Mr. John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, today (31 December) launched statutory planning guidelines on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas, which will act as a blueprint for the future sustainable development of Irish cities, towns and villages in the coming years.
These guidelines were issued as a consultation draft for public consultation earlier this year, and the Minister expressed his thanks to the numerous public and private bodies who made valuable submissions and contributions to the drafting process.
The guidelines are accompanied by a best practice Urban Design Manual, which illustrates how the guidelines can be implemented effectively and consistently across the different scales of urban development around the country.
The draft guidelines have also been updated to refer to the recently published draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities on the Management of Flood Risk (September 2008) and the Joint Code of Practice on Provision of Schools and the Planning System (August 2008). Advice from the recent circular on taking-in-charge of housing schemes has also been included.
Publishing the Guidelines, the Minister was pleased to note that the Guidelines and best practice Urban Design Manual have been warmly welcomed both by planning authorities and by professional bodies during the consultation process earlier this year; “The Guidelines and associated Design Manual provide a basis on which planners and designers can reach a shared vision for new housing schemes in cities, towns and villages throughout the country, and have the potential to raise the quality of our built environment”, the Minister continued.
These Guidelines replace the 1999 Residential Density Guidelines for Planning Authorities and have been prepared in the wider planning/housing context, as part of the suite of inter-related guidance documents, which also include the Apartment Design Standards guidelines that were issued in September 2007, and Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities published in March 2007. They take account of, and knit with, other policy initiatives such as Housing Policy Framework: Building Sustainable Communities, and will be a valuable resource as the key policy reference document for local authority planners, as well as developers, architects and other interested parties when planning for new residential development.
The guidelines are focused on creating sustainable communities by incorporating the highest design standards and providing a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of essential infrastructure and services. These guidelines add to and support the considerable work which has been done at central and local government levels to plan for this anticipated growth in an appropriate manner that supports the creation of sustainable communities within a high quality living environment.
The objectives of these new Guidelines are to:
· facilitate the development of sustainable communities through more effective planning and the provision of necessary supporting services and amenities;
· help achieve the most efficient use of urban land through housing densities that are appropriate to the location involved and availability of supporting services and infrastructure, particularly transport; and
· set high standards in terms of space and facilities to meet the needs of the Irish context into the future.
Preparation of the guidance and the complementary design guide was overseen by a broadly representative Steering Group, which comprised officials from the Department and planning authorities, along with prominent representatives from Local Authorities, the Irish Planning Institute, the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland, the Irish Home Builders Association and An Bord Pleanála.
There is a major emphasis in the guidelines on the need for new residential developments to be supported and facilitated by the necessary supporting services and infrastructure. Crucial infrastructure such as education and health facilities, public transport, child-care and community amenities are set as equally important as the usual hard infrastructure needed like water services and road access.
“Improved integration, which is driven and supported by effective and democratically mandated local planning, between the provision of housing and the necessary, supporting community and social infrastructure, such as schools, community amenities and child care facilities, is essential” the Minister said. “This policy guidance further reinforces the Government’s Developing Areas Initiative, which is aimed at providing a holistic and partnership approach to the integrated delivery of both hard and soft infrastructure, such as water and wastewater services, roads and public transport, schools and sports & community facilities”
The new Guidelines are being issued to planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála under section 28 of the 2000 Planning Act, which requires them to be taken into account when preparing or varying development plans and local area plans.
Minister Gormley concluded by saying “I firmly believe that, when implemented in planning authorities countrywide, these new guidelines will be make a positive difference in how we plan and build new developments.”
The guidelines, together with the urban design best practice manual, are available to view and download from the Department’s website: www.environ.ie.
Appendix - Key Policy in the Guidelines
Role of Development Plans and Local Area Plans
· Development plans, urban local area plans and planning schemes for Strategic Development Zones schemes should contain policies and objectives which will underpin the creation of sustainable residential developments.
· They should also include clear guidance on implementation measures, particularly with regard to the phased and co-ordinated provision of physical infrastructure, public transport and community facilities.
Role of Urban Design
· Development plans should include urban design policies which are capable of being expanded in more detail in local area plans
· Planning authorities should issue design briefs and receive design statements for particularly important, sensitive or large-scale development sites.
· Pre-planning application discussions should be encouraged, so that there is clarity around sequencing priorities of the development plan, the vision statement and phasing objectives of the local area plan (where applicable), and how they relate to the applicant’s land.
· The best practice Urban Design Manual sets out the following 12 criteria, which should be used, both in pre-application consultations and in assessing individual planning applications.
Best Practice Design Guide Criteria
1. Context: How does the development respond to its surroundings?
2. Connections: How well is the new neighbourhood / site connected?
3. Inclusivity: How easily can people use and access the development?
4. Variety: How does the development promote a good mix of activities?
5. Efficiency: How does the development make appropriate use of resources, including land?
6. Distinctiveness: How do the proposals create a sense of place?
7. Layout: How does the proposal create people-friendly streets and spaces?
8. Public realm: How safe, secure and enjoyable are the public areas?
9. Adaptability: How will the buildings cope with change?
10. Privacy / amenity: How do the buildings provide a decent standard of amenity?
11. Parking: How will the parking be secure and attractive?
12. Detailed design: How well thought through is the building and landscape design?
· The design of residential streets needs to strike the right balance between the different functions of the street, including a “sense of place”.
Planning for Sustainable Neighbourhoods
· No substantial residential development should proceed without an assessment of existing schools capacity or the provision of new school facilities in tandem with the development.
· No substantial residential development should proceed without either adequate existing public transport provision or new public transport provided in tandem with the development.
· There should be adequate provision at convenient locations for retail, health and other community facilities.
· New developments should:
o prioritise public transport, cycling and walking, and minimise the need to use cars?
o ensure accessibility for everyone, including people with disabilities?
o encourage more efficient use of energy and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions?
o include the right quality and quantity of public open space
o include measures to ensure satisfactory standards of personal safety and traffic safety within the neighbourhood?
o Present an attractive and well-maintained appearance?
o Promote social integration and provide for a diverse range of household types, age groups and mix of housing tenures?
o protect, and where possible enhance, the built and natural heritage?
o provide for Sustainable Drainage Systems?
Cities and Larger Towns
· Sustainable patterns of urban development should be promoted, particularly higher residential densities in locations, which are, or will be, served by public transport. Higher densities must be accompanied in all cases by high qualitative standards of design and layout.
· In general, minimum net densities of 50 dwellings per hectare should apply within such public transport corridors and should be specified in local area plans.
· Other appropriate locations for higher densities include city and town centres and some inner suburban locations.
· The greatest efficiency in land usage in outer suburban sites will be achieved by providing net densities in the range 35 - 50 dwellings per hectare.
· Particular sensitivity is required in relation to the design and location of apartment blocks, which are higher than existing adjacent residential development.
Small Towns and Villages
· Is the Local Area Plan or supplementary non-statutory planning framework focused on securing development patterns that are sustainable in economic and social development and environmental protection terms, recognising the challenges faced by rural economies in the future?
· Is the scale of development envisaged in terms of future housing, population, retail and employment growth in line with the overall County Development Plan Settlement and Housing Strategies and any Regional Planning Guidelines in force?
· Will the plan ensure a compact and easily walkable town or village creating forms of development that will make walking and cycling, especially for local trips, more attractive than using the car?
· Are adequate arrangements in place to ensure that the scale of new housing development schemes is in proportion to the pattern and grain of existing development?
· Have policies been put in place to ensure that the design, layout and character of new development successfully relates to the local character and heritage of the existing small town or village?
The Home and its Setting
· It is of fundamental importance to the acceptability of higher density development by the public that the quality of design and finish extends also to the individual dwelling and its immediate surroundings.
· Residents are entitled to expect that their new homes will offer decent levels of amenity, privacy, security and energy efficiency.
· The orientation of the dwelling and its internal layout can affect levels of daylight and sunlight, and will thus influence not only the amenity of the occupants but the energy demand for heat and light.
· Privacy is an important element of residential amenity, and contributes towards the sense of security felt by people in their homes.
· Where possible, designers should seek to create child- and pedestrian-friendly car-free areas, especially in higher density schemes, through the careful location of access streets and parking areas.
· All houses (terraced, semi-detached and detached) should have an area of private open space behind the building line. The provision of adequate and well-designed private open space for apartments is crucial in meeting the amenity needs of residents; in particular, usable outdoor space is a high priority for families.
· Circulation within housing layouts, including access to individual buildings, should have regard to the varying needs of occupants over their lifetimes, including needs associated with mobility difficulties and the normal frailty associated with old age.
· Adequate provision should be made for storage / collection of waste materials.
· The quality of finish and the maintenance arrangements of completed residential developments are intrinsic elements of their long-term sustainability. The quality of the finish of the public realm is of particular importance.
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
'No pause button' on Corrib gas project, Shell says
SHELL EP Ireland has said there is "no pause button" on the Corrib gas project, and no overall delay to the current schedule.
The company was responding yesterday to an industry media report that the project may have been put on hold. The current issue of the Oil and Gas Journal refers to the company's recent withdrawal of its onshore gas pipeline application from An Bord Pleanála, and says that "it seems Shell has decided to push the pause button for the time being".
"In the oil and gas business there are times when projects come to a standstill or even halt altogether. Something along those lines has happened to Royal Dutch Shell Plc in Ireland," the report states.
However, a spokesman for the company said more than 900 people were still employed on constructing the Corrib gas terminal at Bellanaboy and "we haven't pressed any pause button".
The terminal or refinery is more than two-thirds built, with much of the basic construction almost finished. The target completion date is the coming summer, which will be followed by a commissioning phase, the spokesman said.
