claimed that the slaughterhouse would be built on a narrow secondary road and lorries going to and from the abattoir would become a traffic hazard. Along with this the affected residents were extremely concerned that if the slaughterhouse were to go ahead it would cause house prices in the area to plummet.
After reviewing the application, Carlow County Council agreed with the Rathornan residents and refused to give planning permission.’
“The proposed development, by reason of its nature and location, would be prejudicial to the residential amenities of this rural area, would increase the risk of a traffic hazard, would militate against the preservation of the area’s rural environment, and would be more suitable to an edge of town location,” the council stated in its official refusal.
Despite their jubilation at the council’s decision, the residents warn that they will oppose any developer attempting to seek planning permission for an abattoir in the area or any development, which they feel would devalue their property or create a nuisance in the area.
Mairead Wilmot
© Carlow Nationalist
Local man Gerald Cullen along with Darren O’Gorman applied to the council on November 20, 2006, to build a “purpose-built shed for usage as a slaughter facility for cattle, sheep and pigs”. They also sought permission for “a new entrance, security palisade, fencing and associated ancillary works”.
Over 45 residents attended a meeting in July to voice their upset at the proposed abattoir. They claimed that if the abattoir went ahead it could pose a pollution hazard if effluent from the building seeped into the nearby Rathornan river.
They also claimed that the slaughterhouse would be built on a narrow secondary road and lorries going to and from the abattoir would become a traffic hazard. Along with this the affected residents were extremely concerned that if the slaughterhouse were to go ahead it would cause house prices in the area to plummet.
After reviewing the application, Carlow County Council agreed with the Rathornan residents and refused to give planning permission.’
“The proposed development, by reason of its nature and location, would be prejudicial to the residential amenities of this rural area, would increase the risk of a traffic hazard, would militate against the preservation of the area’s rural environment, and would be more suitable to an edge of town location,” the council stated in its official refusal.
Despite their jubilation at the council’s decision, the residents warn that they will oppose any developer attempting to seek planning permission for an abattoir in the area or any development, which they feel would devalue their property or create a nuisance in the area.
Mairead Wilmot
© Carlow Nationalist
Quarry plan refused permission
AN BORD Pleanala has refused to grant permission for the development of a limestone quarry and retention of existing facilities in South Roscommon. The operators of the quarry, Central Quarries Ltd, appealed a decision of Roscommon County Council to refuse planning permission for retention and expansion of quarry facilities at Castlesampson, Bealnamullia, County Roscommon.
The quarry company had sought planning permission for the development of a limestone quarry and retention of an existing sand and gravel quarry at Castlesampson but was refused permission by Roscommon County Council on the grounds of traffic hazard, groundwater and impact on residential amenities.
In its appeal against the decision, the quarry company argued that the planning authority had previously granted planning permission for a quarry on the site on two previous occasions and that the decision of Roscommon County Council to refuse permission was not consistent with previous decisions made.
The company also argued that a quarry had been operating on the site in question for over 40 years.
The North West Regional Fisheries Board acted as observers on the appeal and expressed concerns about the potential for groundwater pollution at the site, given the high water table in the area.
The site of the proposed development is located in the source protection area for the main ground source of the South Roscommon Regional Water Supply Scheme (Killeglan Springs).
On assessing the appeal, planning inspector with An Bord Pleanala, Paul Caprani, recommended refusal for the development on a number of grounds, including the pollution risk to groundwater.
The Bord also stated that it was not satisfied that noise generated by the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of residential property and occupants of the adjoining school in the vicinity.
Maresa Fagan
© Roscommon Herald
The quarry company had sought planning permission for the development of a limestone quarry and retention of an existing sand and gravel quarry at Castlesampson but was refused permission by Roscommon County Council on the grounds of traffic hazard, groundwater and impact on residential amenities.
In its appeal against the decision, the quarry company argued that the planning authority had previously granted planning permission for a quarry on the site on two previous occasions and that the decision of Roscommon County Council to refuse permission was not consistent with previous decisions made.
The company also argued that a quarry had been operating on the site in question for over 40 years.
The North West Regional Fisheries Board acted as observers on the appeal and expressed concerns about the potential for groundwater pollution at the site, given the high water table in the area.
The site of the proposed development is located in the source protection area for the main ground source of the South Roscommon Regional Water Supply Scheme (Killeglan Springs).
On assessing the appeal, planning inspector with An Bord Pleanala, Paul Caprani, recommended refusal for the development on a number of grounds, including the pollution risk to groundwater.
The Bord also stated that it was not satisfied that noise generated by the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of residential property and occupants of the adjoining school in the vicinity.
Maresa Fagan
© Roscommon Herald
Green light for major Enniscrone development
PLANS for a major housing development in the West Sligo seaside resort of Enniscrone, which attracted some intense local opposition and critical observations from a number of public bodies, have been approved by the board members of An Bord Pleanala.
Permission for the development of 200 housing units, three retail units and a creche at Carrowhubbock South, off the Enniscrone-Easkey road and eight miles from Ballina had been applied for by the Hannon family and approved by Sligo County Council.
This decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanala by Brendan and Deirdre Quinn and others. The planning board’s inspector, Emer Doyle recommended refusal but she was directed by the Bord members to draw up “rea-ons, considerations and conditions” for a grant of permission with conditions.
The site in question is of 9.51 hectares and is currently being used for agricultural purposes. It is divided into a number of fields by stone walls. There are a number of recorded monuments in the vicinity of the site. Observations on the planning application/appeal were made to An Bord Pleanala by Jerry and Carmel Reynolds, Failte Ireland, The Heritage Council, An Taisce and the North Western Regional Fisheries Board.
The objectors said the proposed development was premature and unsustainable in terms of the town’s short to medium term housing need. The said the houses would be too close to existing houses on the eastern boundary and the style of houses and three storey apartments would be out of line with existing house styles in the area.
They said the development would create traffic problems, would affect archaeological sites and monuments. It would have a negative affect on water supply and sewage treatment. Enniscrone was awash with empty houses and did not need this development.
They also said the Bord must take the views of local people, and the level of local opposition, into account and pointed out that 39 written submissions were received including one signed by 213 people.
The Bord’s inspector considered the development would result in an over supply of houses in the area and would result in empty houses. She was of he view the development was unsustainable and would result in undesirable commuting patterns having regard to the poor employment opportunities and limited levels of public transport in the area. She was of the view a housing estate of the size and scale proposed would damage the tourist industry in Enniscrone.
She noted that the applicants proposed measures to increase the water supply and pressure and that a new sewerage treatment plant was expected by the second quarter of 2008.
The Board of An Bord Pleanala granted permission, saying that in deciding not to accept the inspector’s recommendation to refuse permission, the board had regard to the zoning of the site, the designation of Enniscrone as a key support town in the Sligo County Council development plan, the proposed use of the houses for permanent residential occupation, the upgrading of the sewage treatment plant, and considered that, subject to conditions, including phasing, the proposed development would be an acceptable form of development at this location.
Western People
Permission for the development of 200 housing units, three retail units and a creche at Carrowhubbock South, off the Enniscrone-Easkey road and eight miles from Ballina had been applied for by the Hannon family and approved by Sligo County Council.
This decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanala by Brendan and Deirdre Quinn and others. The planning board’s inspector, Emer Doyle recommended refusal but she was directed by the Bord members to draw up “rea-ons, considerations and conditions” for a grant of permission with conditions.
The site in question is of 9.51 hectares and is currently being used for agricultural purposes. It is divided into a number of fields by stone walls. There are a number of recorded monuments in the vicinity of the site. Observations on the planning application/appeal were made to An Bord Pleanala by Jerry and Carmel Reynolds, Failte Ireland, The Heritage Council, An Taisce and the North Western Regional Fisheries Board.
The objectors said the proposed development was premature and unsustainable in terms of the town’s short to medium term housing need. The said the houses would be too close to existing houses on the eastern boundary and the style of houses and three storey apartments would be out of line with existing house styles in the area.
They said the development would create traffic problems, would affect archaeological sites and monuments. It would have a negative affect on water supply and sewage treatment. Enniscrone was awash with empty houses and did not need this development.
They also said the Bord must take the views of local people, and the level of local opposition, into account and pointed out that 39 written submissions were received including one signed by 213 people.
The Bord’s inspector considered the development would result in an over supply of houses in the area and would result in empty houses. She was of he view the development was unsustainable and would result in undesirable commuting patterns having regard to the poor employment opportunities and limited levels of public transport in the area. She was of the view a housing estate of the size and scale proposed would damage the tourist industry in Enniscrone.
She noted that the applicants proposed measures to increase the water supply and pressure and that a new sewerage treatment plant was expected by the second quarter of 2008.
The Board of An Bord Pleanala granted permission, saying that in deciding not to accept the inspector’s recommendation to refuse permission, the board had regard to the zoning of the site, the designation of Enniscrone as a key support town in the Sligo County Council development plan, the proposed use of the houses for permanent residential occupation, the upgrading of the sewage treatment plant, and considered that, subject to conditions, including phasing, the proposed development would be an acceptable form of development at this location.
Western People
Phoenix Magazine on Tara
THE densest plume of green smoke has clouded the whole issue of the Lismullen site and the manner in which the Greens sacrificed the henge site along the M3 motorway in order to get into coalition government with FF. In recent weeks, newly appointed Minister for the environment and Green Party leader, John Gormley, has announced a series of initiatives on Lismullen and the M3 which have served to divert attention from his party’s abandonment of Lismullen during negotiations with Fianna Fail last month.
The fact is that the Green negotiators – Gormley, Dan Boyle and Green general secretary, Dan Geoghegan, were fully aware that the order was due to be signed by the then incumbent environment minister, Dick Roche, but they failed to even request that it be deferred, much less make it a serious issue for negotiation. However, the immediate political fall-out from the decision was reduced, with the bungling assistance of the Dail Opposition and to the immense relief of Gormley, to a question of whether or not Gormley had the legal power to reverse the decision. Since then, Gormley has announced a series of initiatives on Lismullen – release of the departmental file; a review of how the state can protect its heritage and landscape; discussions with transport minister, Noel Dempsey, on how to minimise the visual impact of the M3; possible review of the 2004 National Monuments Act and so on – all of which has covered over, like some heavy landfill operation, the Greens participation in the burial of Lismullen in the first place.
Gormley stated on June 14 that he had not been aware that Roche had intended to sign the order – signed on June 12, the same day that the Greens agreed a government programme with FF but not announced until after the party had voted to endorse the agreement – while coalition talks with FF were drawing to a close. Boyle was only slightly more forthcoming on RTE’s Prime Time programme, also on June 14, when he said that “ we were aware that the decision was likely to be made; we weren’t told when it was going to be made”.
The very best that can be said for the Green negotiators, therefore, is that they knew the decision was pending but that they did not bother to clarify when or to whom, ie, FF or the Greens, the decision would fall . However, in an apparently unnoticed aside during RTE’s Questions and Answers programme four days later, one of the FF coalition negotiators, Noel Dempsey, blew the Greens out of the water when queried by a Green member of the Save Tara Campaign in the audience who appeared to believe that not many people knew that the particular decision on Lismullen was imminent. Dempsey stated that any reader of The Irish Times would have known that the Lismullen issue was a live one to which the Green member said: “What I’m referring to is Minister Roche’s decision; the timing of that decision and whether it was known to the negotiators”. Dempsey replied “Yes”, and the visibly shocked Green stated that this was “most certainly not” relayed to the party membership when they discussed and voted on the coalition agreement a day later. Goldhawk has also established that Roche, badgered by his departmental officials to sign the order, was in constant touch with Dempsey during the coalition negotiations to remind him of this ticking bombshell and the urgency for clarification of the issue. Dempsey was able to tell Roche that both sides of the negotiations were aware of the matter and that there was no problem in signing the order.
© Phoenix Magazine
The fact is that the Green negotiators – Gormley, Dan Boyle and Green general secretary, Dan Geoghegan, were fully aware that the order was due to be signed by the then incumbent environment minister, Dick Roche, but they failed to even request that it be deferred, much less make it a serious issue for negotiation. However, the immediate political fall-out from the decision was reduced, with the bungling assistance of the Dail Opposition and to the immense relief of Gormley, to a question of whether or not Gormley had the legal power to reverse the decision. Since then, Gormley has announced a series of initiatives on Lismullen – release of the departmental file; a review of how the state can protect its heritage and landscape; discussions with transport minister, Noel Dempsey, on how to minimise the visual impact of the M3; possible review of the 2004 National Monuments Act and so on – all of which has covered over, like some heavy landfill operation, the Greens participation in the burial of Lismullen in the first place.
Gormley stated on June 14 that he had not been aware that Roche had intended to sign the order – signed on June 12, the same day that the Greens agreed a government programme with FF but not announced until after the party had voted to endorse the agreement – while coalition talks with FF were drawing to a close. Boyle was only slightly more forthcoming on RTE’s Prime Time programme, also on June 14, when he said that “ we were aware that the decision was likely to be made; we weren’t told when it was going to be made”.
The very best that can be said for the Green negotiators, therefore, is that they knew the decision was pending but that they did not bother to clarify when or to whom, ie, FF or the Greens, the decision would fall . However, in an apparently unnoticed aside during RTE’s Questions and Answers programme four days later, one of the FF coalition negotiators, Noel Dempsey, blew the Greens out of the water when queried by a Green member of the Save Tara Campaign in the audience who appeared to believe that not many people knew that the particular decision on Lismullen was imminent. Dempsey stated that any reader of The Irish Times would have known that the Lismullen issue was a live one to which the Green member said: “What I’m referring to is Minister Roche’s decision; the timing of that decision and whether it was known to the negotiators”. Dempsey replied “Yes”, and the visibly shocked Green stated that this was “most certainly not” relayed to the party membership when they discussed and voted on the coalition agreement a day later. Goldhawk has also established that Roche, badgered by his departmental officials to sign the order, was in constant touch with Dempsey during the coalition negotiations to remind him of this ticking bombshell and the urgency for clarification of the issue. Dempsey was able to tell Roche that both sides of the negotiations were aware of the matter and that there was no problem in signing the order.
© Phoenix Magazine
Friday, 17 August 2007
Planning board will decide if M3 route needs fresh approval
AN BORD Pleanala is to decide within weeks if the discovery of a national monument on the path of the controversial M3 motorway should compel planners to seek fresh approval for the route.
The National Roads Authority have asked the planning appeals board to decide if the excavations of the Lismullin national monument are a "material change" to the approved scheme and if a new planning application is required.
If the board rule that the road scheme is now different to the one approved in September 2003, it could require a fresh planning application to be lodged, which would lead to huge delays in delivering the motorway.
The Lismullin ritual site was discovered earlier this year but former Environment Minister Dick Roche directed that it be preserved "by record" - which means excavation before it is removed from the road's path.
The National Monuments Act requires the road authority to submit these new directions to the board, which is expected to decide in the coming weeks if the motorway will require a fresh planning application.
Yesterday TaraWatch called on Environment Minister John Gormley to halt excavation works on the prehistoric ritual site while the board reviews the planning permission.
"The minister appears to be acting in bad faith here, by allowing demolition of the national monument to proceed while the board is making its legal determination," spokesman Vincent Salafia said. "Minister Gormley must stop the demolition by the NRA and Meath County Council now and permit only the excavation of the delicate features now exposed on the surface.
"This magnificant prehistoric amphitheatre, which sits in plain view of the hilltop, deserves the highest level of protection possible."
The Department of the Environment has said it does not have the power to alter the route of the road unless a "material change" or new information emerges.
Paul Melia
Irish Examiner
The National Roads Authority have asked the planning appeals board to decide if the excavations of the Lismullin national monument are a "material change" to the approved scheme and if a new planning application is required.
If the board rule that the road scheme is now different to the one approved in September 2003, it could require a fresh planning application to be lodged, which would lead to huge delays in delivering the motorway.
The Lismullin ritual site was discovered earlier this year but former Environment Minister Dick Roche directed that it be preserved "by record" - which means excavation before it is removed from the road's path.
The National Monuments Act requires the road authority to submit these new directions to the board, which is expected to decide in the coming weeks if the motorway will require a fresh planning application.
Yesterday TaraWatch called on Environment Minister John Gormley to halt excavation works on the prehistoric ritual site while the board reviews the planning permission.
"The minister appears to be acting in bad faith here, by allowing demolition of the national monument to proceed while the board is making its legal determination," spokesman Vincent Salafia said. "Minister Gormley must stop the demolition by the NRA and Meath County Council now and permit only the excavation of the delicate features now exposed on the surface.
"This magnificant prehistoric amphitheatre, which sits in plain view of the hilltop, deserves the highest level of protection possible."
The Department of the Environment has said it does not have the power to alter the route of the road unless a "material change" or new information emerges.
Paul Melia
Irish Examiner
Council takes legal action against quarry operators
THE owners of a quarry alleged to be illegal have been told to halt all operations.
Cork County Council has initiated legal proceedings against the operators of a large quarry at Curraglass, near Conna.
The quarry borders Cork and Waterford. It is believed to be a working quarry.
The matter is likely to come before the district court in Tallow, Co Waterford shortly.
Officials from the council’s Enforcement Section have visited the site twice in recent months and despite the threat of legal proceedings, council sources insist there are visible signs of recent work activity.
Cllr Liam O’Doherty, who had highlighted the situation on numerous occasions at county hall meetings, yesterday welcomed the council’s get-tough policy.
The county councillor said, however, that he was concerned at the length of time it had taken to progress the matter to a legal stage.
Significantly, it was a council official who made the first complaint about the quarry on October 24, 2006. A warning letter was then issued.
“An agent working for the quarry operator contacted the council requesting a pre-planning meeting and indicated that he would submit a planning application for retention,” a county council spokeswoman said yesterday.
On November 28, an inspector from the council’s enforcement section called to the quarry and reported that, as an unauthorised development, it contravened section 151 of the Planning and Developments Acts (2000).
“In February, we were again told by the agent that an application for retention would be submitted to the council by March 9. On March 8, the council started legal proceedings,” the spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, on March 21, a planning application was finally lodged but council officials returned it to the quarry operator’s agent on as it was incomplete.
On May 8, the council received another letter from the agent saying that the application would be resubmitted with the additional information requested by the council.
“In early June, we got photographic evidence that plant and machinery were in use at the site,” the council spokeswoman said.
A planning application was finally submitted by the quarry operator last week, seeking permission to retain the quarry and temporary processing plant on an indefinite basis. The application has yet to be validated.
On the same day — August 8 — an inspector from the enforcement section visited the site again.
“There was no activity on that particular day but it appeared that work had been carried out there since the visit in June,” the spokeswoman claimed.
She said that last Wednesday the council had issued a notice to the quarry operator advising him to cease all quarrying and associated activities on the site and remove all plant and machinery.
“We will be closely monitoring the situation,” the spokeswoman said.
Mr O’Doherty said it was “high time” Cork County Council set an example.
“It’s not fair on local residents, especially when it’s hard enough to get one-off planning for houses in rural areas,” he said.
Irish Examiner
Cork County Council has initiated legal proceedings against the operators of a large quarry at Curraglass, near Conna.
The quarry borders Cork and Waterford. It is believed to be a working quarry.
The matter is likely to come before the district court in Tallow, Co Waterford shortly.
Officials from the council’s Enforcement Section have visited the site twice in recent months and despite the threat of legal proceedings, council sources insist there are visible signs of recent work activity.
Cllr Liam O’Doherty, who had highlighted the situation on numerous occasions at county hall meetings, yesterday welcomed the council’s get-tough policy.
The county councillor said, however, that he was concerned at the length of time it had taken to progress the matter to a legal stage.
Significantly, it was a council official who made the first complaint about the quarry on October 24, 2006. A warning letter was then issued.
“An agent working for the quarry operator contacted the council requesting a pre-planning meeting and indicated that he would submit a planning application for retention,” a county council spokeswoman said yesterday.
On November 28, an inspector from the council’s enforcement section called to the quarry and reported that, as an unauthorised development, it contravened section 151 of the Planning and Developments Acts (2000).
“In February, we were again told by the agent that an application for retention would be submitted to the council by March 9. On March 8, the council started legal proceedings,” the spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, on March 21, a planning application was finally lodged but council officials returned it to the quarry operator’s agent on as it was incomplete.
On May 8, the council received another letter from the agent saying that the application would be resubmitted with the additional information requested by the council.
“In early June, we got photographic evidence that plant and machinery were in use at the site,” the council spokeswoman said.
A planning application was finally submitted by the quarry operator last week, seeking permission to retain the quarry and temporary processing plant on an indefinite basis. The application has yet to be validated.
On the same day — August 8 — an inspector from the enforcement section visited the site again.
“There was no activity on that particular day but it appeared that work had been carried out there since the visit in June,” the spokeswoman claimed.
She said that last Wednesday the council had issued a notice to the quarry operator advising him to cease all quarrying and associated activities on the site and remove all plant and machinery.
“We will be closely monitoring the situation,” the spokeswoman said.
Mr O’Doherty said it was “high time” Cork County Council set an example.
“It’s not fair on local residents, especially when it’s hard enough to get one-off planning for houses in rural areas,” he said.
Irish Examiner
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Commuter belt towns hit by bulging primary school class sizes
ALMOST 110,000 Irish primary school pupils are crowded into classes of 30 or more, according to the latest figures released to the Irish Independent.
The biggest bulges are in schools in rapidly-growing population centres around Dublin and other cities, where most of last year's 13,500 additional primary school pupils are living.
There has been only a tiny improvement in class size in the past year, with 24pc of primary pupils in classes of 30 or more, compared with 25pc in 2005/06.
It means that Ireland continues to have the second highest primary class sizes in Europe, after the UK, at an average of 24.
This is despite a promise by the previous Government to bring class sizes down to below 20 for under-nines.
The new Government has made a commitment to reduce class sizes over the next five years, through the recruitment of 4,000 more teachers.
Statistics drawn up by the Department of Education show that 109,376 of 455,455 pupils in the 2006/07 school years are in classes of 30 or more, compared with 111,113 of 441,966 in 2005/06.
The worst affected areas are the expanding commuter belts around Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford.
The highest proportion of classes with more than 30 pupils is in Fingal, at 32pc, followed by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown at 31pc and Wicklow, Louth, Laois and Meath at 30pc.
Average
Others above the national average are Cork county, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick county, Clare, Carlow, Cavan and Waterford city.
In contrast, in Longford 12pc of classes have 30 or more pupils, followed by Leitrim ar 14pc and Roscommon and Sligo, at 15pc.
All areas except Galway city have classes of 35 or more although overall the numbers in such classes have dropped from 9,684 to 7,630.
The figures also show that four counties have classes with 40 or more pupils - Louth, Clare, Wexford and Waterford county - although the numbers involved have dropped from 206 to 162.
Nationally, the 30-34 pupil class size bracket has dipped only marginally from 101,584 to 101,223. The numbers in class sizes of between 20-24 and 25-29 grew by 3,413 and 12,060, respectively.
There are 5,000 more primary teachers in the system than there were in 2002, but the focus has been on addressing special needs, disadvantage and language support for newcomer children.
So, while class sizes have not reduced significantly, Education Minister Mary Hanafin argues there is now one teacher for every 17 primary school children - down from one for 22.
Katherine Donnelly
Irish Independent
The biggest bulges are in schools in rapidly-growing population centres around Dublin and other cities, where most of last year's 13,500 additional primary school pupils are living.
There has been only a tiny improvement in class size in the past year, with 24pc of primary pupils in classes of 30 or more, compared with 25pc in 2005/06.
It means that Ireland continues to have the second highest primary class sizes in Europe, after the UK, at an average of 24.
This is despite a promise by the previous Government to bring class sizes down to below 20 for under-nines.
The new Government has made a commitment to reduce class sizes over the next five years, through the recruitment of 4,000 more teachers.
Statistics drawn up by the Department of Education show that 109,376 of 455,455 pupils in the 2006/07 school years are in classes of 30 or more, compared with 111,113 of 441,966 in 2005/06.
The worst affected areas are the expanding commuter belts around Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Waterford.
The highest proportion of classes with more than 30 pupils is in Fingal, at 32pc, followed by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown at 31pc and Wicklow, Louth, Laois and Meath at 30pc.
Average
Others above the national average are Cork county, Kildare, Kilkenny, Limerick county, Clare, Carlow, Cavan and Waterford city.
In contrast, in Longford 12pc of classes have 30 or more pupils, followed by Leitrim ar 14pc and Roscommon and Sligo, at 15pc.
All areas except Galway city have classes of 35 or more although overall the numbers in such classes have dropped from 9,684 to 7,630.
The figures also show that four counties have classes with 40 or more pupils - Louth, Clare, Wexford and Waterford county - although the numbers involved have dropped from 206 to 162.
Nationally, the 30-34 pupil class size bracket has dipped only marginally from 101,584 to 101,223. The numbers in class sizes of between 20-24 and 25-29 grew by 3,413 and 12,060, respectively.
There are 5,000 more primary teachers in the system than there were in 2002, but the focus has been on addressing special needs, disadvantage and language support for newcomer children.
So, while class sizes have not reduced significantly, Education Minister Mary Hanafin argues there is now one teacher for every 17 primary school children - down from one for 22.
Katherine Donnelly
Irish Independent
Bord Pleanála rejects RTÉ’s appeal for mast in scenic area
A PLAN by RTÉ to build a 24-metre mast in a scenic part of the Dingle Peninsula has been rejected on the grounds it would interfere with the natural beauty of the area.
An Bord Pleanála has turned down an appeal against a previous decision by Kerry County Council to refuse planning permission for the mast.
The national broadcaster was proposing to erect the mast near Camp on the main N86, the An Daingean/Tralee road.
The appeals’ board suggested that a suitable alternative site could be found for the single pole mast.
RTÉ Transmission Network Ltd said the plan was to upgrade its service to digital and the mast needed a large quantity of equipment to operate both radio and television. The structure would enable broadband, telecommunications and tetra operators to share it.
While acknowledging the need to improve communications and broadcasting services, Bord Pleanála planning inspector Nicholas Hammans said the available evidence did not show a need to locate the necessary equipment on “this exceptionally sensitive and harmful site”.
Irish Examiner
An Bord Pleanála has turned down an appeal against a previous decision by Kerry County Council to refuse planning permission for the mast.
The national broadcaster was proposing to erect the mast near Camp on the main N86, the An Daingean/Tralee road.
The appeals’ board suggested that a suitable alternative site could be found for the single pole mast.
RTÉ Transmission Network Ltd said the plan was to upgrade its service to digital and the mast needed a large quantity of equipment to operate both radio and television. The structure would enable broadband, telecommunications and tetra operators to share it.