There was "no overall delay" to the schedule as a result of the decision to withdraw the recent onshore pipeline application under the Strategic Infrastructure Act.
Offshore pipelaying, which was due to have taken place last summer, was "on schedule for 2009", he said. The firm has set no date for sending in a fresh application to An Bord Pleanála - the original pipeline route was exempted from the planning process. The appeals board had been seeking crucial additional information from the Corrib gas developers' consultants on the first modified application, submitted earlier this year by Shell consultants RPS.
Last August, the board gave the developers six weeks to provide additional information regarding the development's impact on the stability of ground in the area, on its environmental impact, and the impact of any extension of the life of wellfields.
An Bord Pleanála also sought reports on a post-landslide site at Derrybrien wind farm in Co Galway, as referred to in the company's environmental impact statement.
The proposed 9km, high-pressure pipeline route extends from a landfall at Glengad under Dooncarton mountain, where there was a series of landslides in September 2003.
RPS have said a revised application would "seek minor realignments to part of the proposed route for the Corrib onshore pipeline, in order to avoid more sensitive habitat, including bog pools, in the Rossport commonage, identified during recent surveys".
The community group Pobal Chill Chomáin has queried this reference to surveys, in the light of a District Court ruling preventing Shell from carrying out such invasive works on the commonage.
In November 2007, a Belmullet District Court ruling in a case taken by 20 landowners found that proper notification was not given by Shell consultants in relation to commonage access, nor was shareholder consent sought under the Gas Act. The company has since acquired a share in the Rossport commonage.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The company was responding yesterday to an industry media report that the project may have been put on hold. The current issue of the Oil and Gas Journal refers to the company's recent withdrawal of its onshore gas pipeline application from An Bord Pleanála, and says that "it seems Shell has decided to push the pause button for the time being".
"In the oil and gas business there are times when projects come to a standstill or even halt altogether. Something along those lines has happened to Royal Dutch Shell Plc in Ireland," the report states.
However, a spokesman for the company said more than 900 people were still employed on constructing the Corrib gas terminal at Bellanaboy and "we haven't pressed any pause button".
The terminal or refinery is more than two-thirds built, with much of the basic construction almost finished. The target completion date is the coming summer, which will be followed by a commissioning phase, the spokesman said.
There was "no overall delay" to the schedule as a result of the decision to withdraw the recent onshore pipeline application under the Strategic Infrastructure Act.
Offshore pipelaying, which was due to have taken place last summer, was "on schedule for 2009", he said. The firm has set no date for sending in a fresh application to An Bord Pleanála - the original pipeline route was exempted from the planning process. The appeals board had been seeking crucial additional information from the Corrib gas developers' consultants on the first modified application, submitted earlier this year by Shell consultants RPS.
Last August, the board gave the developers six weeks to provide additional information regarding the development's impact on the stability of ground in the area, on its environmental impact, and the impact of any extension of the life of wellfields.
An Bord Pleanála also sought reports on a post-landslide site at Derrybrien wind farm in Co Galway, as referred to in the company's environmental impact statement.
The proposed 9km, high-pressure pipeline route extends from a landfall at Glengad under Dooncarton mountain, where there was a series of landslides in September 2003.
RPS have said a revised application would "seek minor realignments to part of the proposed route for the Corrib onshore pipeline, in order to avoid more sensitive habitat, including bog pools, in the Rossport commonage, identified during recent surveys".
The community group Pobal Chill Chomáin has queried this reference to surveys, in the light of a District Court ruling preventing Shell from carrying out such invasive works on the commonage.
In November 2007, a Belmullet District Court ruling in a case taken by 20 landowners found that proper notification was not given by Shell consultants in relation to commonage access, nor was shareholder consent sought under the Gas Act. The company has since acquired a share in the Rossport commonage.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Luas journeys derailed by one million
THERE WERE nearly one million fewer passenger journeys completed on the Luas trams in Dublin in 2008 compared to the previous year.
According to the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), there were 27.4 million passenger journeys completed in 2008 compared to 28.4 million in 2007.
The Green Luas line to Dundrum and Sandyford has remained steady with more than 12 million annual journeys served, but the Red Line out to Tallaght has seen a significant decrease in numbers, although it still completed 15 million journeys this year.
In spite of the current economic downturn, the agency has insisted the light rail system was performing well.
“The fast, reliable and comfortable service which the Luas has provided over the last five years has produced a loyal and consistent customer base which has become more discerning in getting the best value for money from the range of ticket options which are available,” said RPA chief executive Frank Allen.
There has been a 50 per cent growth in the proportion of journeys made by those taking advantage of the tax benefits of using monthly and annual tickets.
There has also been an increase in customers using Iarnróid Éireann/Luas integrated tickets, which are up by 15 per cent.
The majority of Luas users have switched from single cash transactions at the vending machines to period passes and off-system sales outlets.
There was also an increase of 28 per cent of those using the Luas Smartcard.
Mr Allen said that the performance was encouraging in very difficult economic circumstances where levels of economic activity had contracted significantly.
He also added that the new lines which are under construction in Docklands and out to Cherrywood in South County Dublin will bring the Luas experience to other communities in the coming years.
In spite of the decrease in numbers from 2008, the single-journey fares on both Red and Green lines will rise by 10 cent and return fares will go up by 20 cent. The increases will come into effect on Monday, January 5th.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
According to the Railway Procurement Agency (RPA), there were 27.4 million passenger journeys completed in 2008 compared to 28.4 million in 2007.
The Green Luas line to Dundrum and Sandyford has remained steady with more than 12 million annual journeys served, but the Red Line out to Tallaght has seen a significant decrease in numbers, although it still completed 15 million journeys this year.
In spite of the current economic downturn, the agency has insisted the light rail system was performing well.
“The fast, reliable and comfortable service which the Luas has provided over the last five years has produced a loyal and consistent customer base which has become more discerning in getting the best value for money from the range of ticket options which are available,” said RPA chief executive Frank Allen.
There has been a 50 per cent growth in the proportion of journeys made by those taking advantage of the tax benefits of using monthly and annual tickets.
There has also been an increase in customers using Iarnróid Éireann/Luas integrated tickets, which are up by 15 per cent.
The majority of Luas users have switched from single cash transactions at the vending machines to period passes and off-system sales outlets.
There was also an increase of 28 per cent of those using the Luas Smartcard.
Mr Allen said that the performance was encouraging in very difficult economic circumstances where levels of economic activity had contracted significantly.
He also added that the new lines which are under construction in Docklands and out to Cherrywood in South County Dublin will bring the Luas experience to other communities in the coming years.
In spite of the decrease in numbers from 2008, the single-journey fares on both Red and Green lines will rise by 10 cent and return fares will go up by 20 cent. The increases will come into effect on Monday, January 5th.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Urban development guidelines published
Statutory planning guidelines on development in urban areas were launched today by Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
The guidelines, which will act as a blueprint for the future development of Irish cities, towns and villages, were previously issued as a consultation draft for public consultation.
Following record torrential rain in August, which caused flooding problems in many parts of the country, the guidelines were amended to include a provision for the management of flood risk.
A code of practice on the provision of schools in urban areas has also been included.
Publishing the guidelines, Minister Gormley said "The Guidelines and associated Design Manual provide a basis on which planners and designers can reach a shared vision for new housing schemes in cities, towns and villages throughout the country, and have the potential to raise the quality of our built environment".
The guidelines are focused on creating sustainable communities by incorporating the highest design standards and providing a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of essential infrastructure and services.
They replace the 1999 Residential Density Guidelines for Planning Authorities.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The guidelines, which will act as a blueprint for the future development of Irish cities, towns and villages, were previously issued as a consultation draft for public consultation.
Following record torrential rain in August, which caused flooding problems in many parts of the country, the guidelines were amended to include a provision for the management of flood risk.
A code of practice on the provision of schools in urban areas has also been included.
Publishing the guidelines, Minister Gormley said "The Guidelines and associated Design Manual provide a basis on which planners and designers can reach a shared vision for new housing schemes in cities, towns and villages throughout the country, and have the potential to raise the quality of our built environment".
The guidelines are focused on creating sustainable communities by incorporating the highest design standards and providing a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of essential infrastructure and services.
They replace the 1999 Residential Density Guidelines for Planning Authorities.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 29 December 2008
New northside Luas line to link with other services
THE route of the planned Luas line from Dublin city centre to the new DIT campus at Grangegorman has been unveiled.
Yesterday, it was confirmed that the line will serve people living on the northside in Cabra from 2015, when the new route is expected to open.
It will form part of the city centre link-up between the existing red (Tallaght) and green (Sandyford) lines.
The Railway Procurement Agency has revealed that construction on Line D -- from the city centre to Broombridge via Broadstone -- will link up with a proposed track between the red and green lines.
The Irish Independent can reveal that Line D will begin at O'Connell Street, with a stop at the Rotunda Hospital and Dominick Street and further stops at Broadstone and at Dublin Institute of Technology's new campus at Grangegorman.
It will continue to Phibsborough and Cabra, intersect with the Iarnrod Eireann's Maynooth line, and terminate at Broombridge station.
There is capacity to extend the network to Finglas if required.
The Rail Procurement Authority (RPA) has approved the route for Line D and has sanctioned further work on the design and public consultation for the line.
An application for final permission to proceed with the construction of the line will be made in 2009.
The RPA believes that the cross-city link between the red and green lines is essential.
"The provision of a cross-city Luas line is fundamental to the development of a Luas network for the city," a spokesman for the RPA said.
"Currently, with two separate and disconnected light railway lines, interchange between both can only be effected by means of walking 12 to 15 minutes through the city centre.
"This is a disincentive to interchange and consequently demand for trips that involve a journey on both lines is not adequately met with the current arrangement."
The cross-city link will allow passengers to switch between the Luas, Metro North and the Maynooth rail line services of Iarnrod Eireann at Broombridge.
This Line D extension also represents the first segment of a Luas line which would ultimately extend to Finglas and interchange with the planned Metro West.
Formal public consultation on Line D began in September with the issue to more than 30,000 homes of the details of the route options.
Regeneration
Yesterday, Line D project manager Jim Kilfeather said the link would help regenerate part of the city centre, and provide increased access to Iarnrod Eireann services.
"The preferred Line D route will contribute in a significant way to the planned regeneration of Dominick Street and will serve the new DIT campus at Grangegorman.
"The re-opening of the old Broadstone railway line to Luas services, as happened with the Luas Green Line and the old Harcourt Street railway, will provide increased accessibility for the communities of Cabra and Phibsborough and offer excellent interchange with Irish rail services on the Maynooth rail line.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Yesterday, it was confirmed that the line will serve people living on the northside in Cabra from 2015, when the new route is expected to open.
It will form part of the city centre link-up between the existing red (Tallaght) and green (Sandyford) lines.
The Railway Procurement Agency has revealed that construction on Line D -- from the city centre to Broombridge via Broadstone -- will link up with a proposed track between the red and green lines.
The Irish Independent can reveal that Line D will begin at O'Connell Street, with a stop at the Rotunda Hospital and Dominick Street and further stops at Broadstone and at Dublin Institute of Technology's new campus at Grangegorman.
It will continue to Phibsborough and Cabra, intersect with the Iarnrod Eireann's Maynooth line, and terminate at Broombridge station.
There is capacity to extend the network to Finglas if required.
The Rail Procurement Authority (RPA) has approved the route for Line D and has sanctioned further work on the design and public consultation for the line.
An application for final permission to proceed with the construction of the line will be made in 2009.
The RPA believes that the cross-city link between the red and green lines is essential.
"The provision of a cross-city Luas line is fundamental to the development of a Luas network for the city," a spokesman for the RPA said.
"Currently, with two separate and disconnected light railway lines, interchange between both can only be effected by means of walking 12 to 15 minutes through the city centre.
"This is a disincentive to interchange and consequently demand for trips that involve a journey on both lines is not adequately met with the current arrangement."
The cross-city link will allow passengers to switch between the Luas, Metro North and the Maynooth rail line services of Iarnrod Eireann at Broombridge.
This Line D extension also represents the first segment of a Luas line which would ultimately extend to Finglas and interchange with the planned Metro West.
Formal public consultation on Line D began in September with the issue to more than 30,000 homes of the details of the route options.
Regeneration
Yesterday, Line D project manager Jim Kilfeather said the link would help regenerate part of the city centre, and provide increased access to Iarnrod Eireann services.
"The preferred Line D route will contribute in a significant way to the planned regeneration of Dominick Street and will serve the new DIT campus at Grangegorman.
"The re-opening of the old Broadstone railway line to Luas services, as happened with the Luas Green Line and the old Harcourt Street railway, will provide increased accessibility for the communities of Cabra and Phibsborough and offer excellent interchange with Irish rail services on the Maynooth rail line.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Kerry railway station will not be protected
A MAJORITY of councillors in Kerry have voted not to include on the list of protected buildings the last remaining railway building on the now closed Farranfore to Valentia line, despite passionate pleas from planners and fellow councillors that too much railway history was being lost.
Director of planning Tom Sheehy said there were enormous ties to the old Valentia line, closed in the 1960s.
High-quality materials were used in the railway station building near Castlemaine, including brick, stone and cast iron, much of the building was intact and there was a good chance of getting grants to renovate it.
The single-storey, rubble stone-built station included the remnants of a stone-fronted platform to the side.
An appraisal commissioned by the council strongly recommended it be included in the county's record of protected structures because of "its special architectural, historical and social interest".
"This is privately owned. The community does not own it. The railway line is long gone. There is no right of way into it. The owner will not repair it because it is not worth repairing," Cllr Michael O'Shea said.
He was opposed by Independent councillor Michael Gleeson who said one of the great achievements of the 19th century had been the railway line, and too many buildings along existing lines had been left to appear derelict and too many were being demolished.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Director of planning Tom Sheehy said there were enormous ties to the old Valentia line, closed in the 1960s.
High-quality materials were used in the railway station building near Castlemaine, including brick, stone and cast iron, much of the building was intact and there was a good chance of getting grants to renovate it.
The single-storey, rubble stone-built station included the remnants of a stone-fronted platform to the side.
An appraisal commissioned by the council strongly recommended it be included in the county's record of protected structures because of "its special architectural, historical and social interest".
"This is privately owned. The community does not own it. The railway line is long gone. There is no right of way into it. The owner will not repair it because it is not worth repairing," Cllr Michael O'Shea said.
He was opposed by Independent councillor Michael Gleeson who said one of the great achievements of the 19th century had been the railway line, and too many buildings along existing lines had been left to appear derelict and too many were being demolished.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Houses planned for historical estate
PLANNING PERMISSION has been sought for a €100 million development at the site of Hazelwood House in Sligo, one of Ireland's historical former stately homes.
It was designed almost 300 years ago by Richard Castle, architect of Leinster House, Powerscourt House and Westport House.
Developers have applied to Sligo County Council for planning permission to restore the Palladian-style mansion on the shores of the Garavogue river which was occupied by the Wynne family for almost 200 years until the 1920s.
Foresthaze Developments is also seeking planning permission for the demolition of the former Snia/Saehan Media factory on the estate and for the construction of 158 detached houses, and 54 apartments in four blocks on the 81 acre site. The developers say the project would be a significant visitor attraction and would operate under the stewardship of the Irish Heritage Trust.
A factory was built on the Hazelwood Demesne in the early 1970s for the Italian nylon manufacturer Snia.
The firm's factory closed down in 1982 and the premises was sold to Korean company Saehan Media which made video tapes at the plant for 15 years until 2006.
The property was sold to a mainly local consortium in April 2006 for a reported price tag of €7-€10 million.
The new owners, Foresthaze Developments, lodged their application on December 18th.
Built in the 1730s, Hazelwood House was occupied by the Army during the second World War and was later bought by the Department of Health for use as a psychiatric hospital. The house comprises a central block of three storeys over a basement, flanked by two curved wings.
The Irish Georgian Society has described Hazelwood House as "certainly one of the most important architectural structures not only in Sligo but in the northwest as a whole", and urged that the building be preserved as an educational/tourist amenity.
A decision on the planning application is due in February.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
It was designed almost 300 years ago by Richard Castle, architect of Leinster House, Powerscourt House and Westport House.
Developers have applied to Sligo County Council for planning permission to restore the Palladian-style mansion on the shores of the Garavogue river which was occupied by the Wynne family for almost 200 years until the 1920s.
Foresthaze Developments is also seeking planning permission for the demolition of the former Snia/Saehan Media factory on the estate and for the construction of 158 detached houses, and 54 apartments in four blocks on the 81 acre site. The developers say the project would be a significant visitor attraction and would operate under the stewardship of the Irish Heritage Trust.
A factory was built on the Hazelwood Demesne in the early 1970s for the Italian nylon manufacturer Snia.
The firm's factory closed down in 1982 and the premises was sold to Korean company Saehan Media which made video tapes at the plant for 15 years until 2006.
The property was sold to a mainly local consortium in April 2006 for a reported price tag of €7-€10 million.
The new owners, Foresthaze Developments, lodged their application on December 18th.
Built in the 1730s, Hazelwood House was occupied by the Army during the second World War and was later bought by the Department of Health for use as a psychiatric hospital. The house comprises a central block of three storeys over a basement, flanked by two curved wings.
The Irish Georgian Society has described Hazelwood House as "certainly one of the most important architectural structures not only in Sligo but in the northwest as a whole", and urged that the building be preserved as an educational/tourist amenity.
A decision on the planning application is due in February.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Corrib forum chairman opens door to campaigners
THE CHAIRMAN of the Government's forum on resolving the Corrib gas controversy, Joe Brosnan, has said that there is a "flexibility" in the terms of reference which should allow north Mayo community groups to participate.
"I'm prepared to talk to anybody informally outside the forum context, without prejudice, and there is no prescribed outcome to this," Mr Brosnan said.
The forum, which represents the first direct Government attempt to resolve Corrib gas issues in almost three years, was established by Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan and Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív, in November.
However, Government sources have indicated that it is experiencing serious teething problems. Several key community groups in Erris declined to engage at its first hearing on December 5th in Belmullet, Co Mayo, due to terms of reference which preclude it from revisiting statutory consents and permissions.
Shell EP Ireland and Pro-Gas Mayo were among the groups that did attend, while Pobal Chill Chomáin and Pobal le Chéile, representing community and business interests in Erris, and Mayo Shell to Sea did not.
North Mayo Fianna Fáil councillor Tim Quinn was among those who criticised the "narrow terms of reference".
Since then, Shell EP Ireland has withdrawn its Bord Pleanála strategic infrastructure application for a modified onshore pipeline route - although its consultants have stated a revised application is being prepared. Work on the offshore pipeline has already been deferred.
Pobal Chill Chomáin and Pobal Le Chéile have now sought further clarification from Mr Brosnan in the light of Shell EP Ireland's decision.
Responding to this, Mr Brosnan said that his role was to "facilitate discussion and dialogue" and he could not comment on "substance", which he was "keeping an open mind on" as he has to maintain impartiality.
"I have told people that they can raise anything," he said. "There was a concern among some people that it would be a talking shop, but my view is that in talking about it, the positions of the various parties become clarified - such as relating to what kind of regulation, monitoring and adherence to national and international standards will be in place.