While acknowledging the need to improve communications and broadcasting services, Bord Pleanála planning inspector Nicholas Hammans said the available evidence did not show a need to locate the necessary equipment on “this exceptionally sensitive and harmful site”.
Irish Examiner
Celebrations in Ballydoyle as animal plant gets planning refusal
CHAMPAGNE corks were popping in Ballydoyle stables last night and across the wider Golden Vale as campaigners celebrated the decision by South Tipperary County Council to refuse planning permission for a controversial animal waste plant.
Champion racehorse trainer Aidan O’Brien and his wife Anne-Marie threatened to pull the multimillion Ballydoyle racing empire from the area if the plant went ahead. Their stable is 3km miles from the proposed plant at Castleblake outside Cashel.
“Aidan and I, together with all the staff at Ballydoyle are very relieved. This decision shows that the county council has recognised both the importance of the horse business to south Tipperary economically and the threat to human and animal health and welfare posed by this national rendering and waste plant,” said Anne-Marie O’Brien.
“Clean air and water is essential to everyone in this community, not just Ballydoyle, and we are delighted that the county council has made the right decision in protecting our environment,” she said.
Breeder John Magnier had also threatened to uproot his nearby Coolmore Stud enterprise.
The factory plans galvanised the community into a big campaign with up to 1,100 letters of objection sent to the county council. The plant was to be developed by Green Organics Energy (GOE), made up of National By-Products/Avglade, Bioverda/NTR and Dawn Meats and intended processing up to 250,000 tonnes of animal waste to make electricity, gas and biodiesel.
Campaign group South Tipperary for Clean Industry (STCI) welcomed yesterday’s decision saying it is confident, even if GOE appeals the decision to An Bord Pleanála, the “dirty and frightening project” won’t be developed.
STCI Ltd spokesman Douglas Butler said: “This follows a defeat for Bioverda at Bord Pleanála in relation to a similar plant at Ballard, Co Cork, and gives us more confidence that we will be able to protect this area from a completely unsuitable and unsustainable waste plant. The promoters should now drop this project, which is misguided and simply wrong. This small rural community should not be put through yet another planning process at Bord Pleanála level — even though we are confident of success.”
The council refused the application because of its size and scale, the type and quantity of materials being processed and the pressure on existing road infrastructure from trucks bringing waste and also distributing the finished product.
Timeline
January 2007: A mass meeting is held where the South Tipperary for Clean Industry group is formed. Independent TD Michael Lowry, Fine Gael’s Tom Hayes and Fianna Fáil’s Senator Martin Mansergh support local community.
December. 2006: Planning permission lodged for €75 million anaerobic digester facility and biodiesel plant.
April 2003: The Ronan family, which controls National By-Products, withdraws its application to the Environmental Protection Agency for an integrated pollution control licence for the incinerator. As part of the agreement, racehorse trainer Aidan O’Brien and international horse breeder John Magnier agreed to drop an action for nuisance against the Ronan’s rendering business.
September 2002: Aidan O’Brien and John Magnier apply for a judicial review of the county council’s decision. The challenge was eventually dropped.
July 2002: A petition is circulated, organised by local umbrella group South Tipperary Anti-Incinerator Campaign, objecting to the development. It ends up with nearly 19,000 signatures from farmers, GPs and vets. It also commissioned an MRBI poll on the issue claiming 70% were opposed to the development.
May 2002: Planning permission was granted by South Tipperary County Council to develop a meat and bonemeal incinerator at Castleblake.
Champion racehorse trainer Aidan O’Brien and his wife Anne-Marie threatened to pull the multimillion Ballydoyle racing empire from the area if the plant went ahead. Their stable is 3km miles from the proposed plant at Castleblake outside Cashel.
“Aidan and I, together with all the staff at Ballydoyle are very relieved. This decision shows that the county council has recognised both the importance of the horse business to south Tipperary economically and the threat to human and animal health and welfare posed by this national rendering and waste plant,” said Anne-Marie O’Brien.
“Clean air and water is essential to everyone in this community, not just Ballydoyle, and we are delighted that the county council has made the right decision in protecting our environment,” she said.
Breeder John Magnier had also threatened to uproot his nearby Coolmore Stud enterprise.
The factory plans galvanised the community into a big campaign with up to 1,100 letters of objection sent to the county council. The plant was to be developed by Green Organics Energy (GOE), made up of National By-Products/Avglade, Bioverda/NTR and Dawn Meats and intended processing up to 250,000 tonnes of animal waste to make electricity, gas and biodiesel.
Campaign group South Tipperary for Clean Industry (STCI) welcomed yesterday’s decision saying it is confident, even if GOE appeals the decision to An Bord Pleanála, the “dirty and frightening project” won’t be developed.
STCI Ltd spokesman Douglas Butler said: “This follows a defeat for Bioverda at Bord Pleanála in relation to a similar plant at Ballard, Co Cork, and gives us more confidence that we will be able to protect this area from a completely unsuitable and unsustainable waste plant. The promoters should now drop this project, which is misguided and simply wrong. This small rural community should not be put through yet another planning process at Bord Pleanála level — even though we are confident of success.”
The council refused the application because of its size and scale, the type and quantity of materials being processed and the pressure on existing road infrastructure from trucks bringing waste and also distributing the finished product.
Timeline
January 2007: A mass meeting is held where the South Tipperary for Clean Industry group is formed. Independent TD Michael Lowry, Fine Gael’s Tom Hayes and Fianna Fáil’s Senator Martin Mansergh support local community.
December. 2006: Planning permission lodged for €75 million anaerobic digester facility and biodiesel plant.
April 2003: The Ronan family, which controls National By-Products, withdraws its application to the Environmental Protection Agency for an integrated pollution control licence for the incinerator. As part of the agreement, racehorse trainer Aidan O’Brien and international horse breeder John Magnier agreed to drop an action for nuisance against the Ronan’s rendering business.
September 2002: Aidan O’Brien and John Magnier apply for a judicial review of the county council’s decision. The challenge was eventually dropped.
July 2002: A petition is circulated, organised by local umbrella group South Tipperary Anti-Incinerator Campaign, objecting to the development. It ends up with nearly 19,000 signatures from farmers, GPs and vets. It also commissioned an MRBI poll on the issue claiming 70% were opposed to the development.
May 2002: Planning permission was granted by South Tipperary County Council to develop a meat and bonemeal incinerator at Castleblake.
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Transport project delays defended by State
THE Government has defended a decision to push back the deadlines on some of the country's major transport projects.
Commuters in Dublin were hit with the news yesterday that they will have to put up with road works on the M50 for another year.
The deadline for the completion of work on the ring road has been pushed back from 2009 to 2010, along with a number of other major projects.
A statement from the department blamed the delays on "tendering issues".
It emerged yesterday that almost one third of 39 infrastructural projects announced as part of Transport 21 have been delayed.
Among the projects which have had their deadlines changed are the completion of a new train depot at Portlaoise which was initially set for 2007 but has now been moved back to 2008 and the Luas docklands extension, moved from 2008 to 2009.
But yesterday's statement from the Dept of Transport said the initial dates were "indicative only" and were mentioned only when many of the projects were at planning and design stage.
"Final completion dates for projects will only be determined when the planning process and contract negotiations have been concluded," said the statement.
"So far, it has been necessary to revise the indicative completion dates for some projects because of circumstances arising before construction (duration of planning permission and tendering processes) while other projects have been delivered ahead of schedule."
Among other delayed projects are the Luas extension from Connolly to the Docklands, the Luas extension from Tallaght to Citywest and the Cork commuter service to Midleton.
Shane Hickey
Irish Independent
Commuters in Dublin were hit with the news yesterday that they will have to put up with road works on the M50 for another year.
The deadline for the completion of work on the ring road has been pushed back from 2009 to 2010, along with a number of other major projects.
A statement from the department blamed the delays on "tendering issues".
It emerged yesterday that almost one third of 39 infrastructural projects announced as part of Transport 21 have been delayed.
Among the projects which have had their deadlines changed are the completion of a new train depot at Portlaoise which was initially set for 2007 but has now been moved back to 2008 and the Luas docklands extension, moved from 2008 to 2009.
But yesterday's statement from the Dept of Transport said the initial dates were "indicative only" and were mentioned only when many of the projects were at planning and design stage.
"Final completion dates for projects will only be determined when the planning process and contract negotiations have been concluded," said the statement.
"So far, it has been necessary to revise the indicative completion dates for some projects because of circumstances arising before construction (duration of planning permission and tendering processes) while other projects have been delivered ahead of schedule."
Among other delayed projects are the Luas extension from Connolly to the Docklands, the Luas extension from Tallaght to Citywest and the Cork commuter service to Midleton.
Shane Hickey
Irish Independent
Planning go-ahead for €110m private hospital in Cork
A €110 MILLION state-of-the-art private hospital, expected to create 400 jobs in Cork’s western suburbs, was granted planning permission yesterday.
The development, off the Bandon Road in Bishopstown, will offer 100 beds and be constructed by Sheehan Medical, the group that built the Galway Clinic, Blackrock Clinic and Hermitage Clinic, valued in excess of €100m each.
Sheehan Medical said it would be “one of a set of hospitals throughout Europe designed for the 21st century”.
Cork County Council had originally refused an application for a six-storey building housing three 30-bed wards, 36 consulting suites and four in-patient operating theatres.
However, according to the property consultant on the project, Pat Shine, the council yesterday gave the green light for a scaled- down four-storey version, which will include two 40- bed wards, 28 consulting suites, operating facilities, urgent care facilities and testing facilities.
The Cork Medical Clinic has been designed to a standard that, according to Sheehan Medical, would even surpass the new Galway Clinic, which also offers 100 beds as well as 36 consultant suites.
Mr Shine said: “This development will be a big plus for Cork. The hospital will be top-of-the-range and will be an improvement even on the state-of-the-art Galway clinic.”
He said the developers were examining the conditions that were attached to the permission but added the hospital development should take 18 months to complete.
Meanwhile, a multi-million-euro planning application to transform a large site behind a protected quayside building in the heart of Cork city was shot down by planners yesterday.
A spokesman for the planning department said the joint project proposed by Oyster Developments and undertakers Jerh O’Connor for the site between Camden Quay and Coburg Street was refused owing to the project’s overall scale.
Irish Examiner
The development, off the Bandon Road in Bishopstown, will offer 100 beds and be constructed by Sheehan Medical, the group that built the Galway Clinic, Blackrock Clinic and Hermitage Clinic, valued in excess of €100m each.
Sheehan Medical said it would be “one of a set of hospitals throughout Europe designed for the 21st century”.
Cork County Council had originally refused an application for a six-storey building housing three 30-bed wards, 36 consulting suites and four in-patient operating theatres.
However, according to the property consultant on the project, Pat Shine, the council yesterday gave the green light for a scaled- down four-storey version, which will include two 40- bed wards, 28 consulting suites, operating facilities, urgent care facilities and testing facilities.
The Cork Medical Clinic has been designed to a standard that, according to Sheehan Medical, would even surpass the new Galway Clinic, which also offers 100 beds as well as 36 consultant suites.
Mr Shine said: “This development will be a big plus for Cork. The hospital will be top-of-the-range and will be an improvement even on the state-of-the-art Galway clinic.”
He said the developers were examining the conditions that were attached to the permission but added the hospital development should take 18 months to complete.
Meanwhile, a multi-million-euro planning application to transform a large site behind a protected quayside building in the heart of Cork city was shot down by planners yesterday.
A spokesman for the planning department said the joint project proposed by Oyster Developments and undertakers Jerh O’Connor for the site between Camden Quay and Coburg Street was refused owing to the project’s overall scale.
Irish Examiner
Monday, 13 August 2007
Historic arena for €100m revamp
THE historic main jumping arena at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) showgrounds is to be given a facelift as part of a €100 million five-year development plan for the Ballsbridge property.
As this year’s Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show ended on a high note last evening, preparations were being made to begin work immediately on the next phase of developing the arena to a multi-purpose sports ground with a capacity for 18,000 spectators.
Wooden seats, which have been part of the Anglesea Stand since 1928, are about to be replaced with bucket seats. Upgrading of the stand itself will then take place.
New floodlighting has already been installed and the main arena surface has been completely relaid and irrigation and drainage systems installed at a cost of €850,000.
Leinster will play 13 rugby games (three Heineken Cup and 10 Magners League ties) at the venues this season with the first game fixed for September 22. RDS chief executive Michael Duffy said the customised sand, soil and grass surface will give a top equestrian performance but will also allow other sports such as rugby to be played on it at other times of the year.
He said feedback from riders who competed on the surface at last week’s horse show and the teams competing for the Aga Khan Trophy was excellent, which was very satisfying.
“We can move on now and continue to keep the event as the premier international horse show in keeping with our mission statement to support the breeders and producers of Irish-bred horses,” he said.
The upgrade of the main arena to a multi-purpose sports ground is central to the development plan, which includes refurbished facilities and office blocks to generate income. Changes have also been introduced to the structure of the 134-year-old horse show.
Mr Duffy said the society was very satisfied with the five-day horse show, which cost €3.3 million to stage, had €720,000 in prize money and involved 1,400 horses and ponies in showing and jumping classes.
Irish Examiner
As this year’s Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show ended on a high note last evening, preparations were being made to begin work immediately on the next phase of developing the arena to a multi-purpose sports ground with a capacity for 18,000 spectators.
Wooden seats, which have been part of the Anglesea Stand since 1928, are about to be replaced with bucket seats. Upgrading of the stand itself will then take place.
New floodlighting has already been installed and the main arena surface has been completely relaid and irrigation and drainage systems installed at a cost of €850,000.
Leinster will play 13 rugby games (three Heineken Cup and 10 Magners League ties) at the venues this season with the first game fixed for September 22. RDS chief executive Michael Duffy said the customised sand, soil and grass surface will give a top equestrian performance but will also allow other sports such as rugby to be played on it at other times of the year.
He said feedback from riders who competed on the surface at last week’s horse show and the teams competing for the Aga Khan Trophy was excellent, which was very satisfying.
“We can move on now and continue to keep the event as the premier international horse show in keeping with our mission statement to support the breeders and producers of Irish-bred horses,” he said.
The upgrade of the main arena to a multi-purpose sports ground is central to the development plan, which includes refurbished facilities and office blocks to generate income. Changes have also been introduced to the structure of the 134-year-old horse show.
Mr Duffy said the society was very satisfied with the five-day horse show, which cost €3.3 million to stage, had €720,000 in prize money and involved 1,400 horses and ponies in showing and jumping classes.
Irish Examiner
City shop plan 'may increase Luas crashes'
THE Railway Procurement Agency has warned that the proposed €750m redevelopment of Arnott's department store could lead to an increase in traffic accidents involving Luas and cars.
The RPA has also warned An Bord Pleanala of a "significantly increased" possibility that delays to services will occur because of car-parking arrangements in the proposed Northern Quarter scheme.
An Post has also objected to the plans, saying that elements of the proposal for Dublin's north inner city would effectively put the GPO "beyond reasonable use".
Concerns
The concerns are included in eight objections sent to the board after Dublin City Council granted planning permission for the project last month.
It is proposed to create a new shopping, entertainment and residential zone on a 5.5-acre site, and the objections raised relate to building height and design and the impact five years of construction would have on businesses.
The buildings range in size from three to 12 storeys, with a 15-storey tower at the corner of Abbey Street and Liffey Street.
In a letter to the board, the RPA says it was "denied its right" as a public body to comment on Arnott's plans.
It argues that a decision to include access and egress to the development's car park via Middle Abbey Street, instead of via an alternative access point at O'Connell Street, was a "material change" and it should have been consulted.
It also says that over 600 car parking spaces would be in close proximity to "perhaps the greatest concentration of public transport services in the State" and that the new quarter should encourage people to use buses and Luas.
If the sole means of accessing Arnott's is via Abbey Street, it warns: "The potential for delays to trams is significantly increased and the level of service for tram operations substantially diminished.
"The provision of a carpark entry off Middle Abbey Street in addition to an exit at the same location, coupled with increases in usage, will lead to delays for road traffic. RPA is gravely concerned that the effect of these delays will be such as to encourage driver misbehaviour at the car park access location, with the potential for conflict with Luas trams."
The agency said yesterday it had submitted observations because of its concern about the car park, and because this conflicted with government policy to take cars off the streets.
Conflict
"The provision of car parking has gone up, and that's a conflict with removing cars off the streets," a spokesman said. "We're carrying one fifth of what Dublin Bus carries with 26m passengers, and that points to a real need to keep the priority going for Luas."
An Post says plans for a "new" Prince's Street with service entrances would encroach on its property and "effectively put the An Post building beyond reasonable use". An Bord Pleanala will decide by December if the scheme will be granted permission.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
The RPA has also warned An Bord Pleanala of a "significantly increased" possibility that delays to services will occur because of car-parking arrangements in the proposed Northern Quarter scheme.
An Post has also objected to the plans, saying that elements of the proposal for Dublin's north inner city would effectively put the GPO "beyond reasonable use".
Concerns
The concerns are included in eight objections sent to the board after Dublin City Council granted planning permission for the project last month.
It is proposed to create a new shopping, entertainment and residential zone on a 5.5-acre site, and the objections raised relate to building height and design and the impact five years of construction would have on businesses.
The buildings range in size from three to 12 storeys, with a 15-storey tower at the corner of Abbey Street and Liffey Street.
In a letter to the board, the RPA says it was "denied its right" as a public body to comment on Arnott's plans.
It argues that a decision to include access and egress to the development's car park via Middle Abbey Street, instead of via an alternative access point at O'Connell Street, was a "material change" and it should have been consulted.
It also says that over 600 car parking spaces would be in close proximity to "perhaps the greatest concentration of public transport services in the State" and that the new quarter should encourage people to use buses and Luas.
If the sole means of accessing Arnott's is via Abbey Street, it warns: "The potential for delays to trams is significantly increased and the level of service for tram operations substantially diminished.
"The provision of a carpark entry off Middle Abbey Street in addition to an exit at the same location, coupled with increases in usage, will lead to delays for road traffic. RPA is gravely concerned that the effect of these delays will be such as to encourage driver misbehaviour at the car park access location, with the potential for conflict with Luas trams."
The agency said yesterday it had submitted observations because of its concern about the car park, and because this conflicted with government policy to take cars off the streets.
Conflict
"The provision of car parking has gone up, and that's a conflict with removing cars off the streets," a spokesman said. "We're carrying one fifth of what Dublin Bus carries with 26m passengers, and that points to a real need to keep the priority going for Luas."
An Post says plans for a "new" Prince's Street with service entrances would encroach on its property and "effectively put the An Post building beyond reasonable use". An Bord Pleanala will decide by December if the scheme will be granted permission.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
New Ennis bypass opens
Up to 10,000 vehicles per day are expected to use section 2 of the N18 Ennis bypass project, which has just opened to traffic, Clare County Council said.
The 5km single carriageway, which forms part of the N85 western relief road, runs from Clareabbey to Claureen and opens a new bypass to the south and west of the county capital.
According to Paul Moroney, Project Resident Engineer, Clare County Council - "The completion of this section of the Ennis Bypass finishes another part of this large road project. The remaining section will see the completion of the whole of the works and is currently scheduled for mid-autumn of this year."
The 5km single carriageway, which forms part of the N85 western relief road, runs from Clareabbey to Claureen and opens a new bypass to the south and west of the county capital.
According to Paul Moroney, Project Resident Engineer, Clare County Council - "The completion of this section of the Ennis Bypass finishes another part of this large road project. The remaining section will see the completion of the whole of the works and is currently scheduled for mid-autumn of this year."
€300m scheme given green light from the planning board
AN BORD Pleanala has granted planning permission for a controversial €300m marina development at Greystones in Co Wicklow.
In what was one of the longest planning processes ever adjudicated on by the Board, permission was granted subject to 13 conditions yesterday and work is expected to begin next spring.
Over 6,000 people had objected to the plans, first lodged in December 2004, but the board found the development was in keeping with the area.
The massive project will include a 230-berth marina, new retail facilities including cafes and restaurants, 5,625 square metres of commercial development and 341 residential units.
A new public square at the harbour and a new beach will also be provided, along with sailing facilities.
Dump
An inert landfill, the old town dump, which is on the site, must be treated and no homes built on it. The project should be complete in the autumn of 2012.
Wicklow County Council, which is developing the marina with private developer, the Sispar consortium, local councillors and the Greystones Chamber of Commerce, all said they were "delighted" with the Board's decision, but opponents said local people had not been listened to.
"We're hugely disappointed," Evelyn Cawley of Greystones Protection and Development Association said.
"The end result doesn't reflect our views. It's a huge development and there's no doubt that Wicklow County Council will benefit.
"It's disheartening to see this, given the huge public disquiet about it. Obviously the public wasn't listened to."
Planning permission was originally sought for the development in December 2004, and the plans were scaled down by 10pc after the Board raised a number of concerns with the developer late last year about the scale of the project.
The revised plans would not have "significant adverse effects on the environment", the Board found, and would constitute an "appropriate development proposal in terms of land use, scale and visual amenity, would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience, would not be prejudicial to public health and would therefore be consistent with the proper planning and the sustainable development of the area".
Greystones Chamber of Commerce said that new jobs would be created and the marina would attract tourists to the area. "We very much welcome it," said Chamber president Derrick McGovern.
"It's something we've supported for many years, and I think it will bring a lot of jobs and will be great for tourism."
Sean Quirke, Director of Services, with Wicklow Co Council, said it was hoped that work would begin in the spring and the project would take up to five years to complete. Fifty million euro worth of public infrastructure would be provided under the plans.
In a unanimous decision, the Board also approved the acquisition of 36 acres of the foreshore to facilitate development.
It is the first time the public foreshore has been subject to a compulsory purchase order to facilitate a private developer, and opponents said it would set a dangerous precedent.
The Department of Finance must approve the sale, but there was no indication last night as to how much the council will pay. Land in Greystones currently commands about €1m an acre.
The conditions include a requirement that material needed to re-instate the beach must be shipped in by seas to the harbour instead of being transported through the town in order to reduce traffic movements.
The old town dump will be treated and remain on the site, and the public park will be built above it.
The Board also ordered that a committee be established made up of the council, Sispar - a consortium of John Sisk and Son and Park Developments - and local interest groups.
Opponents of the project will meet in the coming days to decide if they will seek a judicial review of the decision.
Paul Melia
Irish Examiner
In what was one of the longest planning processes ever adjudicated on by the Board, permission was granted subject to 13 conditions yesterday and work is expected to begin next spring.
Over 6,000 people had objected to the plans, first lodged in December 2004, but the board found the development was in keeping with the area.
The massive project will include a 230-berth marina, new retail facilities including cafes and restaurants, 5,625 square metres of commercial development and 341 residential units.
A new public square at the harbour and a new beach will also be provided, along with sailing facilities.
Dump
An inert landfill, the old town dump, which is on the site, must be treated and no homes built on it. The project should be complete in the autumn of 2012.
Wicklow County Council, which is developing the marina with private developer, the Sispar consortium, local councillors and the Greystones Chamber of Commerce, all said they were "delighted" with the Board's decision, but opponents said local people had not been listened to.
"We're hugely disappointed," Evelyn Cawley of Greystones Protection and Development Association said.
"The end result doesn't reflect our views. It's a huge development and there's no doubt that Wicklow County Council will benefit.
"It's disheartening to see this, given the huge public disquiet about it. Obviously the public wasn't listened to."
Planning permission was originally sought for the development in December 2004, and the plans were scaled down by 10pc after the Board raised a number of concerns with the developer late last year about the scale of the project.
The revised plans would not have "significant adverse effects on the environment", the Board found, and would constitute an "appropriate development proposal in terms of land use, scale and visual amenity, would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience, would not be prejudicial to public health and would therefore be consistent with the proper planning and the sustainable development of the area".
Greystones Chamber of Commerce said that new jobs would be created and the marina would attract tourists to the area. "We very much welcome it," said Chamber president Derrick McGovern.
"It's something we've supported for many years, and I think it will bring a lot of jobs and will be great for tourism."
Sean Quirke, Director of Services, with Wicklow Co Council, said it was hoped that work would begin in the spring and the project would take up to five years to complete. Fifty million euro worth of public infrastructure would be provided under the plans.
In a unanimous decision, the Board also approved the acquisition of 36 acres of the foreshore to facilitate development.
It is the first time the public foreshore has been subject to a compulsory purchase order to facilitate a private developer, and opponents said it would set a dangerous precedent.
The Department of Finance must approve the sale, but there was no indication last night as to how much the council will pay. Land in Greystones currently commands about €1m an acre.
The conditions include a requirement that material needed to re-instate the beach must be shipped in by seas to the harbour instead of being transported through the town in order to reduce traffic movements.
The old town dump will be treated and remain on the site, and the public park will be built above it.
The Board also ordered that a committee be established made up of the council, Sispar - a consortium of John Sisk and Son and Park Developments - and local interest groups.
Opponents of the project will meet in the coming days to decide if they will seek a judicial review of the decision.
Paul Melia
Irish Examiner
Development welcomed by most 'if buildings not too high'
Mixed reaction to Greystones Marina Decision
Peter Holland
"I have lived in Greystones for a year and I am absolutely delighted at the plans for the harbour.
"It will be very good for the area. People down here don't want any movement, everything takes 11 or 12 years to get done.
"I retired down here and it is a great place to live. I have a boat moored in Dun Laoghaire but I will be able to move it here now with the new berths that will be put in.
"There is a seven-year wait to leave your boat here so now I will be able to have it in the area."
Bernadette Kilfeather
"I would support the development going ahead up to a certain point, but I am sceptical.
"If I position myself on the economical side of the argument, it will be a plus for Greystones and I would say 'yes' for the development.
"However, this is as long as they respect the environment and they stay reasonable on the height of the buildings. If that can bring something positive to Greystones, then I am in support.
"I am very sceptical because so far, I have seen huge buildings all around Dublin and the surrounding areas. I'm very scared to see people developing too much.
"Hopefully it will develop the local economy and people will be able to work in their community rather than having to commute to Dublin.
"I have lived here for two years and we wouldn't change that for anything in the world."
Melanie Smullen
"I don't agree with the development because I like Greystones the way that it is at the moment.
"It will make the area bigger and more commercial than what is here already. I have lived here all of my life.
"I would like it cleaned up a bit, but I wouldn't like to see a big marina put in so it would be changed into Dun Laoghaire.
"There has been a lot of houses built in the Charlesland area outside Greystones village and there has been such a flood of houses everywhere.