"There cannot be any prescribed outcome of this in advance," he said. "It is a question of getting involved in discussion, and to have open-ended dialogue. I will continue the contacts, and if anyone or any group wishes to speak to me outside the forum setting, I am available. My door is open without prejudice," he said.
Kerry-born and a qualified barrister, Mr Brosnan is a former Department of Justice secretary general and a member of the Independent Monitoring Commission for Northern Ireland.
He is a vice-chair of the Institute of European Affairs, and served as chef de cabinet for former EU Commissioner Pádraig Flynn in Brussels.
Since December 5th, he has been trying to engage with non-participating interests in advance of the forum's next session on January 19th. In a joint letter to Mr Brosnan, Pobal Le Chéile and Pobal Chill Chomáin said that they were "willing to help the forum, the Government and the developers to bring this sorry saga to a successful conclusion".
The groups referred to a compromise location for the gas refinery, which, they said, had "majority community consent" although Shell has rejected it.
"Our groups still have great difficulty in partaking in a process that effectively has no power to change anything," the two groups said. They quoted one of their members as saying that "we do not need more money and we do not need group therapy".
A spokeswoman for Eamon Ryan said that the Minister was "fully supportive" of Mr Brosnan's efforts.
Last month Mr Ryan admitted that "undoubted mistakes" had been made with State and developer management of the project, including a failure to consult adequately with the local community.
Separately, a High Court action taken by four residents seeking declarations that Shell has no interest in lands acquired under compulsory acquisition orders in 2002 is continuing. Complaints have also been lodged with the OECD and European Commission, and with the European Parliament's petitions committee.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
"I'm prepared to talk to anybody informally outside the forum context, without prejudice, and there is no prescribed outcome to this," Mr Brosnan said.
The forum, which represents the first direct Government attempt to resolve Corrib gas issues in almost three years, was established by Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan and Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív, in November.
However, Government sources have indicated that it is experiencing serious teething problems. Several key community groups in Erris declined to engage at its first hearing on December 5th in Belmullet, Co Mayo, due to terms of reference which preclude it from revisiting statutory consents and permissions.
Shell EP Ireland and Pro-Gas Mayo were among the groups that did attend, while Pobal Chill Chomáin and Pobal le Chéile, representing community and business interests in Erris, and Mayo Shell to Sea did not.
North Mayo Fianna Fáil councillor Tim Quinn was among those who criticised the "narrow terms of reference".
Since then, Shell EP Ireland has withdrawn its Bord Pleanála strategic infrastructure application for a modified onshore pipeline route - although its consultants have stated a revised application is being prepared. Work on the offshore pipeline has already been deferred.
Pobal Chill Chomáin and Pobal Le Chéile have now sought further clarification from Mr Brosnan in the light of Shell EP Ireland's decision.
Responding to this, Mr Brosnan said that his role was to "facilitate discussion and dialogue" and he could not comment on "substance", which he was "keeping an open mind on" as he has to maintain impartiality.
"I have told people that they can raise anything," he said. "There was a concern among some people that it would be a talking shop, but my view is that in talking about it, the positions of the various parties become clarified - such as relating to what kind of regulation, monitoring and adherence to national and international standards will be in place.
"There cannot be any prescribed outcome of this in advance," he said. "It is a question of getting involved in discussion, and to have open-ended dialogue. I will continue the contacts, and if anyone or any group wishes to speak to me outside the forum setting, I am available. My door is open without prejudice," he said.
Kerry-born and a qualified barrister, Mr Brosnan is a former Department of Justice secretary general and a member of the Independent Monitoring Commission for Northern Ireland.
He is a vice-chair of the Institute of European Affairs, and served as chef de cabinet for former EU Commissioner Pádraig Flynn in Brussels.
Since December 5th, he has been trying to engage with non-participating interests in advance of the forum's next session on January 19th. In a joint letter to Mr Brosnan, Pobal Le Chéile and Pobal Chill Chomáin said that they were "willing to help the forum, the Government and the developers to bring this sorry saga to a successful conclusion".
The groups referred to a compromise location for the gas refinery, which, they said, had "majority community consent" although Shell has rejected it.
"Our groups still have great difficulty in partaking in a process that effectively has no power to change anything," the two groups said. They quoted one of their members as saying that "we do not need more money and we do not need group therapy".
A spokeswoman for Eamon Ryan said that the Minister was "fully supportive" of Mr Brosnan's efforts.
Last month Mr Ryan admitted that "undoubted mistakes" had been made with State and developer management of the project, including a failure to consult adequately with the local community.
Separately, a High Court action taken by four residents seeking declarations that Shell has no interest in lands acquired under compulsory acquisition orders in 2002 is continuing. Complaints have also been lodged with the OECD and European Commission, and with the European Parliament's petitions committee.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Proposal to extend Marble Arch park
THE FAMOUS Marble Arch Cave system is the main feature of an application to world heritage body Unesco for recognition of a cross-Border "geopark" straddling counties Cavan and Fermanagh.
Local authorities in the two counties have submitted a joint application to extend the existing Marble Arch Caves geopark in Co Fermanagh to include parts of Co Cavan, with a terrain similar to that found in the Burren, in Co Clare.
The two bodies say in their application that the resulting geopark would provide a platform for further social, economic, cultural and environmental benefits, of strategic importance in the Border region.
"Given the recent history of conflict in Ireland, the cross-Border expansion of the geopark will be widely regarded as a symbol of hope for peace by people in other countries where conflict still exists."
A geopark is defined by Unesco as a geographical area where geological heritage sites are used to further development.
Archaeological, cultural and historical sites are also seen as integral parts of the concept.
Fermanagh County Council developed Marble Arch Caves as a geotourism facility in 1985, and the caves have since attracted more than one million visitors.
It was awarded global geopark status by Unesco in 2004.
The proposed extension into Co Cavan would include features such as the Shannon Pot, where the river rises, and the Cuilcagh mountains.
The gateway to this part of the park would be in the Burren Forest, in an extensive area of upland limestone karst.
"This is a unique and largely undiscovered landscape, with a necklace of attractions as well as some remarkable geology," says Cavan county manager Jack Keyes.
"In an area with a long history of population decline, this will be our beacon for going forward."
The extension of the geopark into the Republic would boost its size from 1,600 hectares to 18,000 hectares.
Much of the land is in public ownership, according to the masterplan prepared by environmental consultants.
However, the councils caution that, "unlike most other European countries, the public do not have the right to walk on private land in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland due to the specific public access and trespass laws.
"The councils must avoid giving the impression that some private land is included in the geopark without the owners' permission, as this would create public resentment against the geopark by including large areas of private land within it."
While the geopark would not necessarily permit public access to natural features on private land, many of them would be interpreted "at a distance", the application states.
Up to €4 million has already been spent on the project on both sides of the Border, and a further application for EU funding is being prepared, according to Mr Keyes.
At present, the only designated geopark in the Republic is the Copper Coast in Co Waterford, from Dungarvan to Tramore.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Local authorities in the two counties have submitted a joint application to extend the existing Marble Arch Caves geopark in Co Fermanagh to include parts of Co Cavan, with a terrain similar to that found in the Burren, in Co Clare.
The two bodies say in their application that the resulting geopark would provide a platform for further social, economic, cultural and environmental benefits, of strategic importance in the Border region.
"Given the recent history of conflict in Ireland, the cross-Border expansion of the geopark will be widely regarded as a symbol of hope for peace by people in other countries where conflict still exists."
A geopark is defined by Unesco as a geographical area where geological heritage sites are used to further development.
Archaeological, cultural and historical sites are also seen as integral parts of the concept.
Fermanagh County Council developed Marble Arch Caves as a geotourism facility in 1985, and the caves have since attracted more than one million visitors.
It was awarded global geopark status by Unesco in 2004.
The proposed extension into Co Cavan would include features such as the Shannon Pot, where the river rises, and the Cuilcagh mountains.
The gateway to this part of the park would be in the Burren Forest, in an extensive area of upland limestone karst.
"This is a unique and largely undiscovered landscape, with a necklace of attractions as well as some remarkable geology," says Cavan county manager Jack Keyes.
"In an area with a long history of population decline, this will be our beacon for going forward."
The extension of the geopark into the Republic would boost its size from 1,600 hectares to 18,000 hectares.
Much of the land is in public ownership, according to the masterplan prepared by environmental consultants.
However, the councils caution that, "unlike most other European countries, the public do not have the right to walk on private land in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland due to the specific public access and trespass laws.
"The councils must avoid giving the impression that some private land is included in the geopark without the owners' permission, as this would create public resentment against the geopark by including large areas of private land within it."
While the geopark would not necessarily permit public access to natural features on private land, many of them would be interpreted "at a distance", the application states.
Up to €4 million has already been spent on the project on both sides of the Border, and a further application for EU funding is being prepared, according to Mr Keyes.
At present, the only designated geopark in the Republic is the Copper Coast in Co Waterford, from Dungarvan to Tramore.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Dublin shopping centre to go ahead despite downturn
THE DEVELOPERS behind a major shopping centre in South Dublin have said they will go ahead with the second phase of their complex despite the economic downturn.
A spokesman for Lenridge Properties Ltd, the company behind Dundrum town centre's phase two development, said they hope to begin work on the project in late 2009.
A planning application for phase two is currently before Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. It was lodged last February and has since been the subject of requests for further information and clarifications from council planners as well as objections from locals. A previous application to develop the site was given planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in 2007, but was shelved by the developers.
The current plan, on the site of the original Dundrum shopping centre on Main Street, includes the demolition of properties on Glenville Terrace and Main Street and the development of retail, restaurants, a creche, medical centre and a library, all on four storeys, as well as a nine-storey, 96-bedroom hotel.
A spokesman for Lenridge Properties Ltd said the company was very confident the development would go ahead.