"They are just building and building houses and I think there is enough of them at this stage."
Esther Holland
"It will be great for Greystones from all points of view.
"It will be very good for business with the restaurants and other retail outlets which will be in place.
"We were just looking at the beach house on the coast, which needs to be cleaned up. The whole area is very run down and needs to be cleaned up.
"It could wash away some weekend."
Gary Nother
"I have lived in Greystones for the last 14 years and am in favour of the development going ahead.
"I am retired and walk the seafront every day, but I have never seen any of the people who were opposed to the development walking down here.
"There was a lot of people looking for me to sign petitions, but I never see them down here.
"Under the plans, there will be hundreds of houses and apartments built, one of which I may be interested in to move to because I am retired."
Tim Jones
"I think the harbour needs to be redone and developed. It has fallen into decay over the last few years.
"I don't know why there was so much local opposition to the development. There will be more apartments available for young people in the area."
Peter Holland
"I have lived in Greystones for a year and I am absolutely delighted at the plans for the harbour.
"It will be very good for the area. People down here don't want any movement, everything takes 11 or 12 years to get done.
"I retired down here and it is a great place to live. I have a boat moored in Dun Laoghaire but I will be able to move it here now with the new berths that will be put in.
"There is a seven-year wait to leave your boat here so now I will be able to have it in the area."
Bernadette Kilfeather
"I would support the development going ahead up to a certain point, but I am sceptical.
"If I position myself on the economical side of the argument, it will be a plus for Greystones and I would say 'yes' for the development.
"However, this is as long as they respect the environment and they stay reasonable on the height of the buildings. If that can bring something positive to Greystones, then I am in support.
"I am very sceptical because so far, I have seen huge buildings all around Dublin and the surrounding areas. I'm very scared to see people developing too much.
"Hopefully it will develop the local economy and people will be able to work in their community rather than having to commute to Dublin.
"I have lived here for two years and we wouldn't change that for anything in the world."
Melanie Smullen
"I don't agree with the development because I like Greystones the way that it is at the moment.
"It will make the area bigger and more commercial than what is here already. I have lived here all of my life.
"I would like it cleaned up a bit, but I wouldn't like to see a big marina put in so it would be changed into Dun Laoghaire.
"There has been a lot of houses built in the Charlesland area outside Greystones village and there has been such a flood of houses everywhere.
"They are just building and building houses and I think there is enough of them at this stage."
Esther Holland
"It will be great for Greystones from all points of view.
"It will be very good for business with the restaurants and other retail outlets which will be in place.
"We were just looking at the beach house on the coast, which needs to be cleaned up. The whole area is very run down and needs to be cleaned up.
"It could wash away some weekend."
Gary Nother
"I have lived in Greystones for the last 14 years and am in favour of the development going ahead.
"I am retired and walk the seafront every day, but I have never seen any of the people who were opposed to the development walking down here.
"There was a lot of people looking for me to sign petitions, but I never see them down here.
"Under the plans, there will be hundreds of houses and apartments built, one of which I may be interested in to move to because I am retired."
Tim Jones
"I think the harbour needs to be redone and developed. It has fallen into decay over the last few years.
"I don't know why there was so much local opposition to the development. There will be more apartments available for young people in the area."
Quarter 1 2007 Housing Statistics Bulletin
Mr. Batt O'Keeffe, T.D., Minister for Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing Areas, has released the Quarter 1 2007 Housing Statistics Bulletin.
The Bulletin reports data on a range of housing matters, including -
Social Housing Output
* 1,453 social houses were completed in the first quarter of 2007 - an increase of 61% on the same period of 2006. A further 11,360 units were in progress by the end of 2007.
* In addition, 66 new units were acquired on long-term leases under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) in the first quarter of 2007.
This brings the stock of RAS long-term lease units to 471 by the end of March 2007.
Affordable Housing Output
* 487 units were provided in the first three months 2007 under the various affordable housing schemes - 33% of these were provided in Dublin.
This includes 54 units delivered on State/Local authority lands element of the Affordable Housing Initiative.
Part V delivery
* 444 Part V social and affordable units were acquired in the first three months 2007 and a further 4,859 units were in progress at the end of March 2007.
Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2006 continued to gather momentum - up over 26% on the number delivered a year earlier.
The Bulletin also includes the following, based on loan approval data -
House Prices
* The average price of a new house nationally was €320,969 in the first quarter 2007 - 9% higher than the average price in the same quarter in 2006.
* The average price of a second-hand house nationally was €379,874 in the first quarter 2007 - 9% higher than the average price in the same quarter in 2006.
* The average price for a house approved for a loan in the Dublin area was €417,800 (new) and €516,211 (second hand) - up 7% and 9.1%, respectively - about the same level as the fourth quarter 2006.
Lending
* More than 24,500 loans were approved for house purchases in the first quarter 2007 - a decrease of 21.9% on the number approved a year earlier.
The value of loans approved for house purchase was over €6.4 billion - a decrease of 16.4% on the value of loans approved a year earlier, reflecting a reduction in the average loan being approved.
New House Completions and Commencements - 6 months to June 2007
Minister O'Keeffe also confirmed that the most recent data available indicated that 38,978 new housing units had been completed and approximately 31,600 new housing units have been started in the first six months of 2007.
Commenting on the data, the Minister said - "Figures contained within this release confirm that the housing market is evolving to a more balanced and sustainable growth pattern - particularly with regard to house prices and mortgage lending. The housing market is strongly underpinned by economic and demographic factors and Government measures to assist affordability, especially the increase in mortgage interest relief.
"There is every reason to expect the house building industry to continue delivering at a high level - even if easing back from last year's record. Indeed, I am aware of no objective rationale for other than a measured re-adjustment of output levels over time. The conditions are in place to allow continuation of a strong output performance, which is evidenced by a completion rate of almost 1,600 units each week throughout the country, so far this year" - the Minister added.
The Bulletin reports data on a range of housing matters, including -
Social Housing Output
* 1,453 social houses were completed in the first quarter of 2007 - an increase of 61% on the same period of 2006. A further 11,360 units were in progress by the end of 2007.
* In addition, 66 new units were acquired on long-term leases under the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS) in the first quarter of 2007.
This brings the stock of RAS long-term lease units to 471 by the end of March 2007.
Affordable Housing Output
* 487 units were provided in the first three months 2007 under the various affordable housing schemes - 33% of these were provided in Dublin.
This includes 54 units delivered on State/Local authority lands element of the Affordable Housing Initiative.
Part V delivery
* 444 Part V social and affordable units were acquired in the first three months 2007 and a further 4,859 units were in progress at the end of March 2007.
Part V of the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2006 continued to gather momentum - up over 26% on the number delivered a year earlier.
The Bulletin also includes the following, based on loan approval data -
House Prices
* The average price of a new house nationally was €320,969 in the first quarter 2007 - 9% higher than the average price in the same quarter in 2006.
* The average price of a second-hand house nationally was €379,874 in the first quarter 2007 - 9% higher than the average price in the same quarter in 2006.
* The average price for a house approved for a loan in the Dublin area was €417,800 (new) and €516,211 (second hand) - up 7% and 9.1%, respectively - about the same level as the fourth quarter 2006.
Lending
* More than 24,500 loans were approved for house purchases in the first quarter 2007 - a decrease of 21.9% on the number approved a year earlier.
The value of loans approved for house purchase was over €6.4 billion - a decrease of 16.4% on the value of loans approved a year earlier, reflecting a reduction in the average loan being approved.
New House Completions and Commencements - 6 months to June 2007
Minister O'Keeffe also confirmed that the most recent data available indicated that 38,978 new housing units had been completed and approximately 31,600 new housing units have been started in the first six months of 2007.
Commenting on the data, the Minister said - "Figures contained within this release confirm that the housing market is evolving to a more balanced and sustainable growth pattern - particularly with regard to house prices and mortgage lending. The housing market is strongly underpinned by economic and demographic factors and Government measures to assist affordability, especially the increase in mortgage interest relief.
"There is every reason to expect the house building industry to continue delivering at a high level - even if easing back from last year's record. Indeed, I am aware of no objective rationale for other than a measured re-adjustment of output levels over time. The conditions are in place to allow continuation of a strong output performance, which is evidenced by a completion rate of almost 1,600 units each week throughout the country, so far this year" - the Minister added.
Closed factory site set for new €60m development
THE go-ahead has been given to a multimillion-euro commercial and residential development on the site of a former Fruit of the Loom factory in Donegal.
After months of delay, An Bord Pleanala over-ruled its inspectors recommendation and granted permission to Jansu Developments Ltd for a scaled-down version of the €60m development on the outskirts of Buncrana overlooking Lough Swilly, with conditions attached.
Welcoming the announcement last night, Paul Doyle, project manager with Jansu Developments, said that it was now "all systems go" for work to commence.
"It is fantastic news for the town of Buncrana, the people of Buncrana and Jansu developments as well. We waited patiently and common sense prevailed in the end. Now we look forward to carrying out the development as soon as we can," he said.
The developers were initially refused planning by the local town council and appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala.
After a total of seven deferrals, the planning authority issued its ruling, giving the green light for the demolition of the existing factory premises and the development of 15 retail units, a restaurant, bar, medical centre and approximately 50 apartments on the premium site.
The development will also have over 500 car parking spaces and could employ up to 200 people during the construction phase.
It will be located on the site of the main Fruit of the Loom clothing manufacturing plant, which employed over 1,000 people when it was at peak production and shut down three years ago.
Among the 18 conditions attached were that the proposed seven-storey apartment complex on the western side of the site overlooking Lough Swilly be reduced by two stories.
The board also ruled that the areas of both the anchor store in the retail development and the restaurant and bar be significantly reduced and that 10 single storey apartments be omitted.
The decision to reduce the height of the seven storey structure to five stories was welcomed last night by the mayor of Buncrana, Paul Bradley, who had been opposed to the size and scale of development.
"My issue was with the sensitivity of the site which is overlooking Lough Swilly and is probably one of the most beautiful locations in the country.
Anita Guidera
Irish Examiner
After months of delay, An Bord Pleanala over-ruled its inspectors recommendation and granted permission to Jansu Developments Ltd for a scaled-down version of the €60m development on the outskirts of Buncrana overlooking Lough Swilly, with conditions attached.
Welcoming the announcement last night, Paul Doyle, project manager with Jansu Developments, said that it was now "all systems go" for work to commence.
"It is fantastic news for the town of Buncrana, the people of Buncrana and Jansu developments as well. We waited patiently and common sense prevailed in the end. Now we look forward to carrying out the development as soon as we can," he said.
The developers were initially refused planning by the local town council and appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanala.
After a total of seven deferrals, the planning authority issued its ruling, giving the green light for the demolition of the existing factory premises and the development of 15 retail units, a restaurant, bar, medical centre and approximately 50 apartments on the premium site.
The development will also have over 500 car parking spaces and could employ up to 200 people during the construction phase.
It will be located on the site of the main Fruit of the Loom clothing manufacturing plant, which employed over 1,000 people when it was at peak production and shut down three years ago.
Among the 18 conditions attached were that the proposed seven-storey apartment complex on the western side of the site overlooking Lough Swilly be reduced by two stories.
The board also ruled that the areas of both the anchor store in the retail development and the restaurant and bar be significantly reduced and that 10 single storey apartments be omitted.
The decision to reduce the height of the seven storey structure to five stories was welcomed last night by the mayor of Buncrana, Paul Bradley, who had been opposed to the size and scale of development.
"My issue was with the sensitivity of the site which is overlooking Lough Swilly and is probably one of the most beautiful locations in the country.
Anita Guidera
Irish Examiner
Environment Ireland Conference 2007
The Environment Ireland Conference 2007 will take place at the Burlington Hotel conference centre on the 3rd and 4th September 2007.
The theme for the 2007 conference is 'Towards 2020: The Environment in Ireland's Future'.
The conference will focus on key environmental issues such as climate change, sustainable development, the environmental impact of transport and water resource management.
The theme for the 2007 conference is 'Towards 2020: The Environment in Ireland's Future'.
The conference will focus on key environmental issues such as climate change, sustainable development, the environmental impact of transport and water resource management.
Firm says rival broke €4m pact
DEVELOPERS building rival shopping centres made a €4m pact not to object to planning permission against each other's plans.
But now one of them is trying to stop €3m of that being paid because an objection has been placed against their development.
The High Court heard yesterday that the two firms - Galway-based Talebury Properties Ltd and Parolen Ltd of Ashbourne, Co Meath - were developing rival shopping centres in 2003 when they made their pact.
Irish Independent
But now one of them is trying to stop €3m of that being paid because an objection has been placed against their development.
The High Court heard yesterday that the two firms - Galway-based Talebury Properties Ltd and Parolen Ltd of Ashbourne, Co Meath - were developing rival shopping centres in 2003 when they made their pact.
Irish Independent
Over 800 local events to celebrate Heritage Week 2007
The Heritage Council invites everyone to take part in Heritage Week, which begins on Saturday, August 25th and runs until Sunday, September 2nd.
Over 800 events - most of them free of charge - will take place across the country, with something happening in every county and on every day of the week. There is a huge range of activities and events to choose from - including guided tours and historical re-enactments, wildlife walks, boat trips, storytelling and music performances, craft master classes, bat walks and even bug hunts.
Isabell Smyth, Communications Officer at the Heritage Council says - "Heritage Week is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy and learn about aspects of our national heritage that appeal to you and to share that enjoyment with family and friends. Heritage Week is also an opportunity to promote a greater sense of care about the nation's heritage - which benefits all of us."
Many of the events during Heritage Week are run by local community and voluntary groups to promote awareness and share a growing pride in our national heritage, which includes buildings, museums, cultural events, wildlife and landscape. During the week, Saturday 1st September has been designated as Water Heritage Day and Saturday, August 26th as Walled Towns Day, with many special events taking place.
Heritage Week will be officially launched on Saturday, August 25th at Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, with a day of fun and learning for all the family. Activities on the day will include a heritage quiz trail, guided tree walks, children's games, workshops and music in the Farmleigh pleasure grounds.
Heritage Week is part of European Heritage Days - a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union - which has been running for the past fifteen years to celebrate the unity and diversity of Europe's heritage.
In Ireland, Heritage Week is co-ordinated by the Heritage Council in conjunction with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and with support from Fáilte Ireland.
Further information about events can be obtained -
* on www.heritageweek.ie
* from local authority heritage officers - or
* by calling Callsave 1850 200878.
Booklets with a full listing of events will also be available from local libraries and tourist offices in early August.
Over 800 events - most of them free of charge - will take place across the country, with something happening in every county and on every day of the week. There is a huge range of activities and events to choose from - including guided tours and historical re-enactments, wildlife walks, boat trips, storytelling and music performances, craft master classes, bat walks and even bug hunts.
Isabell Smyth, Communications Officer at the Heritage Council says - "Heritage Week is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy and learn about aspects of our national heritage that appeal to you and to share that enjoyment with family and friends. Heritage Week is also an opportunity to promote a greater sense of care about the nation's heritage - which benefits all of us."
Many of the events during Heritage Week are run by local community and voluntary groups to promote awareness and share a growing pride in our national heritage, which includes buildings, museums, cultural events, wildlife and landscape. During the week, Saturday 1st September has been designated as Water Heritage Day and Saturday, August 26th as Walled Towns Day, with many special events taking place.
Heritage Week will be officially launched on Saturday, August 25th at Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, with a day of fun and learning for all the family. Activities on the day will include a heritage quiz trail, guided tree walks, children's games, workshops and music in the Farmleigh pleasure grounds.
Heritage Week is part of European Heritage Days - a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Union - which has been running for the past fifteen years to celebrate the unity and diversity of Europe's heritage.
In Ireland, Heritage Week is co-ordinated by the Heritage Council in conjunction with the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and with support from Fáilte Ireland.
Further information about events can be obtained -
* on www.heritageweek.ie
* from local authority heritage officers - or
* by calling Callsave 1850 200878.
Booklets with a full listing of events will also be available from local libraries and tourist offices in early August.
Developer says rival broke €4m pact over planning
DEVELOPERS building rival shopping centres made a €4m pact not to object to planning permission against each other's plans.
However, now one of them is trying to stop €3m of that being paid because an objection has been placed against their development.
The High Court heard yesterday that the two firms - Galway-based Talebury Properties Ltd and Parolen Ltd of Ashbourne, Co Meath - were developing rival shopping centres in Drogheda, Co Louth, in 2003.
Declan McGrath, counsel for Talebury of Kitty Hall, Edward Hall, Co Galway, said the company had found out that Parolen had lodged a number of objections and appeals to various applications for planning permissions which Talebury had made to Drogheda Borough Council.
Agreement
Both developers had on August 21, 2003 entered into a written agreement in which Parolen said it would withdraw its existing appeals and objections.
The company also agreed it would not initiate any future objections or encourage or help anyone else to do so.
In consideration for the undertakings, Talebury had agreed to give Parolen two payments which would be guaranteed by Anglo Irish Bank Corporation plc.
Mr McGrath told Ms Justice Mary Laffoy that the first had guaranteed €1m by AIB on behalf of Talebury within 60 days of the date of the agreement, August 21, 2003.
Guarantee
This amount had been duly drawn down by Parolen. The agreement had further provided for a second guarantee to be given in the sum of €3m which would be available for draw-down on the fourth anniversary of the agreement - August 21, 2007.
Mr McGrath said Talebury was seeking an injunction restraining Anglo Irish Bank from paying out on foot of the €3m guarantee pending completion of the legal proceedings before the court.
He said Talebury claimed Parolen had breached the agreement not to lodge further objection.
Edward McGovern, of Laurence Street, Drogheda, had in July last year appealed to An Bord Pleanala a planning permission granted by Drogheda Borough Council to Talebury regarding its lands.
Mr McGrath said it was Talebury's case that Parolen had either directly or indirectly initiated or encouraged the appeal.
He said there was no allegation of wrongdoing against Anglo Irish Bank Corporation and in no way was the reputation of the bank impugned by Talebury Properties Ltd.
Judge Laffoy, granting the injunction restraining the paydown of the €3m until all of the issues in the proceedings had been determined by the court, said that there was a huge conflict of fact in the evidence placed before her and that it was not the court's function at this stage to express any view on the merits of the case.
Ray Managh
Irish Independent
However, now one of them is trying to stop €3m of that being paid because an objection has been placed against their development.
The High Court heard yesterday that the two firms - Galway-based Talebury Properties Ltd and Parolen Ltd of Ashbourne, Co Meath - were developing rival shopping centres in Drogheda, Co Louth, in 2003.
Declan McGrath, counsel for Talebury of Kitty Hall, Edward Hall, Co Galway, said the company had found out that Parolen had lodged a number of objections and appeals to various applications for planning permissions which Talebury had made to Drogheda Borough Council.
Agreement
Both developers had on August 21, 2003 entered into a written agreement in which Parolen said it would withdraw its existing appeals and objections.
The company also agreed it would not initiate any future objections or encourage or help anyone else to do so.
In consideration for the undertakings, Talebury had agreed to give Parolen two payments which would be guaranteed by Anglo Irish Bank Corporation plc.
Mr McGrath told Ms Justice Mary Laffoy that the first had guaranteed €1m by AIB on behalf of Talebury within 60 days of the date of the agreement, August 21, 2003.
Guarantee
This amount had been duly drawn down by Parolen. The agreement had further provided for a second guarantee to be given in the sum of €3m which would be available for draw-down on the fourth anniversary of the agreement - August 21, 2007.
Mr McGrath said Talebury was seeking an injunction restraining Anglo Irish Bank from paying out on foot of the €3m guarantee pending completion of the legal proceedings before the court.
He said Talebury claimed Parolen had breached the agreement not to lodge further objection.
Edward McGovern, of Laurence Street, Drogheda, had in July last year appealed to An Bord Pleanala a planning permission granted by Drogheda Borough Council to Talebury regarding its lands.
Mr McGrath said it was Talebury's case that Parolen had either directly or indirectly initiated or encouraged the appeal.
He said there was no allegation of wrongdoing against Anglo Irish Bank Corporation and in no way was the reputation of the bank impugned by Talebury Properties Ltd.
Judge Laffoy, granting the injunction restraining the paydown of the €3m until all of the issues in the proceedings had been determined by the court, said that there was a huge conflict of fact in the evidence placed before her and that it was not the court's function at this stage to express any view on the merits of the case.
Ray Managh
Irish Independent
Ireland's largest public falconry centre opens in Clare
Ireland's largest public falconry centre has been opened at one of the country's leading tourist sites.
Burren Birds of Prey Centre - located at Aillwee Cave in County Clare - features the largest display of Falcons, Harris Hawks, Owls, American Kestrels and White-Tailed Sea Eagles in the country.
Falconry is reputed to be the oldest sport in the world, originating in the Far East around 2000 BC, as a means of catching food.
The art of falconry spread westwards, reaching the shores of Europe long before the end of the first Millennium. "The Burren Birds Of Prey Centre houses birds that cannot be seen anywhere else in the country and the aim is to provide a first-class stock of birds" - explained Barbara Faulkner, Marketing Manager of Aillwee Cave.
She indicated that the new facility would endeavour to affiliate with bird release programmes on a national level - including the white-tailed sea eagle release programme in Kerry and the reintroduction of Red Kites to central Ireland.
One important aspect of the new Centre is the development of flying displays of Eagles and Falcons from Aillwee Mountain to a designated area within the centre.
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the birds in free flight, be able to handle and photograph rare birds of prey in a purpose-built flying arena.
During the breeding season visitors will be able to see young birds of prey being hand-reared, learn about falconry as an ancient sport and be made more aware of indigenous species and the environmental issues involved in their protection and conservation.
The new project is being managed by Darren Reddington and Ben Johnson - both experienced handlers of birds of prey. Darren Reddington is a professional falconer and is already contracted by several county councils and state bodies using birds of prey to clear landfill sites, airfields, recycling plants and food and chemical companies, of other birds and rodents which cause potential harm, directly or indirectly. He has considerable experience in the training and handling of birds of prey for display purposes.
Ben Johnson of Aillwee Cave has been involved with handling and keeping birds of prey for the past twenty years and has, in the past, kept birds of prey on display to the public on a small scale.
In addition to hosting Ireland's premier show cave, the Aillwee Cave currently offers visitors a well-serviced 24-acre site - including cheese making at the Farmshop, Coppice Woodland and Mountain Walks and attracts over 150,000 visitors a year.
Aillwee Cave is one of the many thousands of ancient caves beneath the Burren with over 1km of passages.
Its features include an underground river and waterfall as well as stalactites and stalagmites.
The remains of bears can be seen inside the caves. Unlike many other caves, there is no evidence that cave has been used by humans.
Local man Jacko McGann - who discovered the cave while searching for his dog and explored much of the cave by candlelight - was, perhaps, the first human who set foot in it. The cave, which is privately owned by two local families, first opened to the public in 1976.
For further information on the Burren Birds of Prey Centre, contact -
Barbara Faulkner
Marketing Manager
Aillwee Cave
Tel: 065 7077036
Email: barbara@aillweecave.ie
Burren Birds of Prey Centre - located at Aillwee Cave in County Clare - features the largest display of Falcons, Harris Hawks, Owls, American Kestrels and White-Tailed Sea Eagles in the country.
Falconry is reputed to be the oldest sport in the world, originating in the Far East around 2000 BC, as a means of catching food.
The art of falconry spread westwards, reaching the shores of Europe long before the end of the first Millennium. "The Burren Birds Of Prey Centre houses birds that cannot be seen anywhere else in the country and the aim is to provide a first-class stock of birds" - explained Barbara Faulkner, Marketing Manager of Aillwee Cave.
She indicated that the new facility would endeavour to affiliate with bird release programmes on a national level - including the white-tailed sea eagle release programme in Kerry and the reintroduction of Red Kites to central Ireland.
One important aspect of the new Centre is the development of flying displays of Eagles and Falcons from Aillwee Mountain to a designated area within the centre.
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the birds in free flight, be able to handle and photograph rare birds of prey in a purpose-built flying arena.
During the breeding season visitors will be able to see young birds of prey being hand-reared, learn about falconry as an ancient sport and be made more aware of indigenous species and the environmental issues involved in their protection and conservation.
The new project is being managed by Darren Reddington and Ben Johnson - both experienced handlers of birds of prey. Darren Reddington is a professional falconer and is already contracted by several county councils and state bodies using birds of prey to clear landfill sites, airfields, recycling plants and food and chemical companies, of other birds and rodents which cause potential harm, directly or indirectly. He has considerable experience in the training and handling of birds of prey for display purposes.
Ben Johnson of Aillwee Cave has been involved with handling and keeping birds of prey for the past twenty years and has, in the past, kept birds of prey on display to the public on a small scale.
In addition to hosting Ireland's premier show cave, the Aillwee Cave currently offers visitors a well-serviced 24-acre site - including cheese making at the Farmshop, Coppice Woodland and Mountain Walks and attracts over 150,000 visitors a year.
Aillwee Cave is one of the many thousands of ancient caves beneath the Burren with over 1km of passages.
Its features include an underground river and waterfall as well as stalactites and stalagmites.
The remains of bears can be seen inside the caves. Unlike many other caves, there is no evidence that cave has been used by humans.
Local man Jacko McGann - who discovered the cave while searching for his dog and explored much of the cave by candlelight - was, perhaps, the first human who set foot in it. The cave, which is privately owned by two local families, first opened to the public in 1976.
For further information on the Burren Birds of Prey Centre, contact -
Barbara Faulkner
Marketing Manager
Aillwee Cave
Tel: 065 7077036
Email: barbara@aillweecave.ie
70,000 farmers to take part in rural protection plan
UP to 70,000 farmers are expected to take part in the €3bn new Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) launched by Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan yesterday.
The scheme provides funding averaging €7,220 a year for farmers who sign up to farming methods designed to protect the countryside, increase biodiversity and improve water quality.
It will run until 2013, with farmers required to enhance the environment though a range of actions, including reduced use of fertilisers and pesticides contributing to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Maintaining hedgerows and creating new ones, growing crops to provide food for wild birds and preserving traditional breeds of animals and ancient Irish orchards are also key aspects of the new REPS 4 scheme.
The scheme, which is funded by the EU and the Irish Government, could be seen as a return to more old-fashioned methods of farming that would help maintain Ireland's rural environment, Ms Coughlan said.
"Modern farmers are conscious of their responsibility for this heritage and they want to maintain it and pass it on to future generations. REPS helps them do this."
Almost 60,000 farmers had taken part in the previous REPS scheme and the aim was to increase this to 70,000 with payment rates 17pc higher than before.