He said they would be providing clarification to the council early in the new year on issues they had raised and were anticipating the application would be appealed to Bord Pleanála in whatever form it was granted.
"Bord Pleanála is likely to take four to six months to process the application, so we would be looking at beginning development in autumn 2009 at the earliest," he said.
He said he was also confident the proposed hotel would do very well, since there were none in the area.
He said trading at the existing Dundrum town centre was strong despite the economic downturn and there was a demand for extra retail in the area.
The spokesman said they were in discussion with a number of interested parties about taking up tenancies at the development.
"The project is definitely going ahead, there is no question about it," he said.
Local Labour Councillor Aidan Culhane said the council had plans to upgrade Main Street radically, which had become very rundown, but there was no point in spending millions on the work if the area was going to become a building site.
He said the developers needed to resolve the issues raised by planners quickly, which included concerns over adequate parking and balance of uses, so that the project could go ahead.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
A spokesman for Lenridge Properties Ltd, the company behind Dundrum town centre's phase two development, said they hope to begin work on the project in late 2009.
A planning application for phase two is currently before Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. It was lodged last February and has since been the subject of requests for further information and clarifications from council planners as well as objections from locals. A previous application to develop the site was given planning permission by An Bord Pleanála in 2007, but was shelved by the developers.
The current plan, on the site of the original Dundrum shopping centre on Main Street, includes the demolition of properties on Glenville Terrace and Main Street and the development of retail, restaurants, a creche, medical centre and a library, all on four storeys, as well as a nine-storey, 96-bedroom hotel.
A spokesman for Lenridge Properties Ltd said the company was very confident the development would go ahead.
He said they would be providing clarification to the council early in the new year on issues they had raised and were anticipating the application would be appealed to Bord Pleanála in whatever form it was granted.
"Bord Pleanála is likely to take four to six months to process the application, so we would be looking at beginning development in autumn 2009 at the earliest," he said.
He said he was also confident the proposed hotel would do very well, since there were none in the area.
He said trading at the existing Dundrum town centre was strong despite the economic downturn and there was a demand for extra retail in the area.
The spokesman said they were in discussion with a number of interested parties about taking up tenancies at the development.
"The project is definitely going ahead, there is no question about it," he said.
Local Labour Councillor Aidan Culhane said the council had plans to upgrade Main Street radically, which had become very rundown, but there was no point in spending millions on the work if the area was going to become a building site.
He said the developers needed to resolve the issues raised by planners quickly, which included concerns over adequate parking and balance of uses, so that the project could go ahead.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Planning Bill to end excessive rezoning - Gormley
NEW PLANNING legislation to be published early in 2009 will put an end to opportunist rezoning of land by county councillors, according to Minister for the Environment John Gormley.
The Planning and Development Bill 2009 will no longer permit excessive zoning of development land, a phenomenon that has become a "major problem" in recent years, Mr Gormley said.
The Bill is designed to allow an adequate supply of zoned and serviced land to ensure that house prices are not forced upwards and that economic development is maintained.
However, it will also outlaw practices where councillors zoned far more land for development than was required.
In the past 18 months, Mr Gormley has been forced to intervene with two county councils, Monaghan and Mayo - as well with zoning decisions in Dungarvan, Co Waterford - over plans that conflicted with national planning policy.
He won backing for his position from An Bord Pleanála. Its chairman John O'Connor said at the time that the board had frequently dealt with appeals relating to zoning decisions that did not accord with sustainable development. He said the zonings seemed sometimes to originate from pressure from local developers.
Mr Gormley points out that lands zoned in some county and city council areas were capable of meeting well over five times the housing needs of the development plan and led to houses and estates being built in improper and inappropriate locations.
The Bill proposes a new requirement to be imposed on local authorities to draw up a development plan that is evidence based.
The authority will have to show why the land is being zoned and demonstrate the basis for the scale of the development and the reason behind the locations.
For the first time also, there will be a requirement to show which parts will be developed first, and what plans are provided for public transport, water and sewerage, as well as the provision of schools in the locality.
Another significant change will see the common practice of introducing zonings very late in the preparation of county development plans, leaving no time for public consultation, being outlawed. All stages of the zoning process will now be the subject of public consultation.
"This is a touchstone issue for the Green Party and a huge priority for the party in terms of our history," said Mr Gormley.
"It will bring common sense and coherence to the planning system and introduce new obligations on local authorities to comply with all the planning guidelines . . . the National Spatial Strategy; flooding guidelines; regional guidelines and sustainable transport like cycling and walking."
Another key provision of the Bill is that all city and county development plans must include a "core strategy". This will align the plan to regional and national planning policies; will more closely relate housing strategy to population forecasts for the region; and also ensure that it reflects the National Climate Change Strategy.
In a separate development in early 2009, the issuing of foreshore licences will come under the remit of the Department of the Environment for the first time.
Mr Gormley described this as significant in terms of fast-tracking development of alternative energy sources such as wind, wave and tidal technologies.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Planning and Development Bill 2009 will no longer permit excessive zoning of development land, a phenomenon that has become a "major problem" in recent years, Mr Gormley said.
The Bill is designed to allow an adequate supply of zoned and serviced land to ensure that house prices are not forced upwards and that economic development is maintained.
However, it will also outlaw practices where councillors zoned far more land for development than was required.
In the past 18 months, Mr Gormley has been forced to intervene with two county councils, Monaghan and Mayo - as well with zoning decisions in Dungarvan, Co Waterford - over plans that conflicted with national planning policy.
He won backing for his position from An Bord Pleanála. Its chairman John O'Connor said at the time that the board had frequently dealt with appeals relating to zoning decisions that did not accord with sustainable development. He said the zonings seemed sometimes to originate from pressure from local developers.
Mr Gormley points out that lands zoned in some county and city council areas were capable of meeting well over five times the housing needs of the development plan and led to houses and estates being built in improper and inappropriate locations.
The Bill proposes a new requirement to be imposed on local authorities to draw up a development plan that is evidence based.
The authority will have to show why the land is being zoned and demonstrate the basis for the scale of the development and the reason behind the locations.
For the first time also, there will be a requirement to show which parts will be developed first, and what plans are provided for public transport, water and sewerage, as well as the provision of schools in the locality.
Another significant change will see the common practice of introducing zonings very late in the preparation of county development plans, leaving no time for public consultation, being outlawed. All stages of the zoning process will now be the subject of public consultation.
"This is a touchstone issue for the Green Party and a huge priority for the party in terms of our history," said Mr Gormley.
"It will bring common sense and coherence to the planning system and introduce new obligations on local authorities to comply with all the planning guidelines . . . the National Spatial Strategy; flooding guidelines; regional guidelines and sustainable transport like cycling and walking."
Another key provision of the Bill is that all city and county development plans must include a "core strategy". This will align the plan to regional and national planning policies; will more closely relate housing strategy to population forecasts for the region; and also ensure that it reflects the National Climate Change Strategy.
In a separate development in early 2009, the issuing of foreshore licences will come under the remit of the Department of the Environment for the first time.
Mr Gormley described this as significant in terms of fast-tracking development of alternative energy sources such as wind, wave and tidal technologies.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Plans to protect oldest monastery unveiled
Leading conservation architects have drawn up plans to protect and save Ireland’s oldest monastic site.
Four years after being named one of the world’s most at risk monuments, the impressive 800-year-old Athassel Abbey in Co Tipperary will undergo basic repairs to stabilise walls making it safe for visitors.
Experts have drafted plans to protect the once proud priory from accelerated deterioration from rain, freezing weather, overgrowing vegetation and flooding from the nearby River Suir.
The conservation report, commissioned by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and drawn up architect Margaret Quinlan, aims to protect what’s left of the four acre site and pave the way for it to be developed for tourists.
The detailed plan includes a footbridge over the Suir, lightning protection systems, flood controls and the closure of burial sites beside the abbey.
Billed as a roadmap to save Athassel, junior minister at the OPW Dr Martin Mansergh has warned limited finances may dictate the pace of work.
“This conservation plan now highlights those issues that the OPW can directly advance; and at this stage these involve the stabilisation of the structures and making the place safe for the visiting public,” he said.
“Other issues such as the footbridge are - in the current economic climate - aspirational but remain a goal to attain.”
Initial works which include stabilising the ancient walls and making the site safe for visitors may get under way in the New Year.
The 78-page plan also includes the option of CCTV to deter vandalism, an end to traditional cattle grazing on the abbey grounds and information points for tourists.
Dr Mansergh received the report last week. It states that the aim is to protect Athassel as a ruin as it stands and to maintain its authenticity, character of peace and improve access.
Athassel was included in the World Monuments Watch list of 100 most endangered cultural heritage sites in 2004.
Founded by William de Burgh in 1192, the priory remained a substantial religious centre for centuries, was home to two mills, held an annual fair and was widely regarded as an economic hub.
It has also been described as the finest achievement of the Augustinian monks in Ireland, who also built Christ Church.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Four years after being named one of the world’s most at risk monuments, the impressive 800-year-old Athassel Abbey in Co Tipperary will undergo basic repairs to stabilise walls making it safe for visitors.
Experts have drafted plans to protect the once proud priory from accelerated deterioration from rain, freezing weather, overgrowing vegetation and flooding from the nearby River Suir.
The conservation report, commissioned by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and drawn up architect Margaret Quinlan, aims to protect what’s left of the four acre site and pave the way for it to be developed for tourists.
The detailed plan includes a footbridge over the Suir, lightning protection systems, flood controls and the closure of burial sites beside the abbey.
Billed as a roadmap to save Athassel, junior minister at the OPW Dr Martin Mansergh has warned limited finances may dictate the pace of work.
“This conservation plan now highlights those issues that the OPW can directly advance; and at this stage these involve the stabilisation of the structures and making the place safe for the visiting public,” he said.
“Other issues such as the footbridge are - in the current economic climate - aspirational but remain a goal to attain.”
Initial works which include stabilising the ancient walls and making the site safe for visitors may get under way in the New Year.
The 78-page plan also includes the option of CCTV to deter vandalism, an end to traditional cattle grazing on the abbey grounds and information points for tourists.
Dr Mansergh received the report last week. It states that the aim is to protect Athassel as a ruin as it stands and to maintain its authenticity, character of peace and improve access.
Athassel was included in the World Monuments Watch list of 100 most endangered cultural heritage sites in 2004.
Founded by William de Burgh in 1192, the priory remained a substantial religious centre for centuries, was home to two mills, held an annual fair and was widely regarded as an economic hub.
It has also been described as the finest achievement of the Augustinian monks in Ireland, who also built Christ Church.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 28 December 2008
Castlethorn seeks permission for 23-acre Meath development
Building firm Castlethorn Construction has sought planning permission for almost 350 homes on a 23-acre site at Dunshaughlin in Co Meath.
If approved by Meath County Council, the scheme on Drumree Road will be made up of 41 four-bedroom terraced houses,102 three-bed terraced houses, 48 three-bed duplexes, 48 two-bed duplexes and 103 one and two-bed apartments.
The proposed plan includes 567 parking spaces and open spaces. Castlethorn, headed by Joe O’Reilly, already owns Killeen Castle, a €200 million luxury development in nearby Dunsany in Meath.
Castlethorn also owns the €1 billion Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin and is behind the Adamstown Central mixed-use development in west Dublin.
Separately, developer Ger Handy has lodged an application with Offaly County Council for a mixed-use scheme on a ten-acre site at Clara. His plans includes a hotel, nursing home, assisted-living units, and detached houses, as well as car parks and site works.
The application also includes a change of use of Inchmore House, a protected structure, from a private residence to an 87-bedroom hotel.
It will measure 6,000 square metres with a new 4,398 square metre three-storey wing. Earlier this year, Handy and Arthur O’Brien submitted plans for a €50million housing development in Clara, with 243 new homes, including a fourto five-storey apartment block containing 66 apartments.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
If approved by Meath County Council, the scheme on Drumree Road will be made up of 41 four-bedroom terraced houses,102 three-bed terraced houses, 48 three-bed duplexes, 48 two-bed duplexes and 103 one and two-bed apartments.
The proposed plan includes 567 parking spaces and open spaces. Castlethorn, headed by Joe O’Reilly, already owns Killeen Castle, a €200 million luxury development in nearby Dunsany in Meath.
Castlethorn also owns the €1 billion Dundrum Town Centre in Dublin and is behind the Adamstown Central mixed-use development in west Dublin.
Separately, developer Ger Handy has lodged an application with Offaly County Council for a mixed-use scheme on a ten-acre site at Clara. His plans includes a hotel, nursing home, assisted-living units, and detached houses, as well as car parks and site works.
The application also includes a change of use of Inchmore House, a protected structure, from a private residence to an 87-bedroom hotel.
It will measure 6,000 square metres with a new 4,398 square metre three-storey wing. Earlier this year, Handy and Arthur O’Brien submitted plans for a €50million housing development in Clara, with 243 new homes, including a fourto five-storey apartment block containing 66 apartments.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 23 December 2008
There's no light in sight for Gormley as M3 protesters cast a cloud over winter solstice
Hundreds of winter solstice watchers were left disappointed yesterday as the sun failed to shine on Newgrange.
Dull weather prevented the light shining into the 5,000-year-old burial chamber as dawn broke on the shortest day of the year.
Environment Minister John Gormley -- one of 19 VIPs and lottery winners allowed entry to the Neolithic chamber -- didn't get the blame for the sun failing to shine at the ancient Co Meath site.
But the Green Party leader was heckled over his failure to reroute the M3 motorway from historic cultural sites at the Tara and Skryne Valley.
"When you come out Minister John Gormley, will your hands be untied?" shouted Heather Buchanan, from Co Meath. "He talks about sacred land but he doesn't practise what he preaches. I want to know what his intentions are going into the chamber, what does he hope to achieve by entering the chamber? What does he feel coming out of the chamber, I'd love to know, I'm sure the whole nation would love to know that."
Others among the eclectic gathering, who were attempting to meditate before sunrise, accused Ms Buchanan of "ruining" the event.
"Later on, you could have had your chance, but now you've ruined the whole morning for me. Talk to him [John Gormley] afterwards. Don't ruin it for everybody else," said one woman.
When Mr Gormley emerged from the passage tomb, he was confronted for a second time by two protestors.
In response to their criticisms, he told the Irish Independent that he had "no problem" with them but added it was not the "right place".
"It's a day which requires people to meditate and that, I don't think, is actually appropriate. It's not the place to shout, that's my view," he said.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern was also among the chosen few to enter the monument. Although the ray of light failed to show, he said the experience was "fascinating".
It was Mr Ahern's first time inside the tomb, despite him living only 20 minutes away in Dundalk. "The last time I was here, I was a child and I didn't get in," he added.
Hundreds of people travelled from across the country to attend the event, which was also enjoyed by tourists from the US, England, France and the Netherlands.
Noirin Rooney "stayed up all night" to make the journey from Co Tipperary. "We're here to greet the new dawn, the return of the light," she said.
Christine Deady from Co Cork described the experience as "very special". "I'm pretty sure that this is a spiritual momentum, it's the vortex of the year. Also I know that it being the darkest day of the year, for a lot of healers, and people of that persuasion, it's the New Year. This is like New Year's Eve in the spiritual world. I think this means more than the 31st of December," she added.
It was a romantic occasion for one couple, Ed Lyne from Co Kerry and his fiancee Magda Kiarszys, who were celebrating their anniversary at the event. "We got engaged last year on the 21st. We thought we'd come down to see what it was like."
Eimear Ni Bhraonain
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Dull weather prevented the light shining into the 5,000-year-old burial chamber as dawn broke on the shortest day of the year.
Environment Minister John Gormley -- one of 19 VIPs and lottery winners allowed entry to the Neolithic chamber -- didn't get the blame for the sun failing to shine at the ancient Co Meath site.
But the Green Party leader was heckled over his failure to reroute the M3 motorway from historic cultural sites at the Tara and Skryne Valley.
"When you come out Minister John Gormley, will your hands be untied?" shouted Heather Buchanan, from Co Meath. "He talks about sacred land but he doesn't practise what he preaches. I want to know what his intentions are going into the chamber, what does he hope to achieve by entering the chamber? What does he feel coming out of the chamber, I'd love to know, I'm sure the whole nation would love to know that."
Others among the eclectic gathering, who were attempting to meditate before sunrise, accused Ms Buchanan of "ruining" the event.
"Later on, you could have had your chance, but now you've ruined the whole morning for me. Talk to him [John Gormley] afterwards. Don't ruin it for everybody else," said one woman.
When Mr Gormley emerged from the passage tomb, he was confronted for a second time by two protestors.
In response to their criticisms, he told the Irish Independent that he had "no problem" with them but added it was not the "right place".
"It's a day which requires people to meditate and that, I don't think, is actually appropriate. It's not the place to shout, that's my view," he said.
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern was also among the chosen few to enter the monument. Although the ray of light failed to show, he said the experience was "fascinating".
It was Mr Ahern's first time inside the tomb, despite him living only 20 minutes away in Dundalk. "The last time I was here, I was a child and I didn't get in," he added.
Hundreds of people travelled from across the country to attend the event, which was also enjoyed by tourists from the US, England, France and the Netherlands.
Noirin Rooney "stayed up all night" to make the journey from Co Tipperary. "We're here to greet the new dawn, the return of the light," she said.
Christine Deady from Co Cork described the experience as "very special". "I'm pretty sure that this is a spiritual momentum, it's the vortex of the year. Also I know that it being the darkest day of the year, for a lot of healers, and people of that persuasion, it's the New Year. This is like New Year's Eve in the spiritual world. I think this means more than the 31st of December," she added.
It was a romantic occasion for one couple, Ed Lyne from Co Kerry and his fiancee Magda Kiarszys, who were celebrating their anniversary at the event. "We got engaged last year on the 21st. We thought we'd come down to see what it was like."
Eimear Ni Bhraonain
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
€380m Waterford project gets green light
PLANNING PERMISSION has been granted by Waterford City Council for a €380 million waterside hotel, leisure, office and residential development which is expected to create 400 jobs during construction and a similar number on completion.
The Water Haven development will be situated on a 13-acre site beside the river Suir at Bilberry in the city, which was formerly the old location of the Waterford Stanley iron foundry.
The scheme - proposed by local developer William Bolster - will feature an iconic 33-storey tower with 23 floors of apartments and 10 floors of offices.
The building will also house a bar and restaurant offering unprecedented views of Waterford city, east Co Waterford and south Co Kilkenny.
The brownfield lands, identified as an opportunity site in the Waterford City Development Plan 2007-2013, will also accommodate a 15-storey, 150-bedroom hotel along with underground parking, restaurants, smaller office units and duplex apartments.
The hotel, it is proposed, will have a large conference centre capable of accommodating 750 delegates - helping to make Waterford a more attractive venue for off-season business tourism.
A leisure and fitness centre will include a gymnasium, spa and swimming pool, while the scheme also includes provision for a marina with 60 berths.
Meanwhile, an extension of the Waterford and Suir Valley railway to allow the train run to the site of the former Waterford South railway station at Bilberry is also being facilitated by the design team led by Waterford-based CJ Falconer and Associates Chartered Architects.
The residential component of the development includes 420 apartments that will be pitched at families as well as couples, sharers and sole occupants.