The average farmer taking part in the scheme would get €7,220 a year while a farmer with 55 hectares would get over €10,000.
The Irish Farmers' Association said the new scheme was overdue but urged farmers to take part as a recent study by Teagasc showed incomes were 13pc higher on REPS farms than on those which did not take part.
Aideen Sheehan
Irish Independent
The scheme provides funding averaging €7,220 a year for farmers who sign up to farming methods designed to protect the countryside, increase biodiversity and improve water quality.
It will run until 2013, with farmers required to enhance the environment though a range of actions, including reduced use of fertilisers and pesticides contributing to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Maintaining hedgerows and creating new ones, growing crops to provide food for wild birds and preserving traditional breeds of animals and ancient Irish orchards are also key aspects of the new REPS 4 scheme.
The scheme, which is funded by the EU and the Irish Government, could be seen as a return to more old-fashioned methods of farming that would help maintain Ireland's rural environment, Ms Coughlan said.
"Modern farmers are conscious of their responsibility for this heritage and they want to maintain it and pass it on to future generations. REPS helps them do this."
Almost 60,000 farmers had taken part in the previous REPS scheme and the aim was to increase this to 70,000 with payment rates 17pc higher than before.
The average farmer taking part in the scheme would get €7,220 a year while a farmer with 55 hectares would get over €10,000.
The Irish Farmers' Association said the new scheme was overdue but urged farmers to take part as a recent study by Teagasc showed incomes were 13pc higher on REPS farms than on those which did not take part.
Aideen Sheehan
Irish Independent
Tara group vows legal action over controversial burial site dig
LEGAL action will be taken within a week to stop the excavation of a national monument site on the route of the controversial M3 motorway unless the Government orders all work to stop.
The TaraWatch campaign said that unless Environment Minister John Gormley stopped excavations by next Tuesday it would seek a High Court injunction on the basis that the works were illegal and contrary to EU law.
There were peaceful protests at the site of Lismullin national monument yesterday as archaeologists began excavating the ritual burial site discovered last May.
A decision to preserve the site 'by record' - meaning it will be destroyed to make way for the road - has been criticised by demonstrators who want the motorway re-routed away from the Hill of Tara.
Opponents blocked archaeologists and construction workers from entering the site. However, following the arrival of gardai the protestors ended their standoff.
Mr Gormley has appointed an expert committee to oversee the excavation works. He has repeatedly said he does not have the power to re-route the road or to leave the national monument at its current location. His predecessor, Dick Roche, ordered that the Lismullin monument be studied and destroyed to allow the motorway be constructed.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley said yesterday that unless there was a material change in circumstances, he was powerless to alter Mr Roche's decision.
However, TaraWatch maintains otherwise, adding that the EU Commission has warned that demolition of the national monument is contrary to EU law.
The EU claims the National Monuments Act, which allows the Environment Minister to decide if a national monument should be preserved or destroyed, is contrary to EU law.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
The TaraWatch campaign said that unless Environment Minister John Gormley stopped excavations by next Tuesday it would seek a High Court injunction on the basis that the works were illegal and contrary to EU law.
There were peaceful protests at the site of Lismullin national monument yesterday as archaeologists began excavating the ritual burial site discovered last May.
A decision to preserve the site 'by record' - meaning it will be destroyed to make way for the road - has been criticised by demonstrators who want the motorway re-routed away from the Hill of Tara.
Opponents blocked archaeologists and construction workers from entering the site. However, following the arrival of gardai the protestors ended their standoff.
Mr Gormley has appointed an expert committee to oversee the excavation works. He has repeatedly said he does not have the power to re-route the road or to leave the national monument at its current location. His predecessor, Dick Roche, ordered that the Lismullin monument be studied and destroyed to allow the motorway be constructed.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley said yesterday that unless there was a material change in circumstances, he was powerless to alter Mr Roche's decision.
However, TaraWatch maintains otherwise, adding that the EU Commission has warned that demolition of the national monument is contrary to EU law.
The EU claims the National Monuments Act, which allows the Environment Minister to decide if a national monument should be preserved or destroyed, is contrary to EU law.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
Agencies rubbish reported €5bn cost of Metro
THE Department of Transport and the Railway Procurement Agency have rubbished claims that Dublin's Metro North rail system will cost over €5bn.
However, neither agency would say how much the project was likely to cost, citing "commercial sensitivity" and saying it would give companies an unfair advantage when bidding to build the 17km light-rail line.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act to a newspaper suggest that officials put the cost of completing the line from the city centre to Lissenhall at over €4.5bn at 2004 prices.
Although all figures in the documents were blanked out, the Irish Times said it could "discern" that the projected cost was €4.58bn - which would probably rise to over €5bn.
But the Department of Transport refused to comment on the claims, saying that not until a bidder was chosen to build the line would the price be revealed.
The project would be built under a public private partnership (PPP), where the private sector would meet some of the cost and the State the rest of it.
"The Department of Transport has noted media speculation today on the potential cost of the Dublin North metro," a statement said. "In line with international best practice in the area of PPP projects, no estimates on the potential cost of this project have been made available by the department pending completion of the procurement process in the interests of extracting the best deal possible for the exchequer."
The RPA, which is tasked with delivering Metro North, said the figures were not in line with its cost projections. Metro North is designed to carry 34 million passengers a year.
"Way back in time, when we submitted the outline business case for cabinet approval, we didn't release the figures on the basis of cabinet confidentiality," a spokesman said. "The number I've seen (in the newspaper) doesn't ring any bells. The figure will not be released to avoid giving bidders a clear indication of what's expected."
If correct, the €5bn price tag will make Metro North - due for completion in 2013 - the most expensive infrastructure project in the history of the State.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
However, neither agency would say how much the project was likely to cost, citing "commercial sensitivity" and saying it would give companies an unfair advantage when bidding to build the 17km light-rail line.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act to a newspaper suggest that officials put the cost of completing the line from the city centre to Lissenhall at over €4.5bn at 2004 prices.
Although all figures in the documents were blanked out, the Irish Times said it could "discern" that the projected cost was €4.58bn - which would probably rise to over €5bn.
But the Department of Transport refused to comment on the claims, saying that not until a bidder was chosen to build the line would the price be revealed.
The project would be built under a public private partnership (PPP), where the private sector would meet some of the cost and the State the rest of it.
"The Department of Transport has noted media speculation today on the potential cost of the Dublin North metro," a statement said. "In line with international best practice in the area of PPP projects, no estimates on the potential cost of this project have been made available by the department pending completion of the procurement process in the interests of extracting the best deal possible for the exchequer."
The RPA, which is tasked with delivering Metro North, said the figures were not in line with its cost projections. Metro North is designed to carry 34 million passengers a year.
"Way back in time, when we submitted the outline business case for cabinet approval, we didn't release the figures on the basis of cabinet confidentiality," a spokesman said. "The number I've seen (in the newspaper) doesn't ring any bells. The figure will not be released to avoid giving bidders a clear indication of what's expected."
If correct, the €5bn price tag will make Metro North - due for completion in 2013 - the most expensive infrastructure project in the history of the State.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
€3bn Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS 4)
The Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan T.D., has launched the €3 billion Rural Environment Protection Scheme to protect the rural landscape, increase biodiversity and improve water quality.
The new Scheme was approved at the EU's Rural Development Committee on 24th July as part of Ireland's Rural Development Programme, after long, detailed and challenging negotiation with the European Commission.
The latest version of the Rural Environment Protection Scheme - REPS 4 - runs until 2013 and encourages farmers to enhance the environment through a range of actions including reduced use of fertilisers and pesticides, contributing to lower greenhouse gas emissions as well as improved water quality. The scheme also assists in maintaining existing hedgerows and planting new ones, growing crops to provide food for wild birds and preserving traditional breeds of animals.
"For generations, farmers and farm families have been the keepers of Ireland's rural landscape and rural environment" - Minister Coughlan said. "Modern farmers are very conscious of their responsibility for this heritage and they want to maintain it and pass it on to future generations. REPS helps them to do is. While the payments are made directly to farmers, the benefits are for society as a whole."
The Scheme is co-funded by the EU and the Irish taxpayer and Minister Coughlan highlighted the record level of funding - some €3 billion - provided for REPS over the seven years, 2007-2013 (more than €400 million on average per year). She said that the Government's commitment was clearly evident in the provision of €1.6 billion in national funding - up by €850 million from the national allocation in 2000-2006.
In line with the social partnership agreement - Towards 2016 - all payment rates - including those for Natura 2000 designated land - are increased by 17%, compared to REPS 3. This means that the average REPS farmer will get €7,220 a year in REPS 4 - while a farmer with 55 hectares will qualify for over €10,000.
Minister Coughlan said - "I am particularly pleased that the European Commission was able to accept my proposals for a mixed grazing measure, which will benefit sheep farmers. I had also been anxious to extend REPS to the more intensive farming sectors - including dairying - and I am very happy that this will now be possible under REPS 4."
REPS was first introduced in 1994 and has gone through a number of revisions, with each one increasing the emphasis on proactive measures, by which farmers have protected and improved the environment. REPS 4 continues this trend.
When REPS 3 - the last version of the Scheme - closed to new entrants in December 2006, there were over 59,000 farmers taking part. Thousands more are expected to join REPS 4 and Minister Coughlan said she was pleased that many farmers, who have been waiting for the opportunity for some time, will now be afforded the chance to do so.
The new Scheme was approved at the EU's Rural Development Committee on 24th July as part of Ireland's Rural Development Programme, after long, detailed and challenging negotiation with the European Commission.
The latest version of the Rural Environment Protection Scheme - REPS 4 - runs until 2013 and encourages farmers to enhance the environment through a range of actions including reduced use of fertilisers and pesticides, contributing to lower greenhouse gas emissions as well as improved water quality. The scheme also assists in maintaining existing hedgerows and planting new ones, growing crops to provide food for wild birds and preserving traditional breeds of animals.
"For generations, farmers and farm families have been the keepers of Ireland's rural landscape and rural environment" - Minister Coughlan said. "Modern farmers are very conscious of their responsibility for this heritage and they want to maintain it and pass it on to future generations. REPS helps them to do is. While the payments are made directly to farmers, the benefits are for society as a whole."
The Scheme is co-funded by the EU and the Irish taxpayer and Minister Coughlan highlighted the record level of funding - some €3 billion - provided for REPS over the seven years, 2007-2013 (more than €400 million on average per year). She said that the Government's commitment was clearly evident in the provision of €1.6 billion in national funding - up by €850 million from the national allocation in 2000-2006.
In line with the social partnership agreement - Towards 2016 - all payment rates - including those for Natura 2000 designated land - are increased by 17%, compared to REPS 3. This means that the average REPS farmer will get €7,220 a year in REPS 4 - while a farmer with 55 hectares will qualify for over €10,000.
Minister Coughlan said - "I am particularly pleased that the European Commission was able to accept my proposals for a mixed grazing measure, which will benefit sheep farmers. I had also been anxious to extend REPS to the more intensive farming sectors - including dairying - and I am very happy that this will now be possible under REPS 4."
REPS was first introduced in 1994 and has gone through a number of revisions, with each one increasing the emphasis on proactive measures, by which farmers have protected and improved the environment. REPS 4 continues this trend.
When REPS 3 - the last version of the Scheme - closed to new entrants in December 2006, there were over 59,000 farmers taking part. Thousands more are expected to join REPS 4 and Minister Coughlan said she was pleased that many farmers, who have been waiting for the opportunity for some time, will now be afforded the chance to do so.
EnviroCom 2007
EnviroCom 2007 is a one-day conference and exhibition - organised by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown Chamber and sponsored by Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Sustainable Energy Ireland, with the support of RPS.
The conference will take place on Monday, September 24th 2007 in O'Reilly Hall, UCD, Dublin and will be hosted by Miriam O'Callaghan.
EnviroCom 2007 is aimed at all businesses to raise awareness of the benefits of good environmental management practice in their place of work. The Conference will give practical advice to business owners and managers and will highlight companies where small changes have made a huge difference - both in terms of cost-saving measures and by having a significant impact on our environment. It will also examine the national stage and the extra steps we need to take in moving forward.
The Conference will cover key environmental practices, including - waste prevention, regulation, recycling, energy management, environmental policy, reducing carbon emissions and the economics of climate change.
The Conference also includes an Exhibition of public and private sector companies that will assist in the delivery of an optimum solution for waste and energy management. The Exhibition provides an excellent opportunity for organisations to reinforce and develop their image and identity within the business sector. Exhibits can also be a springboard into networking from which major business opportunities arise.
The conference will take place on Monday, September 24th 2007 in O'Reilly Hall, UCD, Dublin and will be hosted by Miriam O'Callaghan.
EnviroCom 2007 is aimed at all businesses to raise awareness of the benefits of good environmental management practice in their place of work. The Conference will give practical advice to business owners and managers and will highlight companies where small changes have made a huge difference - both in terms of cost-saving measures and by having a significant impact on our environment. It will also examine the national stage and the extra steps we need to take in moving forward.
The Conference will cover key environmental practices, including - waste prevention, regulation, recycling, energy management, environmental policy, reducing carbon emissions and the economics of climate change.
The Conference also includes an Exhibition of public and private sector companies that will assist in the delivery of an optimum solution for waste and energy management. The Exhibition provides an excellent opportunity for organisations to reinforce and develop their image and identity within the business sector. Exhibits can also be a springboard into networking from which major business opportunities arise.
Major Clare infrastructure projects put on hold
An organisation consisting of County Clare's principal tourist agencies has described Aer Lingus' announcement that it does not intend to change its decision about ending a service between Shannon and Heathrow as "extremely disappointing, but not unexpected".
The Clare Tourism Forum said the onus is now on the Minister for Transport and Government to ensure that a replacement airline is found to continue four direct flights between Shannon and Heathrow.
Meanwhile, three leading members of the Forum have revealed that multi-million Euro developments have been put on hold, pending the outcome of efforts to retain a direct link from Shannon Airport to Heathrow.
Doonbeg Golf Club, The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis and Dromoland Castle have all warned that they have been forced to rethink major investments in infrastructure, as result of the announcement by Aer Lingus.
Speaking following a special meeting of the Clare Tourism Forum, Joe Russell of Doonbeg Golf Club stated - "€100 million has already been invested in Doonbeg Golf Club, with a planned €50 million further investment, over the next couple of years. The owners are now rethinking that investment, given their two priority markets are now under threat - North America and the UK.
"The carpet has been pulled from under tourism in general in the region. It is not only Doonbeg Golf Club, but also the many private family-run businesses along the coast - as well as the world-renowned Lahinch Golf Club - that will be seriously affected. In the absence of an Aer Lingus reversal on this, what is the Government's response?"
Mark Nolan, General Manager of Dromoland Castle added - "It has been a bitter-sweet day for Dermot Mannion and a bitter-sweet day for Dromoland Castle, who were, this week, granted planning permission for major development works at Dromoland. The Board of Dromoland has decided to put the approved development on hold in light of the Aer Lingus decision."
Meanwhile, Mary Gleeson, General Manager of the famed Old Ground Hotel in Ennis commented - "The Old Ground Hotel has planning permission for a new 130 bedroom hotel on the Galway Road. The decision to proceed with this major capital investment has now been put on hold."
Speaking on behalf of Clare Publicans, Michael Howard said - "Our members are dependent very much on the tourism trade for the survival of their businesses. Tourists - particularly those of Irish extraction - coming into the Shannon Region from Heathrow, represent a substantial part of the business in pubs. Any change in the accessibility from Heathrow will cause a serious downturn in employment in the pub sector and could result in putting some of our members out of business."
The Clare Tourism Forum was established in November 2005 with the objective of mobilising a collaborative strategy to sustain and develop tourism within the county. Its membership includes representatives of the principle agencies involved in tourism promotion in Clare, in partnership with representatives of the hotel, vintners, tourism retail and B+B sectors - as well as the main local tourism attractions.
According to Forum Chairperson, Cllr. Richard Nagle - "The Forum is now seeking a full restoration of the Shannon/London Heathrow service. If Aer Lingus is not willing to serve the Shannon/Heathrow route, then the onus is on the Government to instruct the relevant agencies to find an alternative carrier to ensure the reinstatement of a workable service and to ensure that the landing slots - previously in place - are available to the new carrier."
He added - "The Forum will work with all interested parties along the Western Seaboard and support any actions proposed to achieve the restoration of the service. We are also requesting all tourism and business interests in the West to write to the relevant Ministers outlining the impact of the Aer Lingus action on their business and future growth and investment in the region."
Tourism Forum Member, Frances Connole of The Burren Centre in Kilfenora added - "This decision is detrimental to tourism in North Clare. Shannon Airport is the main point of entry for tourists to North Clare."
The Clare Tourism Forum said the onus is now on the Minister for Transport and Government to ensure that a replacement airline is found to continue four direct flights between Shannon and Heathrow.
Meanwhile, three leading members of the Forum have revealed that multi-million Euro developments have been put on hold, pending the outcome of efforts to retain a direct link from Shannon Airport to Heathrow.
Doonbeg Golf Club, The Old Ground Hotel in Ennis and Dromoland Castle have all warned that they have been forced to rethink major investments in infrastructure, as result of the announcement by Aer Lingus.
Speaking following a special meeting of the Clare Tourism Forum, Joe Russell of Doonbeg Golf Club stated - "€100 million has already been invested in Doonbeg Golf Club, with a planned €50 million further investment, over the next couple of years. The owners are now rethinking that investment, given their two priority markets are now under threat - North America and the UK.
"The carpet has been pulled from under tourism in general in the region. It is not only Doonbeg Golf Club, but also the many private family-run businesses along the coast - as well as the world-renowned Lahinch Golf Club - that will be seriously affected. In the absence of an Aer Lingus reversal on this, what is the Government's response?"
Mark Nolan, General Manager of Dromoland Castle added - "It has been a bitter-sweet day for Dermot Mannion and a bitter-sweet day for Dromoland Castle, who were, this week, granted planning permission for major development works at Dromoland. The Board of Dromoland has decided to put the approved development on hold in light of the Aer Lingus decision."
Meanwhile, Mary Gleeson, General Manager of the famed Old Ground Hotel in Ennis commented - "The Old Ground Hotel has planning permission for a new 130 bedroom hotel on the Galway Road. The decision to proceed with this major capital investment has now been put on hold."
Speaking on behalf of Clare Publicans, Michael Howard said - "Our members are dependent very much on the tourism trade for the survival of their businesses. Tourists - particularly those of Irish extraction - coming into the Shannon Region from Heathrow, represent a substantial part of the business in pubs. Any change in the accessibility from Heathrow will cause a serious downturn in employment in the pub sector and could result in putting some of our members out of business."
The Clare Tourism Forum was established in November 2005 with the objective of mobilising a collaborative strategy to sustain and develop tourism within the county. Its membership includes representatives of the principle agencies involved in tourism promotion in Clare, in partnership with representatives of the hotel, vintners, tourism retail and B+B sectors - as well as the main local tourism attractions.
According to Forum Chairperson, Cllr. Richard Nagle - "The Forum is now seeking a full restoration of the Shannon/London Heathrow service. If Aer Lingus is not willing to serve the Shannon/Heathrow route, then the onus is on the Government to instruct the relevant agencies to find an alternative carrier to ensure the reinstatement of a workable service and to ensure that the landing slots - previously in place - are available to the new carrier."
He added - "The Forum will work with all interested parties along the Western Seaboard and support any actions proposed to achieve the restoration of the service. We are also requesting all tourism and business interests in the West to write to the relevant Ministers outlining the impact of the Aer Lingus action on their business and future growth and investment in the region."
Tourism Forum Member, Frances Connole of The Burren Centre in Kilfenora added - "This decision is detrimental to tourism in North Clare. Shannon Airport is the main point of entry for tourists to North Clare."
Tuesday, 7 August 2007
Port of Cork faces legal action over terminal plan
THE Port of Cork has been threatened with legal action in the European courts over its plans for a multi-million euro container terminal in the lower harbour.
The port is planning to move its container port operations at Tivoli to a new, larger site at Oyster Bank in Ringaskiddy.
But several local groups representing lower harbour residents and sailing clubs have combined to criticise the project.
They have cited concerns about noise and visual impact and said the lower harbour’s valuable sailing amenity would be lost if the project goes ahead.
They also claimed the project is now almost twice the size of what was first proposed.
Passage West town councillor Marcia D’Alton said the port’s plan could not be seen to support the Cork Area Strategic Plan’s visions for tourism and amenity development in Cork Harbour. She said residents are due to examine the project’s environmental impact study soon and would then decide their next course of action.
But she confirmed that depending on the outcome of the planning process, residents are considering mounting a legal challenge through the EU courts.
The €160 million project will involve the reclamation of 18 hectares of land to a distance of almost half a kilometre from the existing Ringaskiddy shoreline.
The port company plans to erect four 70-metre cranes along the water’s edge and store hundreds of containers in five-high banks on the new site.
The new terminal,together with a multi-purpose roll-on/roll-off berth, will be able to handle twice the volume of its Tivoli terminal, which is fast reaching capacity.
Work is expected to be carried out in two phases. Phase one will cater for 300,000 container units, while phase two will complete the facility allowing it to cater for 600,000 units.
The port’s planning application, which is due soon, will be dealt with by the State’s Strategic Infrastructure Bill, designed to fast-track major infrastructural projects.
Representatives from Monkstown District Residents’ Association, Monkstown Amenity Association, Monkstown Bay Sailing Club, the Cork Harbour Environmental Protection Agency and Rushbrooke Residents joined forces at a public meeting last week to criticise plans of port representatives and their consultants RPS.
Cork Harbour Environmental Protection Agency representative Charles Hennessey said residents who had been supportive of the port’s plans were dismayed that the scale of the project was twice what was originally committed to.
Monkstown Bay Sailing Club spokesman Dion Barrett said his members have grave concern for the future of sailing in Monkstown Bay if the project goes ahead.
Rushbrooke resident Bobby Kahn, who lives across the harbour from the proposed site, said high noise levels already carry across the water.
The new container terminal would be twice as close to residential areas because of the huge area of reclamation proposed, he said.
The meeting was told that Blackrock residents living across the water from the Tivoli terminal compound and Tivoli residents have complained about noise coming from that compound.
Residents said given the fact that the Ringaskiddy compound would be twice the size of the Tivoli compound, they would expect twice the nuisance.
The meeting also heard that accidents, such as the dropping of a container, would not be subject to statutory noise limitations.
Irish Examiner
The port is planning to move its container port operations at Tivoli to a new, larger site at Oyster Bank in Ringaskiddy.
But several local groups representing lower harbour residents and sailing clubs have combined to criticise the project.
They have cited concerns about noise and visual impact and said the lower harbour’s valuable sailing amenity would be lost if the project goes ahead.
They also claimed the project is now almost twice the size of what was first proposed.
Passage West town councillor Marcia D’Alton said the port’s plan could not be seen to support the Cork Area Strategic Plan’s visions for tourism and amenity development in Cork Harbour. She said residents are due to examine the project’s environmental impact study soon and would then decide their next course of action.
But she confirmed that depending on the outcome of the planning process, residents are considering mounting a legal challenge through the EU courts.
The €160 million project will involve the reclamation of 18 hectares of land to a distance of almost half a kilometre from the existing Ringaskiddy shoreline.
The port company plans to erect four 70-metre cranes along the water’s edge and store hundreds of containers in five-high banks on the new site.
The new terminal,together with a multi-purpose roll-on/roll-off berth, will be able to handle twice the volume of its Tivoli terminal, which is fast reaching capacity.
Work is expected to be carried out in two phases. Phase one will cater for 300,000 container units, while phase two will complete the facility allowing it to cater for 600,000 units.
The port’s planning application, which is due soon, will be dealt with by the State’s Strategic Infrastructure Bill, designed to fast-track major infrastructural projects.
Representatives from Monkstown District Residents’ Association, Monkstown Amenity Association, Monkstown Bay Sailing Club, the Cork Harbour Environmental Protection Agency and Rushbrooke Residents joined forces at a public meeting last week to criticise plans of port representatives and their consultants RPS.
Cork Harbour Environmental Protection Agency representative Charles Hennessey said residents who had been supportive of the port’s plans were dismayed that the scale of the project was twice what was originally committed to.
Monkstown Bay Sailing Club spokesman Dion Barrett said his members have grave concern for the future of sailing in Monkstown Bay if the project goes ahead.
Rushbrooke resident Bobby Kahn, who lives across the harbour from the proposed site, said high noise levels already carry across the water.
The new container terminal would be twice as close to residential areas because of the huge area of reclamation proposed, he said.
The meeting was told that Blackrock residents living across the water from the Tivoli terminal compound and Tivoli residents have complained about noise coming from that compound.
Residents said given the fact that the Ringaskiddy compound would be twice the size of the Tivoli compound, they would expect twice the nuisance.
The meeting also heard that accidents, such as the dropping of a container, would not be subject to statutory noise limitations.
Irish Examiner
M3 protesters stage Hill of Tara vigil
ANTI-M3 motorway protesters yesterday mounted a dawn vigil to defend a heritage site near the historic Hill of Tara.
Protect Tara supporters were triggered by speculation that the authorities were going ahead with plans to dismantle and “preserve as record” the so-called royal temple at Lismullin in Co Meath.
Feelings have run high, with heritage defenders claiming a priceless world treasure would be lost for ever if the motorway scheme goes ahead in its present form.
Conservationists have expressed bitter disappointment with the stance of new Environment Minister John Gormley of the Green Party to demands to reroute the motorway from Tara.
But Mr Gormley has maintained he has no power to change the M3 route, a legacy he inherited from predecessor Dick Roche.
Work on the roadway has been interrupted by people opposed to the motorway. And late last month the Love Tara march took over Dublin’s O’Connell Street, with all 32 counties represented. Four conservationists were arrested during picketing and held at Cloverhill Prison.
A joint letter signed internationally by 350 academics has emphasised the unique cultural treasure of the Tara landscape.
Former transport minister Martin Cullen cut the first sod for the double-tolled, four-lane motorway on April 30.
The following day, archaeologists announced a site of national monument status had been discovered at Lismullin — in the middle of the motorway’s intended path.
Fionnuala Devlin of Protect Tara said yesterday: “The site is an enormous find both literally — it is the size of three football fields — and in terms of its significance.
“Archaeologists believe the site, which is a wooden henge, was a pagan ceremonial temple used by the ancient kings and queens.”
The last time Tara was threatened — in 1902 — Nobel Prize-winning poet WB Yeats declared: “Tara is, because of its associations, probably the most consecrated spot in Irelandand its destruction will leave many bitter memories behind it.”
Irish Examiner
Protect Tara supporters were triggered by speculation that the authorities were going ahead with plans to dismantle and “preserve as record” the so-called royal temple at Lismullin in Co Meath.
Feelings have run high, with heritage defenders claiming a priceless world treasure would be lost for ever if the motorway scheme goes ahead in its present form.
Conservationists have expressed bitter disappointment with the stance of new Environment Minister John Gormley of the Green Party to demands to reroute the motorway from Tara.
But Mr Gormley has maintained he has no power to change the M3 route, a legacy he inherited from predecessor Dick Roche.
Work on the roadway has been interrupted by people opposed to the motorway. And late last month the Love Tara march took over Dublin’s O’Connell Street, with all 32 counties represented. Four conservationists were arrested during picketing and held at Cloverhill Prison.
A joint letter signed internationally by 350 academics has emphasised the unique cultural treasure of the Tara landscape.
Former transport minister Martin Cullen cut the first sod for the double-tolled, four-lane motorway on April 30.
The following day, archaeologists announced a site of national monument status had been discovered at Lismullin — in the middle of the motorway’s intended path.
Fionnuala Devlin of Protect Tara said yesterday: “The site is an enormous find both literally — it is the size of three football fields — and in terms of its significance.
“Archaeologists believe the site, which is a wooden henge, was a pagan ceremonial temple used by the ancient kings and queens.”
The last time Tara was threatened — in 1902 — Nobel Prize-winning poet WB Yeats declared: “Tara is, because of its associations, probably the most consecrated spot in Irelandand its destruction will leave many bitter memories behind it.”
Irish Examiner
Cross-party plea on energy policy
ENERGY Minister Eamon Ryan has challenged Fine Gael and Labour to agree to targets on the country's energy policy for the next 30 years.
The minister wants all-party agreements on energy sources, climate change and emissions reduction to ensure there is no change of direction with successive governments.
Such a deal would include every party agreeing on whether to go with nuclear energy or not.
Mr Ryan said an energy agreement would be as significant as the backing for Sean Lemass opening up the economy in the 1960s and Alan Dukes's Tallaght Strategy support in opposition for tough decisions on the public finances in the 1980s.
The previous attempt last year to get cross-party agreement on energy targets collapsed. Fine Gael and Labour had been sceptical of the plan, even though the Green Party was keen to go along with Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats.
After being closely involved in the first attempt, coordinated by Fianna Fail TD Noel O'Flynn as chairman of the Oireachtas Energy Committee, Mr Ryan wants to try again in his new role.
Labour appears willing to see what's on the table but Fine Gael are still opposing it. Mr Ryan said an agreement just "makes sense and that it would send out a consistent statement.
Fionnan Sheahan
Irish Independent
The minister wants all-party agreements on energy sources, climate change and emissions reduction to ensure there is no change of direction with successive governments.
Such a deal would include every party agreeing on whether to go with nuclear energy or not.
Mr Ryan said an energy agreement would be as significant as the backing for Sean Lemass opening up the economy in the 1960s and Alan Dukes's Tallaght Strategy support in opposition for tough decisions on the public finances in the 1980s.
The previous attempt last year to get cross-party agreement on energy targets collapsed. Fine Gael and Labour had been sceptical of the plan, even though the Green Party was keen to go along with Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats.
After being closely involved in the first attempt, coordinated by Fianna Fail TD Noel O'Flynn as chairman of the Oireachtas Energy Committee, Mr Ryan wants to try again in his new role.
Labour appears willing to see what's on the table but Fine Gael are still opposing it. Mr Ryan said an agreement just "makes sense and that it would send out a consistent statement.
Fionnan Sheahan
Irish Independent
Call for stamp duty to be abolished in 'Gateway towns'
THE Government was yesterday urged to abolish stamp duty on houses in Ireland's eight 'Gateway towns' to counteract urban sprawl in Dublin.
However, a spokesman for Fine Gael warned against the danger of further destabilising the housing market with another drawn-out debate about stamp duty.
The Construction Industry Federation argues that tax incentives have been used effectively in the past to regenerate run-down areas within cities, including Dublin and Cork.
It said that similar schemes could be used to entice investors and workers to the areas targeted for accelerated development under the National Spatial Strategy (NSS).
The eight 'mini-Dublins' are a 'triangle' formed by Athlone/Tullamore/Mullingar, Cork, Dundalk, Galway, Letterkenny, Limerick/Shannon, Sligo and Waterford.
"The NSS argues that the Gateways must achieve as a minimum a population of the order of 100,000, with the larger cities such as Cork and Galway required to grow their population well in excess of this," said Martin Whelan, CIF head of public affairs.
"Practical measures such as stamp duty exemptions for people moving to the Gateways to invest or take up employment should be considered as a means of population growth." "Lead local authorities within the Gateways should be encouraged to identify the types and levels of infrastructure needed as well as the package of measures required to ensure that the infrastructure is built.
"Options might include stamp duty relief for those moving to Gateways to take up employment and taxation incentives to leverage specific infrastructure developments," said Mr Whelan.
But Fine Gael Cork TD Simon Coveney warned there is a danger that another drawn-out debate on stamp duty could lead to uncertainty in the property market.
"We should be looking at ways of giving areas outside Dublin a competitive advantage. But we don't want more uncertainty and debate starting all over again.
"We need a clear statement from Government to let people know how they're going to encourage people out of Dublin to the regions to live and work.
"To propose stamp duty changes could have the opposite effect as people might put off moving until they know what's going to happen."
Jason O'Brien
Irish Independent
However, a spokesman for Fine Gael warned against the danger of further destabilising the housing market with another drawn-out debate about stamp duty.
The Construction Industry Federation argues that tax incentives have been used effectively in the past to regenerate run-down areas within cities, including Dublin and Cork.
It said that similar schemes could be used to entice investors and workers to the areas targeted for accelerated development under the National Spatial Strategy (NSS).
The eight 'mini-Dublins' are a 'triangle' formed by Athlone/Tullamore/Mullingar, Cork, Dundalk, Galway, Letterkenny, Limerick/Shannon, Sligo and Waterford.
"The NSS argues that the Gateways must achieve as a minimum a population of the order of 100,000, with the larger cities such as Cork and Galway required to grow their population well in excess of this," said Martin Whelan, CIF head of public affairs.
"Practical measures such as stamp duty exemptions for people moving to the Gateways to invest or take up employment should be considered as a means of population growth." "Lead local authorities within the Gateways should be encouraged to identify the types and levels of infrastructure needed as well as the package of measures required to ensure that the infrastructure is built.
"Options might include stamp duty relief for those moving to Gateways to take up employment and taxation incentives to leverage specific infrastructure developments," said Mr Whelan.
But Fine Gael Cork TD Simon Coveney warned there is a danger that another drawn-out debate on stamp duty could lead to uncertainty in the property market.
"We should be looking at ways of giving areas outside Dublin a competitive advantage. But we don't want more uncertainty and debate starting all over again.
"We need a clear statement from Government to let people know how they're going to encourage people out of Dublin to the regions to live and work.
"To propose stamp duty changes could have the opposite effect as people might put off moving until they know what's going to happen."
Jason O'Brien
Irish Independent
Gasworks sparks plan for €100m theatre
MORE than 650 construction jobs will be created as work begins on Ireland's biggest high-end theatre.
The ailing industry will take centre stage in Dublin this month as the foundations are laid for the €100m building that will replace the old Gasworks site.
Labourers will get a welcome encore as the playhouse, designed by the architect behind New York's Ground Zero memorial, is erected over the next three years.
An additional 100 permanent staff will also be employed to work in the theatre that will front a 10,000 square foot public space in what was once a no-go area at Grand Canal Square.
U2 manager Paul McGuinness, veteran broadcaster and road safety watchdog Gay Byrne, and radio star Gerry Ryan have agreed to sit on the theatre's honorary board.
With 2,200 seats, the theatre will be the focal point of the large square, an effect that will be heightened by red glazed paving that mimics a red carpet to its door.
Its proportions make it the optimum size agreed by the Ancients for an amphitheatre, without the need for artificial amplification.
It has a capacity far ahead of the most comparable venue, the Abbey, which is also set to move to the Docklands.
Theatre, opera and ballet will be staged at the Daniel Libeskind-designed venue. Its neighbours on the square will include a five star hotel, shops and restaurant bars including Ely HQ, which has been trading since February.
One of Dublin's industrial landmarks - the three Victorian circular cast iron ring gas holders, known as Alliance, Clayton and Dickens, will be completely replaced under the plan.
Of these, the only remaining gasholder is the Alliance dating from the 1880s which now forms part of an apartment building on South Lotts Road.
The project is being constructed for developer Harry Crosbie's Point Village company and the public square is being designed by American landscape architect Martha Schwartz.
"Eight years ago this was an abandoned, polluted and unused no go area," said Mr Crosbie. "In a few years, we will have replaced the old gasometers with a brand new theatre bringing the finest formal productions the world has to offer to Grand Canal Harbour."
Anne-Marie Walsh
Irish Independent
The ailing industry will take centre stage in Dublin this month as the foundations are laid for the €100m building that will replace the old Gasworks site.
Labourers will get a welcome encore as the playhouse, designed by the architect behind New York's Ground Zero memorial, is erected over the next three years.
An additional 100 permanent staff will also be employed to work in the theatre that will front a 10,000 square foot public space in what was once a no-go area at Grand Canal Square.
U2 manager Paul McGuinness, veteran broadcaster and road safety watchdog Gay Byrne, and radio star Gerry Ryan have agreed to sit on the theatre's honorary board.
With 2,200 seats, the theatre will be the focal point of the large square, an effect that will be heightened by red glazed paving that mimics a red carpet to its door.
Its proportions make it the optimum size agreed by the Ancients for an amphitheatre, without the need for artificial amplification.
It has a capacity far ahead of the most comparable venue, the Abbey, which is also set to move to the Docklands.
Theatre, opera and ballet will be staged at the Daniel Libeskind-designed venue. Its neighbours on the square will include a five star hotel, shops and restaurant bars including Ely HQ, which has been trading since February.
One of Dublin's industrial landmarks - the three Victorian circular cast iron ring gas holders, known as Alliance, Clayton and Dickens, will be completely replaced under the plan.
Of these, the only remaining gasholder is the Alliance dating from the 1880s which now forms part of an apartment building on South Lotts Road.
The project is being constructed for developer Harry Crosbie's Point Village company and the public square is being designed by American landscape architect Martha Schwartz.
"Eight years ago this was an abandoned, polluted and unused no go area," said Mr Crosbie. "In a few years, we will have replaced the old gasometers with a brand new theatre bringing the finest formal productions the world has to offer to Grand Canal Harbour."
Anne-Marie Walsh
Irish Independent
Now Tara protesters tackle road to Damascus
PROTESTERS blocking the M3 motorway passing near the Hill of Tara have now turned their attention to a similar campaign in the ancient Biblical city of Damascus.
The Syrian government wants to build an eight-lane motorway through two ancient districts of the Syrian capital to improve infrastructure. Angry local residents face eviction orders and have been offered compensation to relocate.
Both Tara and Damascus are on the 2007 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites.
Damascus, which is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, is also listed as a World Heritage Site. According to the Bible, St Paul was converted to Christianity while on the road to Damascus.
Tara Watch spokesman Vincent Salafia described the motorway plans in Damascus as "an abomination. It is another infrastructure versus heritage debate but there is always an engineering solution to these dilemmas. The motorway can probably be re-routed if a little more money is spent."
Damascus is getting a facelift as it has been selected as Arab Cultural Capital for 2008 by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. The proposed motorway is to run between Bab al-Salaam and Bab Touma, two of the city's old gates. The government believes the road will make it easier to get into the old city and lessen traffic inside its walls. But conservationists argue many of the buildings being demolished are of significant heritage importance.
The planned M3 runs through the heart of the Tara Skryne valley in Co Meath and opponents claim it will ruin the landscape and destroy many archaeological sites.
Work on the M3 was due to begin last summer but unforeseen archaeological discoveries have delayed full construction, particularly along the controversial stretch between Navan and Dunshaughlin.
Tara Watch campaigners plan another protest to Leinster House next month.
Senan Hogan
Irish Independent
The Syrian government wants to build an eight-lane motorway through two ancient districts of the Syrian capital to improve infrastructure. Angry local residents face eviction orders and have been offered compensation to relocate.
Both Tara and Damascus are on the 2007 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites.
Damascus, which is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, is also listed as a World Heritage Site. According to the Bible, St Paul was converted to Christianity while on the road to Damascus.
Tara Watch spokesman Vincent Salafia described the motorway plans in Damascus as "an abomination. It is another infrastructure versus heritage debate but there is always an engineering solution to these dilemmas. The motorway can probably be re-routed if a little more money is spent."
Damascus is getting a facelift as it has been selected as Arab Cultural Capital for 2008 by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. The proposed motorway is to run between Bab al-Salaam and Bab Touma, two of the city's old gates. The government believes the road will make it easier to get into the old city and lessen traffic inside its walls. But conservationists argue many of the buildings being demolished are of significant heritage importance.
The planned M3 runs through the heart of the Tara Skryne valley in Co Meath and opponents claim it will ruin the landscape and destroy many archaeological sites.
Work on the M3 was due to begin last summer but unforeseen archaeological discoveries have delayed full construction, particularly along the controversial stretch between Navan and Dunshaughlin.
Tara Watch campaigners plan another protest to Leinster House next month.
Senan Hogan
Irish Independent
Price of land for new roads doubles in six years
STATE payments to landowners for new roads has almost doubled in six years, government officials confirmed last night.
The proportion of the road-building funds being paid to farmers and other landowners has jumped from 12pc in 2000 to 23pc last year.
In 2006, €360m in taxpayers' money was paid for land for road construction. The big increases have led to the launching of a review of land costs for transport projects.
Last night, a Transport Department official said the increase in the cost of land purchases was in line with overall land price inflation and the rising cost of homes and commercial property in recent years.
Building
Almost a quarter of all spending on roads is going into the pockets of farmers and property owners to compensate them for the loss of primarily agricultural lands throughout the Irish countryside.
Farmers are getting tougher in their negotiations with officials when requested to hand over land to roadbuilders.
Department officials have acknowledged that the increasing share of road construction funds going to landowners can result in lessening the amount of roads that can be developed within the current limits.
Some €18bn is being invested in the current nine year national road building programme.
Guidelines
As concerns continue about the need to adhere to cost guidelines, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey has been informed that the potential cost of changing the route of the controversial M3 motorway route in his Co Meath backyard would cost up to €200m.
The current route, which passed near the Hill of Tara, is expected to be completed, if unaltered, within three years at a cost of €750m.
Proposals to build a ring road far outside the M50 linking Drogheda, Navan, Naas and Celbridge is being considered. Dubbed the 'Leinster Orbital Corridor', the road is intended to link all the country's major motorways in an expanded circle outside the current ring road around the capital.
An estimated €60m would be needed for pre-construction development.
The road would link routes such as the M1, the N3 and N4 and would link in with the N7/N9 interchange on the main roads to Cork and Galway.
With two million cars expected to be on Irish roads by 2016, the Leinster Corridor proposal has not yet been fully costed.
Alan O'Keeffe
Irish Independent
The proportion of the road-building funds being paid to farmers and other landowners has jumped from 12pc in 2000 to 23pc last year.
In 2006, €360m in taxpayers' money was paid for land for road construction. The big increases have led to the launching of a review of land costs for transport projects.
Last night, a Transport Department official said the increase in the cost of land purchases was in line with overall land price inflation and the rising cost of homes and commercial property in recent years.
Building
Almost a quarter of all spending on roads is going into the pockets of farmers and property owners to compensate them for the loss of primarily agricultural lands throughout the Irish countryside.
Farmers are getting tougher in their negotiations with officials when requested to hand over land to roadbuilders.
Department officials have acknowledged that the increasing share of road construction funds going to landowners can result in lessening the amount of roads that can be developed within the current limits.
Some €18bn is being invested in the current nine year national road building programme.
Guidelines
As concerns continue about the need to adhere to cost guidelines, Transport Minister Noel Dempsey has been informed that the potential cost of changing the route of the controversial M3 motorway route in his Co Meath backyard would cost up to €200m.
The current route, which passed near the Hill of Tara, is expected to be completed, if unaltered, within three years at a cost of €750m.
Proposals to build a ring road far outside the M50 linking Drogheda, Navan, Naas and Celbridge is being considered. Dubbed the 'Leinster Orbital Corridor', the road is intended to link all the country's major motorways in an expanded circle outside the current ring road around the capital.
An estimated €60m would be needed for pre-construction development.
The road would link routes such as the M1, the N3 and N4 and would link in with the N7/N9 interchange on the main roads to Cork and Galway.
With two million cars expected to be on Irish roads by 2016, the Leinster Corridor proposal has not yet been fully costed.
Alan O'Keeffe
Irish Independent
RWC 2007 stadiums go green
The organising committee of the Rugby World Cup (to be held in France from 7 September to 20 October 2007) held a press conference to announce its plans - developed in conjunction with ADEME - to reduce the environmental impact of the event.
Apart from recycling of waste, the distribution of an 'eco-supporter passport' and the preference for transporting players by rail, the most significant initiative is probably the carbon balance sheet.
This demonstrates that the World Cup will generate the equivalent of 570,000 tonnes of CO2 - 'equal to the annual output of Samoa' - one of the participating nations.
"Movement of people is responsible for 84% of the emissions" - says ADEME - the French Environment and Energy Management Agency.
The other notable point is the conversion to solar power of several stadiums - notably Geoffroy-Guichard at Saint-Étienne.
Apart from recycling of waste, the distribution of an 'eco-supporter passport' and the preference for transporting players by rail, the most significant initiative is probably the carbon balance sheet.
This demonstrates that the World Cup will generate the equivalent of 570,000 tonnes of CO2 - 'equal to the annual output of Samoa' - one of the participating nations.
"Movement of people is responsible for 84% of the emissions" - says ADEME - the French Environment and Energy Management Agency.
The other notable point is the conversion to solar power of several stadiums - notably Geoffroy-Guichard at Saint-Étienne.
Europe's greenest city
It doesn't look like the heart of a green revolution. The smoke stacks stick up jarringly above the line of pine trees and don't make for the most scenic view as you meander around the clear blue waters of the nearby lake.
But it is this power plant that has helped the small Swedish city of Växjö become arguably the greenest place in Europe.
On closer observation, the only thing emerging from the chimneys is the faintest wisp of steam - and inside, it smells more like a sauna than a furnace. That's because it is not oil fuelling the plant, but woodchip and other wood waste from the area's sawmills. As well as generating electricity, it also supplies 90 per cent of this southern Swedish town with heating and hot water.
"We are in the middle of the woodshed and we wanted to take advantage of that" - explained Tommy Sandh, who works in the control room.
The gases produced as the wood burns are condensed into liquid form and are purified before they reach the chimney.
In addition, instead of dumping this liquid, the power plant pumps it around town - some gushes piping-hot out of the town's taps, the rest is directed through plumbing that runs through individual heaters, warming homes and offices.
The pile of wood chippings in the yard towers above head height and takes almost five minutes to stroll around. According to Mr Sandh, that's enough to keep Växjö warm on the snowiest day in winter, or supply it with hot water for a fortnight in summer. It's also a good way of using the paper industry's waste.
As well as the centuries-old Swedish policy of planting a new tree for every one felled, the ashes swept out of the furnace each day find their way back to the forest as fertiliser.
It was this biomass plant that netted Växjö the European Union's inaugural award for sustainable development this year - an accolade which some might say makes it the greenest city on the continent.
More than 10 years ago, when oil prices were hovering around $20 a barrel, Växjö announced its aim of becoming a Fossil Fuel Free City. Later, it set a date for that goal - 2050 - and then added intermediary steps - such as halving the carbon emission per inhabitant by 2010.
Already Växjö is well on course. It has clocked-up a 25 per cent reduction in per-capita emissions and, at 3.5 tonnes of carbon per person, it has the lowest urban level in Europe. It is certainly below the Swedish average of five tonnes and minuscule compared with the United States, where emissions are more than 20 tonnes per person.
However, according to Anders Franzen, the head of planning and development department at the city council, there is no room for complacency - "The battle in the energy sector has been won, yes - but the next battleground is transport."
While the cycle paths are busy on summer evenings as residents travel into town for a meal on two wheels - not four, it is still hard to get them to abandon totally their petrol-hungry Volvos.
The council owns a communal fleet of green cars that run on ethanol and is hoping to get residents to follow suit. Mr Franzen practises what he preaches and drives a Prius.
One carrot the council is offering is free parking for low-emission vehicles and it is also training its gaze on converting the public transport system. However, he added that the government in Stockholm must play its part.
The other innovation that Växjö is trying is wooden buildings - not only are they carbon-neutral, they blend harmoniously into the landscape.
But it is this power plant that has helped the small Swedish city of Växjö become arguably the greenest place in Europe.
On closer observation, the only thing emerging from the chimneys is the faintest wisp of steam - and inside, it smells more like a sauna than a furnace. That's because it is not oil fuelling the plant, but woodchip and other wood waste from the area's sawmills. As well as generating electricity, it also supplies 90 per cent of this southern Swedish town with heating and hot water.
"We are in the middle of the woodshed and we wanted to take advantage of that" - explained Tommy Sandh, who works in the control room.
The gases produced as the wood burns are condensed into liquid form and are purified before they reach the chimney.
In addition, instead of dumping this liquid, the power plant pumps it around town - some gushes piping-hot out of the town's taps, the rest is directed through plumbing that runs through individual heaters, warming homes and offices.
The pile of wood chippings in the yard towers above head height and takes almost five minutes to stroll around. According to Mr Sandh, that's enough to keep Växjö warm on the snowiest day in winter, or supply it with hot water for a fortnight in summer. It's also a good way of using the paper industry's waste.
As well as the centuries-old Swedish policy of planting a new tree for every one felled, the ashes swept out of the furnace each day find their way back to the forest as fertiliser.
It was this biomass plant that netted Växjö the European Union's inaugural award for sustainable development this year - an accolade which some might say makes it the greenest city on the continent.
More than 10 years ago, when oil prices were hovering around $20 a barrel, Växjö announced its aim of becoming a Fossil Fuel Free City. Later, it set a date for that goal - 2050 - and then added intermediary steps - such as halving the carbon emission per inhabitant by 2010.
Already Växjö is well on course. It has clocked-up a 25 per cent reduction in per-capita emissions and, at 3.5 tonnes of carbon per person, it has the lowest urban level in Europe. It is certainly below the Swedish average of five tonnes and minuscule compared with the United States, where emissions are more than 20 tonnes per person.
However, according to Anders Franzen, the head of planning and development department at the city council, there is no room for complacency - "The battle in the energy sector has been won, yes - but the next battleground is transport."
While the cycle paths are busy on summer evenings as residents travel into town for a meal on two wheels - not four, it is still hard to get them to abandon totally their petrol-hungry Volvos.
The council owns a communal fleet of green cars that run on ethanol and is hoping to get residents to follow suit. Mr Franzen practises what he preaches and drives a Prius.
One carrot the council is offering is free parking for low-emission vehicles and it is also training its gaze on converting the public transport system. However, he added that the government in Stockholm must play its part.
The other innovation that Växjö is trying is wooden buildings - not only are they carbon-neutral, they blend harmoniously into the landscape.
Government agrees on new protection of Irish shellfish waters
The Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan T.D., has announced that the Government is to select waters to be designated as Shellfish Growing Waters.
This will specify the minimum standards of water quality that must be maintained in bays and inlets around the Irish coast where shellfish are grown.
The Government decision also provides for the establishment of strict measures and penalties to be applied in order to ensure the protection of the water quality in these areas and to commit the resources to implement these proposals fully. These penalties will be consistent with similar offences in the EC Drinking Water (No. 2) Regulations.
This decision also obligates public authorities to report information - relevant to water quality in the designated areas - to the Department - particularly when the water may be affected by activities carried out within their area.
Minister Ryan said - "I am delighted by the decision taken at Cabinet today. This important measure will improve the water quality around our entire coastline and safeguard the future of the Irish aquaculture industry. In water quality terms, shellfish are essentially the 'canaries down the mine'. Ensuring pollution reduction for shellfish waters will mean enhanced water quality in all of these areas.
"Previously, there were 14 designated areas - today's decision brings this to 54. Therefore, 54 areas will now undergo ongoing pollution reduction programmes and undertake Environmental Impact Assessments in conjunction with relevant stakeholders.
"The Government is marketing Ireland as the 'Seafood Island'. In order to do this, we must have the highest possible standards of water quality. Today's decision is an important step in this regard - it also represents Ireland's willingness to follow through on EU Directives pertaining to environmental protection. I will be ensuring speedy and full implementation of the decision as soon as possible."
The EC Shellfish Waters Directive (79/923/EEC) seeks to protect or improve shellfish waters identified by member states in order to support shellfish life and growth - and, thus, contribute to the high quality of edible shellfish products. This decision is on foot of ECJ judgement C-148/05, issued on 14th June 2007.
The Irish Aquaculture industry employs 1,936 people and Irish exports of shellfish reached over €126 million in 2005. The Government's seafood strategy - 'Steering a new course' - envisages a further investment of more than €210 million in the aquaculture sector over the next 5 years.
This will specify the minimum standards of water quality that must be maintained in bays and inlets around the Irish coast where shellfish are grown.
The Government decision also provides for the establishment of strict measures and penalties to be applied in order to ensure the protection of the water quality in these areas and to commit the resources to implement these proposals fully. These penalties will be consistent with similar offences in the EC Drinking Water (No. 2) Regulations.
This decision also obligates public authorities to report information - relevant to water quality in the designated areas - to the Department - particularly when the water may be affected by activities carried out within their area.
Minister Ryan said - "I am delighted by the decision taken at Cabinet today. This important measure will improve the water quality around our entire coastline and safeguard the future of the Irish aquaculture industry. In water quality terms, shellfish are essentially the 'canaries down the mine'. Ensuring pollution reduction for shellfish waters will mean enhanced water quality in all of these areas.
"Previously, there were 14 designated areas - today's decision brings this to 54. Therefore, 54 areas will now undergo ongoing pollution reduction programmes and undertake Environmental Impact Assessments in conjunction with relevant stakeholders.
"The Government is marketing Ireland as the 'Seafood Island'. In order to do this, we must have the highest possible standards of water quality. Today's decision is an important step in this regard - it also represents Ireland's willingness to follow through on EU Directives pertaining to environmental protection. I will be ensuring speedy and full implementation of the decision as soon as possible."