Mr Bolster of the Tramore-based Bolster Group said he was delighted to have received planning permission from the Waterford council and hoped to proceed to the first construction phase of the development as early as possible in 2009.
"I would also like to thank the city manager, planning department and all the various departments of the authority along with all the local councillors who gave great support throughout the process. It is an example of how working together can create very exciting projects for the future of Waterford city and county," he said.
"In the current economic climate, it is a massive boost to Waterford and I would appeal to people's better judgment not to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála, which will allow us start real negotiations with hotel operators and companies wishing to relocate to Waterford.
"This will, in turn, create long-term jobs for the people of Waterford."
Mr Bolster said that, in the future, there will be opportunities to develop art galleries and appropriate retail, educational and ecclesiastical facilities in this urban quarter.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Water Haven development will be situated on a 13-acre site beside the river Suir at Bilberry in the city, which was formerly the old location of the Waterford Stanley iron foundry.
The scheme - proposed by local developer William Bolster - will feature an iconic 33-storey tower with 23 floors of apartments and 10 floors of offices.
The building will also house a bar and restaurant offering unprecedented views of Waterford city, east Co Waterford and south Co Kilkenny.
The brownfield lands, identified as an opportunity site in the Waterford City Development Plan 2007-2013, will also accommodate a 15-storey, 150-bedroom hotel along with underground parking, restaurants, smaller office units and duplex apartments.
The hotel, it is proposed, will have a large conference centre capable of accommodating 750 delegates - helping to make Waterford a more attractive venue for off-season business tourism.
A leisure and fitness centre will include a gymnasium, spa and swimming pool, while the scheme also includes provision for a marina with 60 berths.
Meanwhile, an extension of the Waterford and Suir Valley railway to allow the train run to the site of the former Waterford South railway station at Bilberry is also being facilitated by the design team led by Waterford-based CJ Falconer and Associates Chartered Architects.
The residential component of the development includes 420 apartments that will be pitched at families as well as couples, sharers and sole occupants.
Mr Bolster of the Tramore-based Bolster Group said he was delighted to have received planning permission from the Waterford council and hoped to proceed to the first construction phase of the development as early as possible in 2009.
"I would also like to thank the city manager, planning department and all the various departments of the authority along with all the local councillors who gave great support throughout the process. It is an example of how working together can create very exciting projects for the future of Waterford city and county," he said.
"In the current economic climate, it is a massive boost to Waterford and I would appeal to people's better judgment not to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála, which will allow us start real negotiations with hotel operators and companies wishing to relocate to Waterford.
"This will, in turn, create long-term jobs for the people of Waterford."
Mr Bolster said that, in the future, there will be opportunities to develop art galleries and appropriate retail, educational and ecclesiastical facilities in this urban quarter.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Council set to review community role in PPP schemes
DUBLIN CITY Council says it is reviewing the manner in which it works with three communities where public private partnership (PPP) schemes with developer Bernard McNamara collapsed earlier this year.
The Irish Times understands the review will look at whether the regeneration boards for the three areas - St Michael's Estate in Inchicore, Dominick Street and O'Devaney Gardens - should remain in existence now that the PPP projects are not proceeding.
Community groups in St Michael's have reacted angrily to the news, interpreting it as a move to remove local participation from any future decision-making process. However, the council said in a statement it remained committed to working closely with the communities on an ongoing basis.
The chairman of St Michael's Estate Regeneration Board, former Labour Court chairman Finbarr Flood, said the council's move came as a complete shock when it was announced at a board meeting this week. "People are quite upset about it . . . This project is going to go ahead in one form or another and there is no benefit in not having the relevant people in the community involved."
Earlier this month, after deliberating on what to do after the failure of the PPP projects, the council unveiled plans to build social housing in St Michael's and O'Devaney Gardens. However, the number of units is much lower than originally envisaged under the PPP plans and the timescale is longer - up to 2017. The council says it will seek private sector partners for the sites, but it is unclear whether there is any commercial interest in the current climate.
Rita Fagan of the Family Resource Centre in St Michael's said the council's move to review the board was an attack on local democracy. "Local residents and community groups are shocked at the idea that the board could be dismantled when there is so much work to be done.
"The whole idea behind setting up the board was to ensure strong local democratic participation in whatever project took place. Given that we are now in a new phase of regeneration, it would seem to us that . . . strong, participative local structures are an absolute necessity . . .Ten years on, and not a sod turned - shame on them."
A spokesman for O'Devaney Gardens Regeneration Board said it had not been told of the review. Last week, the council unveiled proposals for a replacement scheme involving a reduced number of social housing units, which were considered by a well-attended meeting of residents.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Irish Times understands the review will look at whether the regeneration boards for the three areas - St Michael's Estate in Inchicore, Dominick Street and O'Devaney Gardens - should remain in existence now that the PPP projects are not proceeding.
Community groups in St Michael's have reacted angrily to the news, interpreting it as a move to remove local participation from any future decision-making process. However, the council said in a statement it remained committed to working closely with the communities on an ongoing basis.
The chairman of St Michael's Estate Regeneration Board, former Labour Court chairman Finbarr Flood, said the council's move came as a complete shock when it was announced at a board meeting this week. "People are quite upset about it . . . This project is going to go ahead in one form or another and there is no benefit in not having the relevant people in the community involved."
Earlier this month, after deliberating on what to do after the failure of the PPP projects, the council unveiled plans to build social housing in St Michael's and O'Devaney Gardens. However, the number of units is much lower than originally envisaged under the PPP plans and the timescale is longer - up to 2017. The council says it will seek private sector partners for the sites, but it is unclear whether there is any commercial interest in the current climate.
Rita Fagan of the Family Resource Centre in St Michael's said the council's move to review the board was an attack on local democracy. "Local residents and community groups are shocked at the idea that the board could be dismantled when there is so much work to be done.
"The whole idea behind setting up the board was to ensure strong local democratic participation in whatever project took place. Given that we are now in a new phase of regeneration, it would seem to us that . . . strong, participative local structures are an absolute necessity . . .Ten years on, and not a sod turned - shame on them."
A spokesman for O'Devaney Gardens Regeneration Board said it had not been told of the review. Last week, the council unveiled proposals for a replacement scheme involving a reduced number of social housing units, which were considered by a well-attended meeting of residents.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Merry Christmas to all readers of this blog
It has been a busy year. The total number of planning and planning-related stories included this year - to date - was 1550. The boom years may be at an end, but planning remains as topical as ever.
I thought before the year ends I might jot down a few notes about the blog and hopefully encourage you to continue to use it as a resource.
As you know, I have tried to ensure the blog acts as an up to date information resource for planners - students, council planners and private planners – and anyone else who is interested, throughout the country. The blog contains planning and planning related stories produced by journalists and others published in various media. The site is mainly concerned with planning issues of national interest, but has covered smaller more localised stories from time to time.
In recent times, I have become more aware that the blog also acts as a diary for planning and planning related stories. It is easy to search the blog for all stories on a particular issue such as the Corrib gas project or the battle for Ballsbridge. It can also be used to search by county, so whether you are a Fingal planner or a Wicklow planner, it can give you the stories relevant to you. It is this, perhaps more than any other function, which is now helping with my own work. It has become a reference tool.
Interestingly, the site has gradually attracted more and more people interested in planning issues. I now receive emails from people all over the country and from other countries (not from small children looking for presents). People want, among other things, more detail on stories, to ask questions about studying planning or working in planning, to discuss similar planning issues in their own counties/countries, etc. I try where possible to respond to these queries.
As always, I also receive emails from individuals, groups and others seeking help with planning issues. Again, I try to provide some advice, but I note that, as this is how I also make my living, I cannot spend all the time I might like on each of these emails. To those I have responded to, I hope it was adequate and helped in some way. I hope people will continue to email me with queries on planning matters.
Finally, no one knows what 2009 will bring, but it is certain to bring new planning stories to our attention and I will continue to make these available in an easy and accessible way.
Enjoy the Christmas,
Brendan Buck
I thought before the year ends I might jot down a few notes about the blog and hopefully encourage you to continue to use it as a resource.
As you know, I have tried to ensure the blog acts as an up to date information resource for planners - students, council planners and private planners – and anyone else who is interested, throughout the country. The blog contains planning and planning related stories produced by journalists and others published in various media. The site is mainly concerned with planning issues of national interest, but has covered smaller more localised stories from time to time.
In recent times, I have become more aware that the blog also acts as a diary for planning and planning related stories. It is easy to search the blog for all stories on a particular issue such as the Corrib gas project or the battle for Ballsbridge. It can also be used to search by county, so whether you are a Fingal planner or a Wicklow planner, it can give you the stories relevant to you. It is this, perhaps more than any other function, which is now helping with my own work. It has become a reference tool.
Interestingly, the site has gradually attracted more and more people interested in planning issues. I now receive emails from people all over the country and from other countries (not from small children looking for presents). People want, among other things, more detail on stories, to ask questions about studying planning or working in planning, to discuss similar planning issues in their own counties/countries, etc. I try where possible to respond to these queries.
As always, I also receive emails from individuals, groups and others seeking help with planning issues. Again, I try to provide some advice, but I note that, as this is how I also make my living, I cannot spend all the time I might like on each of these emails. To those I have responded to, I hope it was adequate and helped in some way. I hope people will continue to email me with queries on planning matters.
Finally, no one knows what 2009 will bring, but it is certain to bring new planning stories to our attention and I will continue to make these available in an easy and accessible way.
Enjoy the Christmas,
Brendan Buck
Monday, 22 December 2008
Protests over Cork coastal designation
PROTESTS ARE to be held in Cork this week amid claims that the proposed designation of coastal areas around Castletownbere, Bantry and Schull as scenic landscape areas could lead to the depopulation of the west of the county.