The EC Shellfish Waters Directive (79/923/EEC) seeks to protect or improve shellfish waters identified by member states in order to support shellfish life and growth - and, thus, contribute to the high quality of edible shellfish products. This decision is on foot of ECJ judgement C-148/05, issued on 14th June 2007.
The Irish Aquaculture industry employs 1,936 people and Irish exports of shellfish reached over €126 million in 2005. The Government's seafood strategy - 'Steering a new course' - envisages a further investment of more than €210 million in the aquaculture sector over the next 5 years.
New round of licensing for oil and gas exploration under new licensing terms
The Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan TD, has announced that he would be launching a new licensing round for oil and gas exploration in the Porcupine Basin in the early autumn.
Details will be published in the EU Official Journal in September.
Companies wishing to explore this area will also be subject to the new licensing terms, which include a profit resource rent tax. This new tax will be in addition to the 25% corporate tax rate currently employed. It will operate on a graded basis of profitability as follows -
* an additional 15% tax in respect of fields where the profit ratio[1] exceeds 4.5
* an additional 10% where the profit ratio is between 3.0 and 4.5
* an additional 5% where the profit ratio is between 1.5 and 3.0
* no change where the profit ratio is less than 1.5.
On the most profitable fields, therefore, the return to the State will increase from 25% to 40%.
The Government has taken this decision in light of a detailed review of licensing terms, carried out by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the report by economic consultants Indecon in the area.
Outlining the details of the changes Minister Ryan said - "The basis for this decision was to ensure a greater return to the State from our own natural resources, while maintaining the incentive for companies to explore off our shores. I believe these changes achieve this balance."
The previous terms were introduced in 1992 with the aim of encouraging petroleum exploration in Ireland. However, this did not eventualise, with only 23 exploration wells drilled in Ireland since that time.
Notwithstanding this, Minister Ryan said that he is optimistic that greater exploration investment will take place under these new terms. He explained - "The difference now is in prospectivity, price and profitability. The data available to us now - and seismic technology necessary for prospecting - have vastly improved in the intervening 15 years. Energy prices continue to rise.
"Both of these factors are leading to greater profits in the industry. Fewer prospective areas are open for exploration internationally - making Ireland's unexplored basins more attractive. The Atlantic area is seriously under-explored. Departmental analysis of this area estimated risked reserves in the order of 10 billion barrels[2] in the Atlantic area alone."
The Minister also announced that he will also be making changes to the non-fiscal licensing terms. These include -
* reducing the overall length of certain licences
* requiring licensees to surrender acreage earlier
* increasing all fees in line with the Consumer Price Index - and
* reducing the confidentiality period relating to data acquired by licensees and furnished to the Department.
All changes will apply to exploration licences awarded after 1 January 2007 - effective immediately.
The Minister said - "These changes in the non-fiscal regime will encourage efficient and timely exploration. All changes - both fiscal and non-fiscal - alter the way Ireland deals with oil and gas exploration companies. They bring us into line with other comparable countries. Successful exploration will contribute greatly to securing Ireland's energy supply into the future.
Ireland's oil and gas is a resource of the people. The Government acts as caretakers/owners of these resources on their behalf. It has a duty to ensure appropriate return and to ensure that they are adequately and properly explored. Overall, I feel these changes represent a licensing regime that is in the greatest public good."
Ireland's new fiscal regime is a model of tax-take, based on two separate taxes and is a common model used in many other countries in the petroleum production sector. It is similar to that used by the UK, Denmark, Norway and in German Länder.
Details of the non-fiscal changes
Duration of Licences
* The duration of deepwater licences will be reduced from 12 years to 9 years and the minimum period for a frontier licence will be reduced to 12 years.
* Terms will explicitly state the Minister's power to vary both the duration of individual phases of a licence, as well as the overall duration of a licence.
Relinquishment Conditions
* The introduction of an automatic relinquishment of 50% of the area covered by a licence at the end of the first phase of all exploration licences and of a further 50% at the end of the second phase of deepwater and frontier licences, regardless of drilling commitments.
Fees
* Retain the current level of rental and application fees, subject to annual increases in line with CPI.
Confidentiality period for Well Data
* The confidentiality period for well data will be reduced from 5 to 4 years.
Drilling Commitments & Work Programmes
* Work programmes will be required to set out clearly the timing of the works proposed.
* There will be no change in drilling obligations in the case of standard and frontier exploration licences.
In the case of a deepwater licence - the first well to be drilled in the first 3 years of the licence (4 years at present) and a second well must be commenced by the end of the 6th year (8 years at present).
Moving to Development Phase
* The time allowed for the submission of a plan of development will be reduced from 2 years to 1 year from the date a petroleum lease has been signed.
* It will be provided that a lease undertaking may follow on from either an exploration licence or a licensing option and that the information required from the applicant will be the same as that required from a company that is applying for an exploration licence.
* There will be clarification that award of a reserved area licence is not automatic, that the Minister may impose conditions and that the area concerned must be contiguous with the existing lease area.
Categories of Authorisation
* All the existing categories of authorisation should be retained (no change).
To download a copy of the Indecon Report - Click Here
[1] Profit ratio is defined as rate of profits less 25% corporate tax divided by the accumulated level of capital investment.
[2] Source: DCMNR report 2006, Indecon review p 84.
Details will be published in the EU Official Journal in September.
Companies wishing to explore this area will also be subject to the new licensing terms, which include a profit resource rent tax. This new tax will be in addition to the 25% corporate tax rate currently employed. It will operate on a graded basis of profitability as follows -
* an additional 15% tax in respect of fields where the profit ratio[1] exceeds 4.5
* an additional 10% where the profit ratio is between 3.0 and 4.5
* an additional 5% where the profit ratio is between 1.5 and 3.0
* no change where the profit ratio is less than 1.5.
On the most profitable fields, therefore, the return to the State will increase from 25% to 40%.
The Government has taken this decision in light of a detailed review of licensing terms, carried out by the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources and the report by economic consultants Indecon in the area.
Outlining the details of the changes Minister Ryan said - "The basis for this decision was to ensure a greater return to the State from our own natural resources, while maintaining the incentive for companies to explore off our shores. I believe these changes achieve this balance."
The previous terms were introduced in 1992 with the aim of encouraging petroleum exploration in Ireland. However, this did not eventualise, with only 23 exploration wells drilled in Ireland since that time.
Notwithstanding this, Minister Ryan said that he is optimistic that greater exploration investment will take place under these new terms. He explained - "The difference now is in prospectivity, price and profitability. The data available to us now - and seismic technology necessary for prospecting - have vastly improved in the intervening 15 years. Energy prices continue to rise.
"Both of these factors are leading to greater profits in the industry. Fewer prospective areas are open for exploration internationally - making Ireland's unexplored basins more attractive. The Atlantic area is seriously under-explored. Departmental analysis of this area estimated risked reserves in the order of 10 billion barrels[2] in the Atlantic area alone."
The Minister also announced that he will also be making changes to the non-fiscal licensing terms. These include -
* reducing the overall length of certain licences
* requiring licensees to surrender acreage earlier
* increasing all fees in line with the Consumer Price Index - and
* reducing the confidentiality period relating to data acquired by licensees and furnished to the Department.
All changes will apply to exploration licences awarded after 1 January 2007 - effective immediately.
The Minister said - "These changes in the non-fiscal regime will encourage efficient and timely exploration. All changes - both fiscal and non-fiscal - alter the way Ireland deals with oil and gas exploration companies. They bring us into line with other comparable countries. Successful exploration will contribute greatly to securing Ireland's energy supply into the future.
Ireland's oil and gas is a resource of the people. The Government acts as caretakers/owners of these resources on their behalf. It has a duty to ensure appropriate return and to ensure that they are adequately and properly explored. Overall, I feel these changes represent a licensing regime that is in the greatest public good."
Ireland's new fiscal regime is a model of tax-take, based on two separate taxes and is a common model used in many other countries in the petroleum production sector. It is similar to that used by the UK, Denmark, Norway and in German Länder.
Details of the non-fiscal changes
Duration of Licences
* The duration of deepwater licences will be reduced from 12 years to 9 years and the minimum period for a frontier licence will be reduced to 12 years.
* Terms will explicitly state the Minister's power to vary both the duration of individual phases of a licence, as well as the overall duration of a licence.
Relinquishment Conditions
* The introduction of an automatic relinquishment of 50% of the area covered by a licence at the end of the first phase of all exploration licences and of a further 50% at the end of the second phase of deepwater and frontier licences, regardless of drilling commitments.
Fees
* Retain the current level of rental and application fees, subject to annual increases in line with CPI.
Confidentiality period for Well Data
* The confidentiality period for well data will be reduced from 5 to 4 years.
Drilling Commitments & Work Programmes
* Work programmes will be required to set out clearly the timing of the works proposed.
* There will be no change in drilling obligations in the case of standard and frontier exploration licences.
In the case of a deepwater licence - the first well to be drilled in the first 3 years of the licence (4 years at present) and a second well must be commenced by the end of the 6th year (8 years at present).
Moving to Development Phase
* The time allowed for the submission of a plan of development will be reduced from 2 years to 1 year from the date a petroleum lease has been signed.
* It will be provided that a lease undertaking may follow on from either an exploration licence or a licensing option and that the information required from the applicant will be the same as that required from a company that is applying for an exploration licence.
* There will be clarification that award of a reserved area licence is not automatic, that the Minister may impose conditions and that the area concerned must be contiguous with the existing lease area.
Categories of Authorisation
* All the existing categories of authorisation should be retained (no change).
To download a copy of the Indecon Report - Click Here
[1] Profit ratio is defined as rate of profits less 25% corporate tax divided by the accumulated level of capital investment.
[2] Source: DCMNR report 2006, Indecon review p 84.
Public art work for Dublin Docklands
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority has announced the appointment of Antony Gormley as the artist in charge of a new and exciting sculptural commission for Docklands.
Engaging hereto unused construction techniques, it is hoped to be able to build a sizable structure - up to 48 metres high - that will be architectural in scale and be a signpost for the realignment of Dublin's epicentre eastwards.
Mr. Gormley has been inspired by the research of Professor Weaire of Trinity College, Dublin - who, with Professor Phelan, unlocked the geometries of the bubble matrix, to radically re-describe the human form as an open structure. In combination with the advanced geometry unit of Arup Engineers (London), he is hoping to be able to make a river-sited work that arises from the water as a drawing in space.
Commenting on the proposed design, Mr Gormley said - "The work will allude to the human body as a dynamic interconnected matrix, evoking the collective body - which is, in itself, in dynamic relation to the movement of people in the street and across the new Sean O'Casey Bridge."
Gormley has evolved this proposal from Field - a vast installation of 35,000 sculptures last seen in Dublin in 1993 at his show in IMMA - where tiny clay objects looked up at the viewer. This dynamic has been reversed in this proposal for Dublin, where the walkers on the street will become the Lilliputians in relation to this subliminally evoked collective body.
The sculpture will read as a drawing against the changing light of the sky, within an area of Dublin that has low rise buildings on both sides of the river.
The final form of the work is yet to be decided and will be the result of ongoing discussions between the research team and the artist.
The appointment of Antony Gormley comes after an international competition and year-long selection process for a landmark public art project for the Docklands.
The Docklands Authority plans to lodge a planning application for the work before the end of the year. Subject to planning permission, construction is likely to start during 2008 - and, once on site, the work will take approximately eight months to build and will cost in the region of €1.6 million.
A Dublin-based contractor, capable of delivering this imaginative and ground breaking work, is yet to be appointed. Antony Gormley and Arup Engineers are actively searching at this time for the necessary construction skills and technologies to enable them to deliver the project.
Engaging hereto unused construction techniques, it is hoped to be able to build a sizable structure - up to 48 metres high - that will be architectural in scale and be a signpost for the realignment of Dublin's epicentre eastwards.
Mr. Gormley has been inspired by the research of Professor Weaire of Trinity College, Dublin - who, with Professor Phelan, unlocked the geometries of the bubble matrix, to radically re-describe the human form as an open structure. In combination with the advanced geometry unit of Arup Engineers (London), he is hoping to be able to make a river-sited work that arises from the water as a drawing in space.
Commenting on the proposed design, Mr Gormley said - "The work will allude to the human body as a dynamic interconnected matrix, evoking the collective body - which is, in itself, in dynamic relation to the movement of people in the street and across the new Sean O'Casey Bridge."
Gormley has evolved this proposal from Field - a vast installation of 35,000 sculptures last seen in Dublin in 1993 at his show in IMMA - where tiny clay objects looked up at the viewer. This dynamic has been reversed in this proposal for Dublin, where the walkers on the street will become the Lilliputians in relation to this subliminally evoked collective body.
The sculpture will read as a drawing against the changing light of the sky, within an area of Dublin that has low rise buildings on both sides of the river.
The final form of the work is yet to be decided and will be the result of ongoing discussions between the research team and the artist.
The appointment of Antony Gormley comes after an international competition and year-long selection process for a landmark public art project for the Docklands.
The Docklands Authority plans to lodge a planning application for the work before the end of the year. Subject to planning permission, construction is likely to start during 2008 - and, once on site, the work will take approximately eight months to build and will cost in the region of €1.6 million.
A Dublin-based contractor, capable of delivering this imaginative and ground breaking work, is yet to be appointed. Antony Gormley and Arup Engineers are actively searching at this time for the necessary construction skills and technologies to enable them to deliver the project.
New buses and a new service for Galway City
Mr Noel Dempsey TD, Minister for Transport has launched the first phase of Transport 21-funded buses in Galway City, aimed at improving public transport services for the people of Galway.
Commenting, Minister Dempsey said - "This Government is committed to improving the public transport network for everyone to use. I want to see more modern, reliable, accessible and environmentally-friendly buses on the streets of cities and towns all over the country. I want communities like Doughiska, here in Galway, to enjoy a top quality bus service that meets their needs. Government funding under Transport 21 is now helping to make that happen."
The Minister added - "Today marks the launch by Bus Éireann of an ambitious customer-focused plan to upgrade Galway city and commuter bus services. Other cities and towns right across the country are similarly set to enjoy improvements to services under Transport 21. That's what I want for the Irish travelling public - safe, reliable public transport, that more people will want to use. Bus Éireann's announcement today is very welcome in that regard."
Commenting, Minister Dempsey said - "This Government is committed to improving the public transport network for everyone to use. I want to see more modern, reliable, accessible and environmentally-friendly buses on the streets of cities and towns all over the country. I want communities like Doughiska, here in Galway, to enjoy a top quality bus service that meets their needs. Government funding under Transport 21 is now helping to make that happen."
The Minister added - "Today marks the launch by Bus Éireann of an ambitious customer-focused plan to upgrade Galway city and commuter bus services. Other cities and towns right across the country are similarly set to enjoy improvements to services under Transport 21. That's what I want for the Irish travelling public - safe, reliable public transport, that more people will want to use. Bus Éireann's announcement today is very welcome in that regard."
Oriel plans major off-shore wind farm
Oriel Windfarm Limited - the Irish-owned and operated sustainable and renewable energy company - has announced plans to build a major offshore wind farm in the North Irish Sea.
The company said that the plans are at "an advanced stage" and that the facility would have capacity to generate 330 megawatts of electricity. On completion, it would be Ireland's largest renewable electricity generator and one of the largest power stations in the country.
The project will be located in the Irish Sea, between Dundalk and Drogheda.
Oriel stated that preparatory work on the project had been underway for several years under the terms of a Foreshore Licence granted to the company in 2005. It is currently in the final stages of a Foreshore Lease application process with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
Detailed plans were submitted to the Department in February of this year, and the public consultation process was completed in June. A decision on the Foreshore Lease - which would allow the project to proceed to construction stage - is due in the autumn.
On completion, the wind farm will have capacity to generate in excess of 5pc of Ireland's electricity needs - producing enough electricity for 250,000 homes. In addition, the company says, the wind farm has the potential to avert the release of over 350,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
The company said that the plans are at "an advanced stage" and that the facility would have capacity to generate 330 megawatts of electricity. On completion, it would be Ireland's largest renewable electricity generator and one of the largest power stations in the country.
The project will be located in the Irish Sea, between Dundalk and Drogheda.
Oriel stated that preparatory work on the project had been underway for several years under the terms of a Foreshore Licence granted to the company in 2005. It is currently in the final stages of a Foreshore Lease application process with the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
Detailed plans were submitted to the Department in February of this year, and the public consultation process was completed in June. A decision on the Foreshore Lease - which would allow the project to proceed to construction stage - is due in the autumn.
On completion, the wind farm will have capacity to generate in excess of 5pc of Ireland's electricity needs - producing enough electricity for 250,000 homes. In addition, the company says, the wind farm has the potential to avert the release of over 350,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum.
Water supplies and landscapes in Cavan
On a visit to Cavan, Eamon Ryan, T.D., Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, highlighted two important initiatives being undertaken by the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) to underpin the continued economic development of the region.
Breifne Project
The first initiative the Minister highlighted is a flagship cross-border tourism project - the Breifne Project - which aims to celebrate and promote the natural and cultural landscapes of the Breifne area as a sustainable tourism resource.
While visiting the offices of the project, Minister Ryan praised the project developers for their innovation and dynamism in drawing together five county councils - as well as the Geological Survey of Ireland, the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and the University of Ulster - to participate in developing the area.
"This project is a tangible example of the kind of benefits that cross-border co-operation can bring. The Breifne region includes the Marble Arch Caves in County Fermanagh, which have already been designated by UNESCO as a European and Global Geopark - one of only two on the island of Ireland.
"I hope that Breifne can achieve their ambition of becoming the first trans-national Geopark in the world and attract tourists from across the world" - the Minister said.
Cavan Groundwater Scheme
Speaking at the offices of Cavan County Council, Minister Ryan announced the beginning of the production of a Groundwater Protection Scheme for County Cavan by the Geological Survey of Ireland.
"Ensuring the high quality of our drinking water is one of the highest priorities for this Government - at both local and national levels. Groundwater provides between 20% and 25% of our national drinking water supplies - and, indeed, in many areas, groundwater is the only source of supply.
"Accordingly, it is imperative that this resource be protected, which can only be achieved through appropriate land-use planning and practice" - Minister Ryan said.
Groundwater Protection Schemes are county-based projects designed to preserve the quality of groundwater - particularly for drinking water purposes - for the benefit of present and future generations. The Cavan scheme will produce a county-wide land-use zonation map to assist in groundwater protection. In addition, five public water supplies, sourced from groundwater in the county, are being studied in detail to produce protection areas for these sources.
Groundwater protection responses for potentially polluting activities are provided for different mapped land zones. At present, responses have been developed for landfills, on-site wastewater treatment systems (septic tanks) and landspreading of licensed organic wastes - with still more in planning.
"GSI's groundwater protection schemes are central to the development of appropriate practices in this area. With the recent water problems in Galway - incidentally, the location of the second GSI protection scheme currently ongoing - it is clear just how important it is to delineate areas of particular vulnerability and to respond accordingly" - concluded the Minister.
Since 2003, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government has recommended that groundwater protection schemes be incorporated into County Development Plans.
To-date, GSI has completed groundwater protection schemes for 14 local authorities - Clare, Cork (South), Donegal, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, South Tipperary, Wicklow and Waterford - and an interim scheme in North Tipperary. Apart from Cavan, work is presently on-going in Galway and, currently, there are requests for schemes from six other local authorities.
GSI undertakes each scheme under the auspices of its national plan for groundwater protection schemes.
The output from groundwater protection schemes is a series of 8 large scale maps (1:50,000 for regional maps; 1:10,000 or 1:25,000 for source protection maps) with an accompanying explanatory report. The series of maps comprise -
1. bedrock geology map
2. subsoil geology map
3. outcrop and depth-to-bedrock map
4. hydrogeological data map
5. aquifer map
6. groundwater vulnerability map
7. groundwater protection zone map - and
8. groundwater source protection zone maps.
A digital product is also provided to the local authority for inclusion in their own GIS system.
As part of the groundwater protection scheme, GSI delivers a range of maps and reports that identify aquifers (rocks that store and transmit water in significant quantities), areas of vulnerability and groundwater resource/source protection zones. The groundwater vulnerability data that GSI generates are important because they describe a pathway through which pollution may travel and also indicate how much of the rainfall may replenish groundwater.
Breifne Project
The first initiative the Minister highlighted is a flagship cross-border tourism project - the Breifne Project - which aims to celebrate and promote the natural and cultural landscapes of the Breifne area as a sustainable tourism resource.
While visiting the offices of the project, Minister Ryan praised the project developers for their innovation and dynamism in drawing together five county councils - as well as the Geological Survey of Ireland, the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland and the University of Ulster - to participate in developing the area.
"This project is a tangible example of the kind of benefits that cross-border co-operation can bring. The Breifne region includes the Marble Arch Caves in County Fermanagh, which have already been designated by UNESCO as a European and Global Geopark - one of only two on the island of Ireland.
"I hope that Breifne can achieve their ambition of becoming the first trans-national Geopark in the world and attract tourists from across the world" - the Minister said.
Cavan Groundwater Scheme
Speaking at the offices of Cavan County Council, Minister Ryan announced the beginning of the production of a Groundwater Protection Scheme for County Cavan by the Geological Survey of Ireland.
"Ensuring the high quality of our drinking water is one of the highest priorities for this Government - at both local and national levels. Groundwater provides between 20% and 25% of our national drinking water supplies - and, indeed, in many areas, groundwater is the only source of supply.
"Accordingly, it is imperative that this resource be protected, which can only be achieved through appropriate land-use planning and practice" - Minister Ryan said.
Groundwater Protection Schemes are county-based projects designed to preserve the quality of groundwater - particularly for drinking water purposes - for the benefit of present and future generations. The Cavan scheme will produce a county-wide land-use zonation map to assist in groundwater protection. In addition, five public water supplies, sourced from groundwater in the county, are being studied in detail to produce protection areas for these sources.
Groundwater protection responses for potentially polluting activities are provided for different mapped land zones. At present, responses have been developed for landfills, on-site wastewater treatment systems (septic tanks) and landspreading of licensed organic wastes - with still more in planning.
"GSI's groundwater protection schemes are central to the development of appropriate practices in this area. With the recent water problems in Galway - incidentally, the location of the second GSI protection scheme currently ongoing - it is clear just how important it is to delineate areas of particular vulnerability and to respond accordingly" - concluded the Minister.
Since 2003, the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government has recommended that groundwater protection schemes be incorporated into County Development Plans.
To-date, GSI has completed groundwater protection schemes for 14 local authorities - Clare, Cork (South), Donegal, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, South Tipperary, Wicklow and Waterford - and an interim scheme in North Tipperary. Apart from Cavan, work is presently on-going in Galway and, currently, there are requests for schemes from six other local authorities.
GSI undertakes each scheme under the auspices of its national plan for groundwater protection schemes.
The output from groundwater protection schemes is a series of 8 large scale maps (1:50,000 for regional maps; 1:10,000 or 1:25,000 for source protection maps) with an accompanying explanatory report. The series of maps comprise -
1. bedrock geology map
2. subsoil geology map
3. outcrop and depth-to-bedrock map
4. hydrogeological data map
5. aquifer map
6. groundwater vulnerability map
7. groundwater protection zone map - and
8. groundwater source protection zone maps.
A digital product is also provided to the local authority for inclusion in their own GIS system.
As part of the groundwater protection scheme, GSI delivers a range of maps and reports that identify aquifers (rocks that store and transmit water in significant quantities), areas of vulnerability and groundwater resource/source protection zones. The groundwater vulnerability data that GSI generates are important because they describe a pathway through which pollution may travel and also indicate how much of the rainfall may replenish groundwater.
Airtricity opens 48MW Bindoo wind farm in Co. Cavan
Airtricity, the renewable energy company, has officially opened its Bindoo wind farm in Co. Cavan.
The new facility is the second-largest Airtricity wind farm on the island of Ireland and will save the release of over 120,000 tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to taking 30,000 cars off the road. The wind farm will produce enough green electricity to supply approximately 30,000 homes.
Construction on the new 48MW Bindoo wind farm began in March 2006 and consists of 32 GE wind turbines, generating 1.5MW each. Construction of the facility also included the building of over 10km of new access track, installation of over 75km of cable, the Ratrussan 110kV substation and substantial public road widening in the vicinity of the site.
Commenting at the opening, Airtricity CEO, Eddie O'Connor said - "This is the third project to be completed since we recommenced development of wind farms in Ireland in late 2005. In that time, we have built almost 100MW in new facilities in Limerick, Wexford and here in Cavan - thus further reducing Ireland's dependence on imported fossil fuels which contribute to greenhouse gases."
O'Connor added - "However, we still have a long way to go to reach our own ambitious targets. We want to play our part in helping Ireland reach its 33% renewable targets by 2020. We believe that working with the Government, Eirgrid and Enterprise Ireland, we can make Ireland into a leading renewable energy country.
"I am delighted that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, TD, was able to join us and open this wind farm here today. I know his support for renewables and wind power will help Ireland not only achieve but exceed its target for renewables."
"I would like to congratulate Airtricity on its success to-date. Bindoo wind farm is a practical demonstration of the types of projects that can contribute to rebalancing our high dependence on imported energy resources, in an environmentally sustainable way.
"Harnessing indigenous energy resources is central to our energy policy and I would like to wish all project developers and their working partners every success in maximising the sustainable conversion of all our indigenous renewable energy resources to 2010 and beyond" - commented Minister Ryan at the opening ceremony.
The new facility is the second-largest Airtricity wind farm on the island of Ireland and will save the release of over 120,000 tonnes of CO2 - equivalent to taking 30,000 cars off the road. The wind farm will produce enough green electricity to supply approximately 30,000 homes.
Construction on the new 48MW Bindoo wind farm began in March 2006 and consists of 32 GE wind turbines, generating 1.5MW each. Construction of the facility also included the building of over 10km of new access track, installation of over 75km of cable, the Ratrussan 110kV substation and substantial public road widening in the vicinity of the site.
Commenting at the opening, Airtricity CEO, Eddie O'Connor said - "This is the third project to be completed since we recommenced development of wind farms in Ireland in late 2005. In that time, we have built almost 100MW in new facilities in Limerick, Wexford and here in Cavan - thus further reducing Ireland's dependence on imported fossil fuels which contribute to greenhouse gases."
O'Connor added - "However, we still have a long way to go to reach our own ambitious targets. We want to play our part in helping Ireland reach its 33% renewable targets by 2020. We believe that working with the Government, Eirgrid and Enterprise Ireland, we can make Ireland into a leading renewable energy country.
"I am delighted that the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, TD, was able to join us and open this wind farm here today. I know his support for renewables and wind power will help Ireland not only achieve but exceed its target for renewables."
"I would like to congratulate Airtricity on its success to-date. Bindoo wind farm is a practical demonstration of the types of projects that can contribute to rebalancing our high dependence on imported energy resources, in an environmentally sustainable way.
"Harnessing indigenous energy resources is central to our energy policy and I would like to wish all project developers and their working partners every success in maximising the sustainable conversion of all our indigenous renewable energy resources to 2010 and beyond" - commented Minister Ryan at the opening ceremony.
Ministers Martin and Ryan to speak at ASPO6
ASPO, The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas, has announced that both the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment - Micheál Martin TD - and Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources - Eamon Ryan TD - will speak at this year's international conference to be held in Cork in September.
The Conference - now in its sixth year and entitled 'Time to React?' - will feature a number of other high-profile speakers, including Dr James Schlesinger, the first secretary of energy in the United States in 1977 and now a consultant to the Departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security.
Award winning scientist and Greenpeace campaigner, Jeremy Leggett, will also speak at the event alongside Corkman and financial commentator Eddie Hobbs.
ASPO is a global not-for-profit organisation founded by Dr. Colin J. Campbell, with headquarters in West Cork. Its aim is to raise awareness about the timing of the peak of the world's production of oil and gas.
Jeremy Gilbert, President of ASPO, said - "Much of the best work on future oil supply has been done here in Ireland. Ironically, Ireland may well be one of the countries which will be most affected by oil and gas supply failing to meet demand. Holding the ASPO Conference in Ireland provides a great opportunity for our politicians and decision-makers to become better informed and to begin developing strategies for dealing with a frightening situation."
Speaking about the conference, Minister Ryan said - "I am delighted to have been invited to address the upcoming ASPO conference. I believe that peak oil - whether it arrives today or in the near future - is one of the most pressing issues to face Ireland. We need to urgently diversify away from our dependence on fossil fuels and I hope to gain some valuable insights into the problem and possible solutions at the APSO conference."
Minister Martin added - "I am delighted to welcome this prestigious international Conference to Ireland - particularly to Cork, in what is now its sixth year. I welcome the wealth of international expert speakers and look forward to being a part of an event which places such importance on a subject that is becoming ever prominent on a national as well as global basis."
The ASPO Conference is to be held at Cork City Hall on Monday, 17th and Tuesday, 18th September 2007. NTR - a leading developer and operator in renewable energy and sustainable waste management - will be the main sponsor of the 2007 Conference. The Conference will be attended by over 300 delegates from across the globe.
The Conference - now in its sixth year and entitled 'Time to React?' - will feature a number of other high-profile speakers, including Dr James Schlesinger, the first secretary of energy in the United States in 1977 and now a consultant to the Departments of Defense, State and Homeland Security.
Award winning scientist and Greenpeace campaigner, Jeremy Leggett, will also speak at the event alongside Corkman and financial commentator Eddie Hobbs.
ASPO is a global not-for-profit organisation founded by Dr. Colin J. Campbell, with headquarters in West Cork. Its aim is to raise awareness about the timing of the peak of the world's production of oil and gas.
Jeremy Gilbert, President of ASPO, said - "Much of the best work on future oil supply has been done here in Ireland. Ironically, Ireland may well be one of the countries which will be most affected by oil and gas supply failing to meet demand. Holding the ASPO Conference in Ireland provides a great opportunity for our politicians and decision-makers to become better informed and to begin developing strategies for dealing with a frightening situation."
Speaking about the conference, Minister Ryan said - "I am delighted to have been invited to address the upcoming ASPO conference. I believe that peak oil - whether it arrives today or in the near future - is one of the most pressing issues to face Ireland. We need to urgently diversify away from our dependence on fossil fuels and I hope to gain some valuable insights into the problem and possible solutions at the APSO conference."
Minister Martin added - "I am delighted to welcome this prestigious international Conference to Ireland - particularly to Cork, in what is now its sixth year. I welcome the wealth of international expert speakers and look forward to being a part of an event which places such importance on a subject that is becoming ever prominent on a national as well as global basis."
The ASPO Conference is to be held at Cork City Hall on Monday, 17th and Tuesday, 18th September 2007. NTR - a leading developer and operator in renewable energy and sustainable waste management - will be the main sponsor of the 2007 Conference. The Conference will be attended by over 300 delegates from across the globe.
Shannon Materplan consortium appointed
Shannon Development has appointed a consortium led by Project Management Group (PMG) and RKD Architects to draw up a Masterplan for the future development of the Shannon Free Zone in Co. Clare.
The Masterplan will provide the basis for the regeneration of Shannon Free Zone and the adjoining areas. The project will include greenfield, brownfield, regeneration and reconstruction master planning.
"This is a very important development for the Shannon Free Zone, Shannon International Airport and Shannon Town - for counties Clare and Limerick and for the Shannon Region - because it will serve as the basis for the regeneration and development of Shannon Free Zone in the coming decades" - said Mr Michael Leydon, Strategic Projects Manager, Shannon Development.
"Its implementation over that period will result in large-scale development of offices, laboratories, factories and warehouses, which will provide accommodation for the next generation businesses and will maintain the Shannon Free Zone's leading position in the international market."
Shannon Free Zone is Ireland's leading multi-sectoral business park and has the country's largest cluster of North American investments. It currently facilitates over 100 manufacturing and international service companies, employing over 7,000 people.
Physically, the Shannon Free Zone encompasses 600 acres of land and 4 million square feet. of buildings.
The Masterplan will provide the basis for the regeneration of Shannon Free Zone and the adjoining areas. The project will include greenfield, brownfield, regeneration and reconstruction master planning.
"This is a very important development for the Shannon Free Zone, Shannon International Airport and Shannon Town - for counties Clare and Limerick and for the Shannon Region - because it will serve as the basis for the regeneration and development of Shannon Free Zone in the coming decades" - said Mr Michael Leydon, Strategic Projects Manager, Shannon Development.
"Its implementation over that period will result in large-scale development of offices, laboratories, factories and warehouses, which will provide accommodation for the next generation businesses and will maintain the Shannon Free Zone's leading position in the international market."
Shannon Free Zone is Ireland's leading multi-sectoral business park and has the country's largest cluster of North American investments. It currently facilitates over 100 manufacturing and international service companies, employing over 7,000 people.
Physically, the Shannon Free Zone encompasses 600 acres of land and 4 million square feet. of buildings.
Proposed 30kph speed limit in Dublin city centre
Dublin City Council is considering the introduction of a 30kph speed limit in the core of Dublin City Centre.
This is being proposed as a safety measure and is in line with the current Road Safety Plan. The area under consideration is between Parnell Square and St Stephens Green - and, on the quays, between the Four Courts and the Custom House.
Under current legislation, it is not possible to introduce such speed limits on National Primary Roads. The National Roads Authority (NRA) is proposing to de-list National roads in the City area - following which, work on drafting the bye-laws will commence. As the de-listing process is at the discretion of the NRA, it is not possible, at this juncture, to confirm when the proposed routes will be de-listed.
Draft bye-laws would then be submitted to the Transportation Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), prior to initiating a public consultation process. Following public consultation, the bye-laws would then be brought back before the Transportation SPC ahead of being submitted to a full meeting of the City Council.
The making of speed limit bye-laws is a function reserved for the elected members of the City Council.
This is being proposed as a safety measure and is in line with the current Road Safety Plan. The area under consideration is between Parnell Square and St Stephens Green - and, on the quays, between the Four Courts and the Custom House.
Under current legislation, it is not possible to introduce such speed limits on National Primary Roads. The National Roads Authority (NRA) is proposing to de-list National roads in the City area - following which, work on drafting the bye-laws will commence. As the de-listing process is at the discretion of the NRA, it is not possible, at this juncture, to confirm when the proposed routes will be de-listed.
Draft bye-laws would then be submitted to the Transportation Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), prior to initiating a public consultation process. Following public consultation, the bye-laws would then be brought back before the Transportation SPC ahead of being submitted to a full meeting of the City Council.
The making of speed limit bye-laws is a function reserved for the elected members of the City Council.
Friday, 3 August 2007
Developer ignores order to demolish 52 houses
A construction company which built 52 holiday homes in Co Tipperary without proper planning permission has ignored a council request to demolish the houses.
South Tipperary County Council is now planning to take legal action against the developer, Liam Campion of Campion Construction Ltd, a company based at Borris-in-Ossory, Co Laois.
The two-storey houses were built on a prominent site close to the Rock of Cashel. Following complaints to the council, planning inspectors discovered that "the works had not been carried out in compliance with planning permission".
In May, it issued an enforcement order demanding that the company cease all development at the site, remove the 52 houses, and restore the land to its condition prior to the commencement of the development. But the company has continued to ignore the order. The council has now referred the file to its legal advisers and is expected to take the matter to the courts in the autumn.
Campion Construction did not return calls from The Irish Times. The company's architect, Frank Ennis & Associates, of Blackrock, Co Dublin, claimed in June that their client "has technical issues to be resolved and is in discussions with South Tipperary County Council". It is understood that no such discussions have taken place.
The holiday homes - on an elevated 15-acre site in the townland of Ballypadeen outside Cashel - are visible to motorists on the main Dublin to Cork road. Mr Campion had also received planning permission to build "an international trade centre", an "international arbitration centre" and "a 120-room aparthotel" with restaurants, lounge bars, conference rooms, swimming pools and a car park. However, neither the hotel nor the international trade and arbitration centres have been built and the site appears to have been abandoned.
Permission was granted subject to conditions which stipulated the use of the homes would be ancillary to the hotel and not used as permanent residences.
Michael Parsons
© 2007 The Irish Times
South Tipperary County Council is now planning to take legal action against the developer, Liam Campion of Campion Construction Ltd, a company based at Borris-in-Ossory, Co Laois.
The two-storey houses were built on a prominent site close to the Rock of Cashel. Following complaints to the council, planning inspectors discovered that "the works had not been carried out in compliance with planning permission".
In May, it issued an enforcement order demanding that the company cease all development at the site, remove the 52 houses, and restore the land to its condition prior to the commencement of the development. But the company has continued to ignore the order. The council has now referred the file to its legal advisers and is expected to take the matter to the courts in the autumn.
Campion Construction did not return calls from The Irish Times. The company's architect, Frank Ennis & Associates, of Blackrock, Co Dublin, claimed in June that their client "has technical issues to be resolved and is in discussions with South Tipperary County Council". It is understood that no such discussions have taken place.
The holiday homes - on an elevated 15-acre site in the townland of Ballypadeen outside Cashel - are visible to motorists on the main Dublin to Cork road. Mr Campion had also received planning permission to build "an international trade centre", an "international arbitration centre" and "a 120-room aparthotel" with restaurants, lounge bars, conference rooms, swimming pools and a car park. However, neither the hotel nor the international trade and arbitration centres have been built and the site appears to have been abandoned.
Permission was granted subject to conditions which stipulated the use of the homes would be ancillary to the hotel and not used as permanent residences.
Michael Parsons
© 2007 The Irish Times
30kmh limit to protect cyclists and pedestrians - Council plan to reduce motoring fatalities in city
MOTORISTS are set to face a radical new 30kmh (18.6mph) speed limit throughout Dublin city centre and along the quays.
The new limit is 20kmh less than the current city-wide limit of 50kmh (31mph).
The far slower speed limit is being introduced to help prevent the deaths of cyclists and pedestrians, the Irish Independent has learned.
Key arteries including O'Connell Street, Dame Street, D'Olier Street, Westmoreland Street, and the north and southside quays all currently have a speed limit of 50kmh since the changeover to metric values.
Under the new Dublin City Council management initiative these will all be slashed to 30kmh along with every other street and road in the city centre core.
A small number of streets, including part of Talbot Street and Temple Bar, already have a 30kmh limit but the vast majority are set at 50kmh, including the high traffic volume routes. In order to effect the changes, the council has held top-level discussions with the National Roads Authority. Because streets such as O'Connell St and Westmoreland St are designated as national primary roads, they will have to be delisted so that the new limit can be introduced.
The NRA has agreed to delist all of the roads inside the M50 as national primary routes to facilitate the new limit, it was also learned. It is expected that other councils in cities such as Cork, Galway and Limerick may follow the lead set by Dublin in bringing in a radically lower city centre speed limit.
Tim O'Sullivan, senior Dublin City Council traffic executive, said yesterday: "We are going to introduce a new lower speed limit of 30kmh in the very core of the city centre. It is a safety issue and is a no-brainer.
"The change is imminent. All of the studies show that when you have a speed limit of 20mph in the old values, then safety for cyclists and pedestrians is radically improved." Success
The new limit will be backed with upgrading of the traffic light system and a new raft of speed limit signs. The 30kmh limit will be presented to a special traffic committee of the council before going out to public consultation.
After that, a new bylaw will be introduced setting the new legal limit for motorists.
Mr O'Sullivan said they were now in a position to make the change following on from the success of the Dublin Port Tunnel in removing thousands of trucks from the quays and the city centre and the introduction of new quality bus corridors.
"This is about promoting the safety of cyclists and pedestrians," said the city council traffic chief.
Treacy Hogan
© Irish Independent
The new limit is 20kmh less than the current city-wide limit of 50kmh (31mph).
The far slower speed limit is being introduced to help prevent the deaths of cyclists and pedestrians, the Irish Independent has learned.
Key arteries including O'Connell Street, Dame Street, D'Olier Street, Westmoreland Street, and the north and southside quays all currently have a speed limit of 50kmh since the changeover to metric values.
Under the new Dublin City Council management initiative these will all be slashed to 30kmh along with every other street and road in the city centre core.
A small number of streets, including part of Talbot Street and Temple Bar, already have a 30kmh limit but the vast majority are set at 50kmh, including the high traffic volume routes. In order to effect the changes, the council has held top-level discussions with the National Roads Authority. Because streets such as O'Connell St and Westmoreland St are designated as national primary roads, they will have to be delisted so that the new limit can be introduced.
The NRA has agreed to delist all of the roads inside the M50 as national primary routes to facilitate the new limit, it was also learned. It is expected that other councils in cities such as Cork, Galway and Limerick may follow the lead set by Dublin in bringing in a radically lower city centre speed limit.
Tim O'Sullivan, senior Dublin City Council traffic executive, said yesterday: "We are going to introduce a new lower speed limit of 30kmh in the very core of the city centre. It is a safety issue and is a no-brainer.
"The change is imminent. All of the studies show that when you have a speed limit of 20mph in the old values, then safety for cyclists and pedestrians is radically improved." Success
The new limit will be backed with upgrading of the traffic light system and a new raft of speed limit signs. The 30kmh limit will be presented to a special traffic committee of the council before going out to public consultation.
After that, a new bylaw will be introduced setting the new legal limit for motorists.
Mr O'Sullivan said they were now in a position to make the change following on from the success of the Dublin Port Tunnel in removing thousands of trucks from the quays and the city centre and the introduction of new quality bus corridors.
"This is about promoting the safety of cyclists and pedestrians," said the city council traffic chief.
Treacy Hogan
© Irish Independent
EPA defends policy on spills
A senior official with the Environmental Protection Agency has defended the agency's policy on notifying the public of industrial spillages and leakages after a senior figure in the Green Party called for a more proactive approach by the agency to public notification.
Kieran O'Brien, programme manager of licence enforcement in the office of environmental enforcement in the EPA said he was satisfied that industries were notifying the agency of significant spillages and leakages in keeping with the agency's licensing requirements.
"I am satisfied that the guidance is quite clear and that industry has a good understanding of what is required in terms of incident notification and that they know that we take a very serious view of any failure to notify us of an incident," said Mr O'Brien.
He was responding to former Cork South Central Green Party TD Dan Boyle who expressed concerns that the agency was not posting details of industry
incidents in recent months as frequently as it did when it first launched the service in August 2005.
Mr Boyle was commenting in the wake of a leakage of 100 litres of methanol vapour at Pfizer's plant at Little Island, Co Cork, last month, and he was especially critical of the EPA's policy of notifying the public of the leakage.
"I fully accept the EPA's report on the leakage and I accept that it doesn't present any dangers to the public, but I'm very disappointed with the manner in which people learned about this through the newspapers two days later," he said.
Barry Roche
© 2007 The Irish Times
Kieran O'Brien, programme manager of licence enforcement in the office of environmental enforcement in the EPA said he was satisfied that industries were notifying the agency of significant spillages and leakages in keeping with the agency's licensing requirements.
"I am satisfied that the guidance is quite clear and that industry has a good understanding of what is required in terms of incident notification and that they know that we take a very serious view of any failure to notify us of an incident," said Mr O'Brien.
He was responding to former Cork South Central Green Party TD Dan Boyle who expressed concerns that the agency was not posting details of industry
incidents in recent months as frequently as it did when it first launched the service in August 2005.
Mr Boyle was commenting in the wake of a leakage of 100 litres of methanol vapour at Pfizer's plant at Little Island, Co Cork, last month, and he was especially critical of the EPA's policy of notifying the public of the leakage.
"I fully accept the EPA's report on the leakage and I accept that it doesn't present any dangers to the public, but I'm very disappointed with the manner in which people learned about this through the newspapers two days later," he said.
Barry Roche
© 2007 The Irish Times
Corrib gas project review not an option, says Ryan
Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan has said that the Government "cannot commit" to the proposed review of the entire Corrib gas project, which the Green Party had endorsed earlier this year if elected to office.
Mr Ryan told The Irish Times that there would be no legal basis for such a review, given that the Corrib gas refinery in north Mayo has been approved by An Bord Pleanála.
However, he would try to ensure that there was "open consultation" on a new pipeline route for the controversial project, which consultants for Shell E&P Ireland are currently engaged in selecting.
An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision on an integrated pollution prevention control licence (IPCC) for the gas terminal is also pending.
An independent commission to examine the best development concept for the Corrib gas project secured the backing of Labour, the Green Party, Socialist Party and a number of Independent TDs and Senators in the previous government. It was proposed last year by former Shell to Sea spokesman Dr Mark Garavan and former Mayo TD Dr Jerry Cowley, who had expressed concern about the risk of serious injury in continuing protests over the project in Erris.
The Green Party also endorsed such a strategy if elected to government in a resolution passed unanimously at last February's party conference.
The resolution stated that "the Green Party in government will not approve of a production pipeline consent being signed as part of the Corrib gas project until the completion of a full independent review of the best development concept for the project".
Mr Ryan told The Irish Times that even though this resolution has been passed, he now had to adopt a "neutral position" as Minister. In any event, his legal advice was that a Bord Pleanála approval of the refinery or terminal "could not be reversed".
Bord Pleanála decisions could only be appealed on a matter of "process rather than of substance", within a specific timeframe, although groups unhappy with particular rulings had also sought recourse in the High Court, he said.
Mr Ryan said that he had visited the area, had walked the original route of the onshore pipeline, and he had appealed the second round of planning permission for the gas terminal. He was critical of the manner in which the onshore pipeline was granted by ministerial consent and he was also concerned about the impact on bog movements.
As his party's spokesman he had also suggested other locations for the terminal in the past, such as the old Asahi factory near Killala.
Mr Ryan said he believed the Advantica safety review, published last year by his predecessor Noel Dempsey, had recognised and made allowances for many of the concerns of the local community. "It validated the community concerns, and made significant changes, such as recommending reduced pressure through the pipeline."
Lorna Siggins
© 2007 The Irish Times
Mr Ryan told The Irish Times that there would be no legal basis for such a review, given that the Corrib gas refinery in north Mayo has been approved by An Bord Pleanála.
However, he would try to ensure that there was "open consultation" on a new pipeline route for the controversial project, which consultants for Shell E&P Ireland are currently engaged in selecting.
An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision on an integrated pollution prevention control licence (IPCC) for the gas terminal is also pending.
An independent commission to examine the best development concept for the Corrib gas project secured the backing of Labour, the Green Party, Socialist Party and a number of Independent TDs and Senators in the previous government. It was proposed last year by former Shell to Sea spokesman Dr Mark Garavan and former Mayo TD Dr Jerry Cowley, who had expressed concern about the risk of serious injury in continuing protests over the project in Erris.
The Green Party also endorsed such a strategy if elected to government in a resolution passed unanimously at last February's party conference.
The resolution stated that "the Green Party in government will not approve of a production pipeline consent being signed as part of the Corrib gas project until the completion of a full independent review of the best development concept for the project".
Mr Ryan told The Irish Times that even though this resolution has been passed, he now had to adopt a "neutral position" as Minister. In any event, his legal advice was that a Bord Pleanála approval of the refinery or terminal "could not be reversed".
Bord Pleanála decisions could only be appealed on a matter of "process rather than of substance", within a specific timeframe, although groups unhappy with particular rulings had also sought recourse in the High Court, he said.
Mr Ryan said that he had visited the area, had walked the original route of the onshore pipeline, and he had appealed the second round of planning permission for the gas terminal. He was critical of the manner in which the onshore pipeline was granted by ministerial consent and he was also concerned about the impact on bog movements.
As his party's spokesman he had also suggested other locations for the terminal in the past, such as the old Asahi factory near Killala.
Mr Ryan said he believed the Advantica safety review, published last year by his predecessor Noel Dempsey, had recognised and made allowances for many of the concerns of the local community. "It validated the community concerns, and made significant changes, such as recommending reduced pressure through the pipeline."
Lorna Siggins
© 2007 The Irish Times
An Taisce opposes fast-tracking 'Suas'
The proposed "Suas" cable car service for Dublin city and a €1 billion commercial and residential development for Ceannt Station in Galway city should not be permitted to use the new fast-track legislation to gain planning permission, An Taisce has said.
The projects are among 53 schemes seeking to apply for planning permission under the new Strategic Infrastructure Act, which came into force earlier this year and allows developers to bypass local authority planners and go directly to An Bord Pleanála for planning approval.
The planning board is currently determining which of the 53 schemes should be permitted to use the new system and which will have to go back to their local authorities.
An Taisce said the new system diminishes public participation in the planning process and that it will lead to the courts system becoming swamped with legal challenges to planning decisions.
Ian Lumley, national heritage officer with An Taisce, said the organisation would be particularly concerned if the cable car and Ceannt Station proposals were allowed to use the new planning system.
"There are several that really shouldn't qualify and I think it is unlikely that the cable car will qualify. It doesn't satisfy any of the criteria for major infrastructure. It's clearly a stand-alone project that should go through normal procedures."
The Ceannt Station development was essentially a commercial development as only one quarter of the site was to be used for transport and this "small element" meant that it did not qualify as a major transport development, Mr Lumley said.
No formal procedure had been established to allow organisations such as An Taisce to make a submission to the planning board on which developments should be allowed to use the fast-track system, Mr Lumley said.
An Taisce has made a complaint to the European Commission that the fast-track process is in contravention of the EU environmental impact assessment
(EIA) directive. This directive states that when a project is subject to an EIA, the review (appeals) process must be accessible and affordable.
"The Government has said that the legislation gives people recourse to the courts to appeal, but the courts are financially onerous," Mr Lumley said.
Sinn Féin's environment spokesman Arthur Morgan said the legislation was designed to facilitate the "ramming through of unwanted infrastructure against the democratic wishes of communities".
He also criticised the practice of allowing developers to meet An Bord Pleanála before they submit an application.
An Bord Pleanála said that pre-application meetings must be held as part of the process.
Olivia Kelly
© 2007 The Irish Times
The projects are among 53 schemes seeking to apply for planning permission under the new Strategic Infrastructure Act, which came into force earlier this year and allows developers to bypass local authority planners and go directly to An Bord Pleanála for planning approval.
The planning board is currently determining which of the 53 schemes should be permitted to use the new system and which will have to go back to their local authorities.
An Taisce said the new system diminishes public participation in the planning process and that it will lead to the courts system becoming swamped with legal challenges to planning decisions.
Ian Lumley, national heritage officer with An Taisce, said the organisation would be particularly concerned if the cable car and Ceannt Station proposals were allowed to use the new planning system.
"There are several that really shouldn't qualify and I think it is unlikely that the cable car will qualify. It doesn't satisfy any of the criteria for major infrastructure. It's clearly a stand-alone project that should go through normal procedures."
The Ceannt Station development was essentially a commercial development as only one quarter of the site was to be used for transport and this "small element" meant that it did not qualify as a major transport development, Mr Lumley said.
No formal procedure had been established to allow organisations such as An Taisce to make a submission to the planning board on which developments should be allowed to use the fast-track system, Mr Lumley said.
An Taisce has made a complaint to the European Commission that the fast-track process is in contravention of the EU environmental impact assessment
(EIA) directive. This directive states that when a project is subject to an EIA, the review (appeals) process must be accessible and affordable.
"The Government has said that the legislation gives people recourse to the courts to appeal, but the courts are financially onerous," Mr Lumley said.
Sinn Féin's environment spokesman Arthur Morgan said the legislation was designed to facilitate the "ramming through of unwanted infrastructure against the democratic wishes of communities".
He also criticised the practice of allowing developers to meet An Bord Pleanála before they submit an application.
An Bord Pleanála said that pre-application meetings must be held as part of the process.
Olivia Kelly
© 2007 The Irish Times
Gormley moves against incineration projects
The government is set to deliver a crippling blow to the long-term viability of incineration projects in Ireland.
The Sunday Business Post has learned that Minister for the Environment John Gormley has told local authorities in recent days that any move to skew waste management in favour of thermal incineration and landfill would be blocked.
The move will see councils prevented from entering into agreements to divert set amounts of municipal waste to major landfill and incineration operators, significantly diminishing the viability of future projects.
Gormley told all city and county managers that mechanical and biological waste must be recycled and composted.
The move is also a major blow to plans for super-incinerators in Meath and Cork, and may also have a critical effect on plans underway to develop an incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin.
It follows months of speculation over the future of Indaver Ireland’s planned €200 million investment in incineration projects at Ringaskiddy in Cork and Carranstown in Meath.
The company has stopped work on its projects, arguing that landfill has to be made more expensive to ensure that there is enough waste to burn.
Such a concession has already been blocked as part of the agreed programme for government between Fianna Fail and the Green Party.
In the document, which has been seen by this newspaper, local authority managers have been told that they will not be permitted to enter into ‘put or pay’ clauses that would facilitate the supply of minimum quantities of waste to thermal treatment or landfill.
John Burke
© Sunday Business Post
The Sunday Business Post has learned that Minister for the Environment John Gormley has told local authorities in recent days that any move to skew waste management in favour of thermal incineration and landfill would be blocked.
The move will see councils prevented from entering into agreements to divert set amounts of municipal waste to major landfill and incineration operators, significantly diminishing the viability of future projects.
Gormley told all city and county managers that mechanical and biological waste must be recycled and composted.
The move is also a major blow to plans for super-incinerators in Meath and Cork, and may also have a critical effect on plans underway to develop an incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin.
It follows months of speculation over the future of Indaver Ireland’s planned €200 million investment in incineration projects at Ringaskiddy in Cork and Carranstown in Meath.
The company has stopped work on its projects, arguing that landfill has to be made more expensive to ensure that there is enough waste to burn.
Such a concession has already been blocked as part of the agreed programme for government between Fianna Fail and the Green Party.
In the document, which has been seen by this newspaper, local authority managers have been told that they will not be permitted to enter into ‘put or pay’ clauses that would facilitate the supply of minimum quantities of waste to thermal treatment or landfill.
John Burke
© Sunday Business Post
'Suas' the cable car planned for quays
A COMPANY is seeking to fast-track the planning process and secure permission to develop a cable car service along the Dublin quays.
The Liffey Cable Car Company is among 53 applicants who have sought permission from An Bord Pleanala to build a range of large projects under a new system allowing applications to be processed more quickly.
The cable car - known as Suas - would run between Heuston Station and the Docklands and would transport sightseers at heights close to 80 metres above the river from the Guinness Brewery near Heuston to a terminal near the planned national conference centre at Spencer Dock.
Said to be inspired by the success of the London Eye, it is designed more as a tourist attraction than for public transport.
But a poll on an architect's website found that just 10pc of respondents welcomed the scheme, with 41pc saying it would destroy the visual appearance of the city. The remainder described it as "Disneyland gimmickry" and a "complete waste of money".
The proposal is among dozens received by An Bord Pleanala under the Strategic Infrastructure Act, which came into effect last January. This allows certain projects to be dealt with directly by An Bord Pleanala, rather than having to be adjudicated by local authorities. Other schemes seeking approval include the controversial Corrib Gas pipeline, the €1bn redevelopment of Galway's Ceannt Station and the extension of the Luas Red line from Tallaght to Citywest.
Another application relates to the reopening of the railway line between Clonsilla and Dunboyne, Co Meath, which would be good news for commuters if approved swiftly.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
The Liffey Cable Car Company is among 53 applicants who have sought permission from An Bord Pleanala to build a range of large projects under a new system allowing applications to be processed more quickly.
The cable car - known as Suas - would run between Heuston Station and the Docklands and would transport sightseers at heights close to 80 metres above the river from the Guinness Brewery near Heuston to a terminal near the planned national conference centre at Spencer Dock.
Said to be inspired by the success of the London Eye, it is designed more as a tourist attraction than for public transport.
But a poll on an architect's website found that just 10pc of respondents welcomed the scheme, with 41pc saying it would destroy the visual appearance of the city. The remainder described it as "Disneyland gimmickry" and a "complete waste of money".
The proposal is among dozens received by An Bord Pleanala under the Strategic Infrastructure Act, which came into effect last January. This allows certain projects to be dealt with directly by An Bord Pleanala, rather than having to be adjudicated by local authorities. Other schemes seeking approval include the controversial Corrib Gas pipeline, the €1bn redevelopment of Galway's Ceannt Station and the extension of the Luas Red line from Tallaght to Citywest.
Another application relates to the reopening of the railway line between Clonsilla and Dunboyne, Co Meath, which would be good news for commuters if approved swiftly.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
Cities brought closer by €128m roadway section
DUBLIN and Belfast moved a significant step closer in terms of travel time yesterday when a new €128m cross-border section of dual carriageway was officially opened.
The 14km-long development links Ballymascanlon at the end of the M1 outside Dundalk to the Cloghogue roundabout on the outskirts of Newry.
But work has yet to begin on what will be the final piece of the infrastructure jigsaw.
A 12km section of roadway from the Sheepbridge area of Co Down to Cloghogue will eventually see a dual carriageway running all the way between Ireland's two major cities.
Foreign minister Dermot Ahern returned to his Louth constituency yesterday to cut the official opening ribbon with Stormont Executive minister Conor Murphy, the Westminster MP for Armagh.
Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness - as well as other dignitaries including Louth Council chairman Jimmy Mulroy and his Newry counterpart Michael Cole - was also present at the official opening of the section. Watching yesterday's proceedings from his fields adjacent to the new roadway was 82-year-old Michael Morgan who recalled the days when large stones placed across the fields marked the frontier.
In those days, he said, farmers wishing to work with horses on the northern side of the border had to have detailed documentation on the animals which would be rigorously scrutinised by the customs officials.
Improvement
"You had to have the full particulars about the horse. If he had a white sock on one leg or a white mark on his face - that was all on the pass," he said.
"This new road is a miracle. I never thought I would see it - it is such a big improvement and it's hard to believe we have two ministers from Dublin and Belfast here together."
An estimated 20,000 vehicles use the Armagh/Louth border crossing each day and, while some congestion can still be expected at the Cloghogue roundabout, eventually the travel time between Belfast and Dublin will be reduced to less than two hours.
Dominic Cunningham
Irish Independent
The 14km-long development links Ballymascanlon at the end of the M1 outside Dundalk to the Cloghogue roundabout on the outskirts of Newry.
But work has yet to begin on what will be the final piece of the infrastructure jigsaw.
A 12km section of roadway from the Sheepbridge area of Co Down to Cloghogue will eventually see a dual carriageway running all the way between Ireland's two major cities.
Foreign minister Dermot Ahern returned to his Louth constituency yesterday to cut the official opening ribbon with Stormont Executive minister Conor Murphy, the Westminster MP for Armagh.
Stormont Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness - as well as other dignitaries including Louth Council chairman Jimmy Mulroy and his Newry counterpart Michael Cole - was also present at the official opening of the section. Watching yesterday's proceedings from his fields adjacent to the new roadway was 82-year-old Michael Morgan who recalled the days when large stones placed across the fields marked the frontier.
In those days, he said, farmers wishing to work with horses on the northern side of the border had to have detailed documentation on the animals which would be rigorously scrutinised by the customs officials.
Improvement
"You had to have the full particulars about the horse. If he had a white sock on one leg or a white mark on his face - that was all on the pass," he said.
"This new road is a miracle. I never thought I would see it - it is such a big improvement and it's hard to believe we have two ministers from Dublin and Belfast here together."
An estimated 20,000 vehicles use the Armagh/Louth border crossing each day and, while some congestion can still be expected at the Cloghogue roundabout, eventually the travel time between Belfast and Dublin will be reduced to less than two hours.
Dominic Cunningham
Irish Independent
Estate residents object to proposed Muslim centre
RESIDENTS on a housing estate have objected to the proposed development of a Muslim community centre in their area.
The objections have been lodged against the Rahman Foundation, which has sought to develop a house on the estate to serve more than 1,000 members of the Muslim community living in Portlaoise.
Residents on the Grenville estate say their area would not have the capacity to deal with the centre due to an increase in traffic.
A decision on the application is due from Laois County Council next month.
Dara deFaoite
Irish Independent
The objections have been lodged against the Rahman Foundation, which has sought to develop a house on the estate to serve more than 1,000 members of the Muslim community living in Portlaoise.
Residents on the Grenville estate say their area would not have the capacity to deal with the centre due to an increase in traffic.
A decision on the application is due from Laois County Council next month.
Dara deFaoite
Irish Independent
New 14km stretch of motorway shortens trip up to Belfast
THE journey time between Dublin and Belfast will be cut to two hours with the opening today of the first piece of motorway to cross the border.
The ribbon will be cut on the 14km-long A1/N1 dual carriageway between Newry and Dundalk by Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern and the North's Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy.
The route is the result of a partnership between the National Roads Authority, Louth County Council and the Northern Ireland Roads Service. The €154m project will link the A1 at Cloghogue in Co Armagh to the N1 at Dundalk. A total of 4.6km of the scheme is north of the border and 9.4km is in the Republic.
The section of the scheme south of the border has a designated speed limit of 120km.
The Irish and British governments funded the project with assistance by the European Union.
"As an island, we need to develop good road and communication links. This underpins our economic prosperity," said Mr Ahern.
"This new addition to our motor links stands as a shining example of how an all-island approach can help everyone prosper."
Mr Murphy said the project will make a "substantial contribution to the social and economic well-being of communities" north and the south of the Border.
NRA chairman Peter Malone said the project demonstrated that successful cross-border partnerships are now a reality.
The Dundalk to Newry scheme completes the Republic's first inter-urban route from Dublin to the Border.
Mr Malone said other routes from the capital to Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford are on target to be completed by 2010.
"High quality roads such as we see opened here today improve people's quality of life by providing safer and quicker travel times while opening up the regions to potential industrial growth as well as traditional and business tourism," he said.
Louth County Council chairman Cllr. Jimmy Mulroy said the new road provides the essential modern infrastructure to help Dundalk and Newry become 'twin cities'.
County Manager of Louth County Council Joan Martin said the opening of the road is the culmination of some two decades of work on designing and constructing the entire length of the Dublin-Belfast Corridor through Co Louth."
Excavations uncovered archaeological finds dating from the 4th millennium BC until around AD 1,000 between Dundalk and Drumad.
The digs found ancient settlements.
Senan Hogan
Irish Independent
The ribbon will be cut on the 14km-long A1/N1 dual carriageway between Newry and Dundalk by Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern and the North's Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy.
The route is the result of a partnership between the National Roads Authority, Louth County Council and the Northern Ireland Roads Service. The €154m project will link the A1 at Cloghogue in Co Armagh to the N1 at Dundalk. A total of 4.6km of the scheme is north of the border and 9.4km is in the Republic.
The section of the scheme south of the border has a designated speed limit of 120km.
The Irish and British governments funded the project with assistance by the European Union.
"As an island, we need to develop good road and communication links. This underpins our economic prosperity," said Mr Ahern.
"This new addition to our motor links stands as a shining example of how an all-island approach can help everyone prosper."
Mr Murphy said the project will make a "substantial contribution to the social and economic well-being of communities" north and the south of the Border.
NRA chairman Peter Malone said the project demonstrated that successful cross-border partnerships are now a reality.
The Dundalk to Newry scheme completes the Republic's first inter-urban route from Dublin to the Border.
Mr Malone said other routes from the capital to Galway, Limerick, Cork and Waterford are on target to be completed by 2010.
"High quality roads such as we see opened here today improve people's quality of life by providing safer and quicker travel times while opening up the regions to potential industrial growth as well as traditional and business tourism," he said.
Louth County Council chairman Cllr. Jimmy Mulroy said the new road provides the essential modern infrastructure to help Dundalk and Newry become 'twin cities'.
County Manager of Louth County Council Joan Martin said the opening of the road is the culmination of some two decades of work on designing and constructing the entire length of the Dublin-Belfast Corridor through Co Louth."
Excavations uncovered archaeological finds dating from the 4th millennium BC until around AD 1,000 between Dundalk and Drumad.
The digs found ancient settlements.
Senan Hogan
Irish Independent
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
Pat Kenny claims squatters' rights as legal row escalates
'LATE Late Show' host Pat Kenny is claiming "squatters' rights" over a piece of land in an exclusive suburb in a bitter legal dispute with his neighbour.
The rocky outcrop in Dalkey, Co Dublin, could be worth over €1m and now the RTE broadcaster wants an order from the High Court saying he has title to the property.
The legal row between Pat and Kathy Kenny and their next-door neighbour, retired solicitor Gerard Charlton, moved up a notch yesterday, as it emerged that the Kennys are claiming they have squatters' title to the land known as Gorse Hill Property.
The High Court also heard that the Kennys had tried to have criminal proceedings brought against Mr Charlton arising out of alleged trespass in January of this year when they were away. Mr Charlton denied the claims and the DPP has indicated charges will not be brought.
Mr Charlton also rejects the assertion by the Kennys that they have squatters' rights to the property - or adverse possession in legal terminology - which can apply where a property is abandoned for 12 years or more. Mr Kenny is claiming he locked the property from public access 16 years ago and that it has been inaccessible since then except by scaling a cliff.
Mr Charlton (72), of Maple Tree House, Harbour Road, Dalkey, claims he allowed Mr Kenny to replace a pedestrian gate at the entrance to the lands in question near Bulloch Harbour, referred to as the Gorse Hill property. He claims he had permitted the Kennys to use the land since they came to live beside him in 1988.
However, he says Mr Kenny subsequently refused to give him the code for a digital keypad installed at the new electronic gate and also sought on July 27, 2006 to prevent him from gaining access to Gorse Hill.
Mr Charlton says he and his wife Maeve acquired a leasehold interest in his Harbour Road property in 1971.
That property included his home, Maple Tree House, the lands previously known as the Quarry Field and a small plot of land adjoining the Quarry Field - the Gorse Hill property.
When the Kennys bought the adjoining lands, the Anchorage, in 1988, Mr Charlton said Mr Kenny and his wife were given a copy of the 1971 lease and were therefore aware at all times of Mr Charlton's ownership of the land.
Mr Charlton claims Mr Kenny had asked him a number of times to sell the property to him and also sought consent for the erection of a new pedestrian gate to replace the existing gate allowing access to the Gorse Hill property from the road.
While he agreed to a new gate, Mr Charlton claims his consent was not sought for an electronic digicode keypad for that gate which unlawfully restricted or prevented his access.
Solicitors for the Kennys had later written to him refuting his claim to ownership of the property and claiming that the Kennys had acquired title by adverse possession, he said.
The case, brought by Mr Charlton, was before Mr Justice Frank Clarke yesterday as Mr Charlton's side sought to inspect the land known as Gorse Hill and also to seek inspection of documents.
The court heard that in the Kennys' counter-claim they say they have acquired a beneficial interest in the property and have carried out works including fencing and gardening works over the years. They claim the property is part of their garden. They are also seeking damages for alleged trespass by Mr Charlton in January.
Mr Justice Frank Clark reserved judgment, on whether there should be an inspection of Gorse Hill, until September 7.
Ann O'Loughlin
Irish Independent
The rocky outcrop in Dalkey, Co Dublin, could be worth over €1m and now the RTE broadcaster wants an order from the High Court saying he has title to the property.
The legal row between Pat and Kathy Kenny and their next-door neighbour, retired solicitor Gerard Charlton, moved up a notch yesterday, as it emerged that the Kennys are claiming they have squatters' title to the land known as Gorse Hill Property.
The High Court also heard that the Kennys had tried to have criminal proceedings brought against Mr Charlton arising out of alleged trespass in January of this year when they were away. Mr Charlton denied the claims and the DPP has indicated charges will not be brought.
Mr Charlton also rejects the assertion by the Kennys that they have squatters' rights to the property - or adverse possession in legal terminology - which can apply where a property is abandoned for 12 years or more. Mr Kenny is claiming he locked the property from public access 16 years ago and that it has been inaccessible since then except by scaling a cliff.
Mr Charlton (72), of Maple Tree House, Harbour Road, Dalkey, claims he allowed Mr Kenny to replace a pedestrian gate at the entrance to the lands in question near Bulloch Harbour, referred to as the Gorse Hill property. He claims he had permitted the Kennys to use the land since they came to live beside him in 1988.
However, he says Mr Kenny subsequently refused to give him the code for a digital keypad installed at the new electronic gate and also sought on July 27, 2006 to prevent him from gaining access to Gorse Hill.
Mr Charlton says he and his wife Maeve acquired a leasehold interest in his Harbour Road property in 1971.
That property included his home, Maple Tree House, the lands previously known as the Quarry Field and a small plot of land adjoining the Quarry Field - the Gorse Hill property.
When the Kennys bought the adjoining lands, the Anchorage, in 1988, Mr Charlton said Mr Kenny and his wife were given a copy of the 1971 lease and were therefore aware at all times of Mr Charlton's ownership of the land.
Mr Charlton claims Mr Kenny had asked him a number of times to sell the property to him and also sought consent for the erection of a new pedestrian gate to replace the existing gate allowing access to the Gorse Hill property from the road.
While he agreed to a new gate, Mr Charlton claims his consent was not sought for an electronic digicode keypad for that gate which unlawfully restricted or prevented his access.
Solicitors for the Kennys had later written to him refuting his claim to ownership of the property and claiming that the Kennys had acquired title by adverse possession, he said.
The case, brought by Mr Charlton, was before Mr Justice Frank Clarke yesterday as Mr Charlton's side sought to inspect the land known as Gorse Hill and also to seek inspection of documents.
The court heard that in the Kennys' counter-claim they say they have acquired a beneficial interest in the property and have carried out works including fencing and gardening works over the years. They claim the property is part of their garden. They are also seeking damages for alleged trespass by Mr Charlton in January.
Mr Justice Frank Clark reserved judgment, on whether there should be an inspection of Gorse Hill, until September 7.
Ann O'Loughlin
Irish Independent
'Not-so-clever' smart cards cost taxpayers almost €50m
THE 'not-so-smart-card' allowing commuters hop between buses, Luas and trains is set to cost taxpayers almost €50m.
Some €14m has already been spent on the shambolic travel-card project, much of it on outside, overseas consultants.
The waste of taxpayers' money on failed projects such as e-voting and the health service computer systems, PPARS and FISP, have been consistently used by Fine Gael and Labour to hammer the Government.
New figures published yesterday put the final expected cost of the project at €49.6m. The original estimate was for €29.6m.
A report from the Comptroller and Auditor General last year said a failed public procurement process undertaken by the Railway Procurement Agency had cost almost €1m and delayed the project by about one year. The project has since been handed over to an inter-departmental committee headed by the former secretary of the Department of Defence, David O'Callaghan.
Plans to introduce integrated ticketing on Dublin Bus and Dart services were originally put forward by CIE in the mid-1990s, but the project never got the green light. It was promised by a succession of transport ministers, Mary O'Rourke, Seamus Brennan and Martin Cullen.
A spokesperson for Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said yesterday that the delivery of an integrated ticketing system was a priority.
In late June, the tender notice for the ticketing system was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities and this project was now under way.
"The minister is anxious to deliver a user friendly, integrated ticketing system for the public as soon as possible," the spokesperson added.
Treacy Hogan
Irish Independent
Some €14m has already been spent on the shambolic travel-card project, much of it on outside, overseas consultants.
The waste of taxpayers' money on failed projects such as e-voting and the health service computer systems, PPARS and FISP, have been consistently used by Fine Gael and Labour to hammer the Government.
New figures published yesterday put the final expected cost of the project at €49.6m. The original estimate was for €29.6m.
A report from the Comptroller and Auditor General last year said a failed public procurement process undertaken by the Railway Procurement Agency had cost almost €1m and delayed the project by about one year. The project has since been handed over to an inter-departmental committee headed by the former secretary of the Department of Defence, David O'Callaghan.
Plans to introduce integrated ticketing on Dublin Bus and Dart services were originally put forward by CIE in the mid-1990s, but the project never got the green light. It was promised by a succession of transport ministers, Mary O'Rourke, Seamus Brennan and Martin Cullen.
A spokesperson for Transport Minister Noel Dempsey said yesterday that the delivery of an integrated ticketing system was a priority.
In late June, the tender notice for the ticketing system was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities and this project was now under way.
"The minister is anxious to deliver a user friendly, integrated ticketing system for the public as soon as possible," the spokesperson added.
Treacy Hogan
Irish Independent
New planning delay blow to airport plans
AN Bord Pleanala is set to delay a long-awaited decision on a second passenger terminal for Dublin Airport.
Airport authorities now face a race against time to have the much-needed facility open for business in time for the 2010 summer season.
The planning board was due to decide on the €395m development "no later than August 4". However, it is understood it has now revised this to mid-September.
This means the terminal's November 2009 deadline will be missed by up to six months, with a September decision implying a May 2010 opening date.
And the delays could cost the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) several million euro, the Irish Independent has learned.
And even if permission is granted, Ryanair has already indicated it will seek a judicial review of the decision which could further delay the project.
However, it is understood that a legal challenge will not stop construction works.
An airport spokesman said he had no knowledge of any delay, adding: "The company has not had any recent communication from the board and for the sake of all customers the DAA hopes to receive a positive planning outcome within the next few days."
A six-week delay would cost several million euro.
But if the project is further delayed, either through a planning decision being postponed or, in a worst case scenario, refused, it could have significantly wider implications.
Impact
A lengthy delay could also have a significant impact on the timing of the eventual opening.
The DAA originally planned to open the terminal in November so that it would become operational during a quiet period of the aviation year.
Assuming planning permission is granted in mid-September (not early August), that opening date becomes close to May 2010, which is the beginning of the busy season. However, if planning permission was to be delayed by a further few months, the DAA could find itself opening its terminal in the peak season of June or July 2010, which would present many logistical challenges.
DAA chairman Gary McCann has previously said the authority needed "planning clarity" by the end of last June so the second terminal would meet its November 2009 deadline.
He said delays would cost the airport authority up to €3m a month.
However, the deadline was since changed to March 2010, but now it has emerged that delays could delay the project by at least another three months.
The 75,000 square metre complex will take 30 months to build and now airport bosses face the nightmarish scenario of having to open the terminal just as the 2010 summer season kicks off.
Designed to cater for 15m passengers a year, it will provide relief for hard-pressed travellers who are currently forced to use an airport operating above capacity.
Paul Melia and Laura Noonan
Irish Independent
Airport authorities now face a race against time to have the much-needed facility open for business in time for the 2010 summer season.
The planning board was due to decide on the €395m development "no later than August 4". However, it is understood it has now revised this to mid-September.
This means the terminal's November 2009 deadline will be missed by up to six months, with a September decision implying a May 2010 opening date.
And the delays could cost the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) several million euro, the Irish Independent has learned.
And even if permission is granted, Ryanair has already indicated it will seek a judicial review of the decision which could further delay the project.
However, it is understood that a legal challenge will not stop construction works.
An airport spokesman said he had no knowledge of any delay, adding: "The company has not had any recent communication from the board and for the sake of all customers the DAA hopes to receive a positive planning outcome within the next few days."
A six-week delay would cost several million euro.
But if the project is further delayed, either through a planning decision being postponed or, in a worst case scenario, refused, it could have significantly wider implications.
Impact
A lengthy delay could also have a significant impact on the timing of the eventual opening.
The DAA originally planned to open the terminal in November so that it would become operational during a quiet period of the aviation year.
Assuming planning permission is granted in mid-September (not early August), that opening date becomes close to May 2010, which is the beginning of the busy season. However, if planning permission was to be delayed by a further few months, the DAA could find itself opening its terminal in the peak season of June or July 2010, which would present many logistical challenges.
DAA chairman Gary McCann has previously said the authority needed "planning clarity" by the end of last June so the second terminal would meet its November 2009 deadline.
He said delays would cost the airport authority up to €3m a month.
However, the deadline was since changed to March 2010, but now it has emerged that delays could delay the project by at least another three months.
The 75,000 square metre complex will take 30 months to build and now airport bosses face the nightmarish scenario of having to open the terminal just as the 2010 summer season kicks off.
Designed to cater for 15m passengers a year, it will provide relief for hard-pressed travellers who are currently forced to use an airport operating above capacity.
Paul Melia and Laura Noonan
Irish Independent
EU committee calls for immediate halt to Tara site works
THE chairman of a powerful EU committee has called on the Government to immediately stop building works on the M3 motorway near the Hill of Tara.
In a letter to Environment Minister John Gormley, the Petitions Committee of the EU Parliament says "urgent action" is needed to stop the works after the discovery of a national monument on the route.
Last May, it emerged that a prehistoric ritual site had been found at Lismullin in Co Meath, and a decision was later taken to destroy the national monument as it could not be preserved due to its poor condition. But opponents of the road scheme believe an environment impact assessment should have been carried out after the monument find to ensure no other sites of importance were present along the route.
Committee chairman Marcin Libicki, who visited Dublin last month to investigate the site, says members of his group have expressed extreme concern about the "serious damage" being caused to historic sites. "Urgent action is needed to halt existing works in this area and to review the routing of this section of the M3 motorway," the letter says.
Irish Independent
In a letter to Environment Minister John Gormley, the Petitions Committee of the EU Parliament says "urgent action" is needed to stop the works after the discovery of a national monument on the route.
Last May, it emerged that a prehistoric ritual site had been found at Lismullin in Co Meath, and a decision was later taken to destroy the national monument as it could not be preserved due to its poor condition. But opponents of the road scheme believe an environment impact assessment should have been carried out after the monument find to ensure no other sites of importance were present along the route.
Committee chairman Marcin Libicki, who visited Dublin last month to investigate the site, says members of his group have expressed extreme concern about the "serious damage" being caused to historic sites. "Urgent action is needed to halt existing works in this area and to review the routing of this section of the M3 motorway," the letter says.
Irish Independent
New conference centre may give region major boost
THE country's latest conference centre is set to be located in the mid-west region.
The Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism has confirmed it is considering the development of a conference centre in the Limerick/Clare area.
Such a facility could be worth hundreds of millions annually to the local economy.
A location between Limerick city and nearby Shannon Airport is being mooted for the 2,000-plus capacity venue but the department will first undertake a feasibility study over the coming weeks.
"At this time, the plan is for the feasibility study to commence in the near future," said a spokesman for the department.
Tourism and business interests in the mid-west will be consulted about the construction of a centre as a public-private partnership.
The chief executive of Meet Limerick-Shannon, John Fahey, acknowledged that a purpose-built facility of the scale suggested would "represent a huge economic boost" for the region.
Mr Fahey hopes businesses would switch to the mid-west rather than holding conferences and events in Dublin.
"The minimum stay for business conferences would be three days and the average spend is about €1,500 per person so it would represent a huge economic boost for the region," he added.
"I couldn't say at this stage whether it would be full every day but it would still be huge for the region."
Barry Duggan
Irish Independent
The Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism has confirmed it is considering the development of a conference centre in the Limerick/Clare area.
Such a facility could be worth hundreds of millions annually to the local economy.
A location between Limerick city and nearby Shannon Airport is being mooted for the 2,000-plus capacity venue but the department will first undertake a feasibility study over the coming weeks.
"At this time, the plan is for the feasibility study to commence in the near future," said a spokesman for the department.
Tourism and business interests in the mid-west will be consulted about the construction of a centre as a public-private partnership.
The chief executive of Meet Limerick-Shannon, John Fahey, acknowledged that a purpose-built facility of the scale suggested would "represent a huge economic boost" for the region.
Mr Fahey hopes businesses would switch to the mid-west rather than holding conferences and events in Dublin.
"The minimum stay for business conferences would be three days and the average spend is about €1,500 per person so it would represent a huge economic boost for the region," he added.
"I couldn't say at this stage whether it would be full every day but it would still be huge for the region."
Barry Duggan
Irish Independent
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