Beara Chamber of Commerce chairman Michael O'Sullivan said the designation would force young homeowners in Beara, Mizen Head and Sheep's Head out of their rural communities and into towns and villages.
"They are trying to turn the Beara Peninsula, Sheep's Head and the Mizen into Jurassic Park . . . It is absolutely disgraceful. They should be encouraging people into the peninsula, not frightening them off. It is for the up-and-coming generation that we are protesting. The proposals would have serious and devastating consequences and would lead to depopulation."
Mr O'Sullivan said the special designation could see children of families in the area unable to get planning permission for houses later on.
The proposed designation of coastal areas around Castletownbere, Bantry and Schull as scenic landscape areas is to be voted on in the next few weeks by members of Cork Country Council.
The proposals were first put forward in August and are among a number of amendments to the Cork County Development Plan.
Some 200 people from west Cork are due to protest outside Cork County Hall today. However, supporters of the proposed measures claim scenic coastal areas have to be protected.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Beara Chamber of Commerce chairman Michael O'Sullivan said the designation would force young homeowners in Beara, Mizen Head and Sheep's Head out of their rural communities and into towns and villages.
"They are trying to turn the Beara Peninsula, Sheep's Head and the Mizen into Jurassic Park . . . It is absolutely disgraceful. They should be encouraging people into the peninsula, not frightening them off. It is for the up-and-coming generation that we are protesting. The proposals would have serious and devastating consequences and would lead to depopulation."
Mr O'Sullivan said the special designation could see children of families in the area unable to get planning permission for houses later on.
The proposed designation of coastal areas around Castletownbere, Bantry and Schull as scenic landscape areas is to be voted on in the next few weeks by members of Cork Country Council.
The proposals were first put forward in August and are among a number of amendments to the Cork County Development Plan.
Some 200 people from west Cork are due to protest outside Cork County Hall today. However, supporters of the proposed measures claim scenic coastal areas have to be protected.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Stacks windfarm project to be subject of EU investigation
THE EU Environment Commission is to investigate a windfarm development in the Stacks mountains which was at the centre of concerns after a bog slide during heaving rainfall in August.
The commission said it was carrying out the investigation into the Co Kerry development because it appeared "the lessons of Derybrien" in Co Galway, where a major bog slide occurred in 2003, had not been learnt.
Local residents in the Stacks mountains wrote to environment commissioner Stavros Dimas in October to say they were deeply concerned with the manner in which the windfarm at Ballincollig Hill, near Tralee, was being constructed on sensitive bog and to ask that work - which resumed recently - be stopped. The residents said "large tracts of beautiful boglands and rivers" had being damaged in the slide and the nest of a hen harrier, hares and other wildlife disturbed.
Georges Kremlis, head of the commission's environment directorate, has now replied to say wind energy forms part of the EU's commitments to renewable energy but member states must ensure projects likely to have significant effects on the environment are fully assessed.
The Stacks mountain area was proposed by the Irish authorities as a special protection area for the conservation of wild birds.
"[We] will investigate this matter with the Irish authorities to establish if the development in the Stacks mountains is consistent with EC nature and environmental impact assessment legislation," Mr Kremlis said.
Large sections of mountains are zoned for windfarm development in the Kerry county development plan. The August bogslide led to road blockages, some houses being cut off and threats to water supplies. The turf choked a spawning area for salmon and trout, killed eels and brown trout.
Kerry County Council confirmed in recent weeks work has recommenced on the eight-turbine windfarm by Tra Investments Ltd, Tralee, a subsidiary of Lee Strand co-operative.
A council spokesman said the works were not in the precise area of the slide and the windfarm had planning permission. After the landslide, Tra stopped work and employed consultants to carry out a study into the causes of the slide.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The commission said it was carrying out the investigation into the Co Kerry development because it appeared "the lessons of Derybrien" in Co Galway, where a major bog slide occurred in 2003, had not been learnt.
Local residents in the Stacks mountains wrote to environment commissioner Stavros Dimas in October to say they were deeply concerned with the manner in which the windfarm at Ballincollig Hill, near Tralee, was being constructed on sensitive bog and to ask that work - which resumed recently - be stopped. The residents said "large tracts of beautiful boglands and rivers" had being damaged in the slide and the nest of a hen harrier, hares and other wildlife disturbed.
Georges Kremlis, head of the commission's environment directorate, has now replied to say wind energy forms part of the EU's commitments to renewable energy but member states must ensure projects likely to have significant effects on the environment are fully assessed.
The Stacks mountain area was proposed by the Irish authorities as a special protection area for the conservation of wild birds.
"[We] will investigate this matter with the Irish authorities to establish if the development in the Stacks mountains is consistent with EC nature and environmental impact assessment legislation," Mr Kremlis said.
Large sections of mountains are zoned for windfarm development in the Kerry county development plan. The August bogslide led to road blockages, some houses being cut off and threats to water supplies. The turf choked a spawning area for salmon and trout, killed eels and brown trout.
Kerry County Council confirmed in recent weeks work has recommenced on the eight-turbine windfarm by Tra Investments Ltd, Tralee, a subsidiary of Lee Strand co-operative.
A council spokesman said the works were not in the precise area of the slide and the windfarm had planning permission. After the landslide, Tra stopped work and employed consultants to carry out a study into the causes of the slide.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Developer Liam Carroll has been refused planning permission for a huge office-led development in East Wall in Dublin, which would have contained more
THE capital's "self-cleaning" and low maintenance Millennium Spire has cost more than €1.1m to keep gleaming and in working order since being erected.
The astonishing sum has been spent on extensive cleaning and maintenance programmes for the monument, which has been beset by difficulties for its six years in existence.
Dublin City Council said that €324,868 had already been spent this year on major lighting repairs and a major cleaning operation.
A massive crane had to be put in place to carry out the operation, which goes some way to explaining the huge cost of the work.
In 2007, the council spent a grand total of €435,633 carrying out the same type of work: a major cleaning and lighting repairs programme.
Between January 2006 and December 2006, they spent a total of €238,432 on the monument, whose lights have failed time and again since it was unveiled in
January 2003.
From then until the end of 2005, the council spent another €180,000 on maintenance and cleaning.
The €1.179m maintenance and cleaning is on top of the €5m spent on constructing the monument, which despite its failings has become a beloved landmark for denizens of the capital.
Dublin City Council said: "It should be noted that 2007 and 2008 were exceptional years in that major lighting repairs and cleaning took place in each year (this year because the crane and equipment were in place anyway).
"It should also be noted that the award of the maintenance contract for the Spire was carried out under a competitive tendering procedure.
"This exercise is currently under way again under the normal procurement procedures and regulations and a new contract will be awarded early in 2009."
The monument, which was described as "self-cleaning" when erected, has suffered a litany of technical problems since being installed.
Its lights have failed on at least five occasions despite the fact that the 1,200 bulbs inside were supposed to last for at least 20 years.
The 'Monument of Light' was also supposed to wash itself, keeping its sheen
as Dublin's plentiful rainfall rolled down its slightly
slanted sides.
Instead, the metal has become badly smeared and the joints between the individual sections become ever more obvious.
The lower section of the Spire has to be cleaned every morning at 7am and the first 12 metres are given a thorough wash four times a year.
The monument – one of the tallest pieces of sculpture in the world – was designed by the architectural firm of Ian Ritchie, the UK-based designer.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
The astonishing sum has been spent on extensive cleaning and maintenance programmes for the monument, which has been beset by difficulties for its six years in existence.
Dublin City Council said that €324,868 had already been spent this year on major lighting repairs and a major cleaning operation.
A massive crane had to be put in place to carry out the operation, which goes some way to explaining the huge cost of the work.
In 2007, the council spent a grand total of €435,633 carrying out the same type of work: a major cleaning and lighting repairs programme.
Between January 2006 and December 2006, they spent a total of €238,432 on the monument, whose lights have failed time and again since it was unveiled in
January 2003.
From then until the end of 2005, the council spent another €180,000 on maintenance and cleaning.
The €1.179m maintenance and cleaning is on top of the €5m spent on constructing the monument, which despite its failings has become a beloved landmark for denizens of the capital.
Dublin City Council said: "It should be noted that 2007 and 2008 were exceptional years in that major lighting repairs and cleaning took place in each year (this year because the crane and equipment were in place anyway).
"It should also be noted that the award of the maintenance contract for the Spire was carried out under a competitive tendering procedure.
"This exercise is currently under way again under the normal procurement procedures and regulations and a new contract will be awarded early in 2009."
The monument, which was described as "self-cleaning" when erected, has suffered a litany of technical problems since being installed.
Its lights have failed on at least five occasions despite the fact that the 1,200 bulbs inside were supposed to last for at least 20 years.
The 'Monument of Light' was also supposed to wash itself, keeping its sheen
as Dublin's plentiful rainfall rolled down its slightly
slanted sides.
Instead, the metal has become badly smeared and the joints between the individual sections become ever more obvious.
The lower section of the Spire has to be cleaned every morning at 7am and the first 12 metres are given a thorough wash four times a year.
The monument – one of the tallest pieces of sculpture in the world – was designed by the architectural firm of Ian Ritchie, the UK-based designer.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Blow for Carroll as second major office development plan for Docklands rejected
Developer Liam Carroll has been refused planning permission for a huge office-led development in East Wall in Dublin, which would have contained more than 45 per cent of the entire office lettings in the whole of Dublin this year.
Dublin City Council has told Carroll that his plan has "poor architectural quality, insufficient urban design and strategic rationale" and would "have a materially negative visual impact" on the area.
The developer wanted to develop more than 82,000 square metres of office space on the 5.5 acre site between East Road and Merchants Square.
The plan was refused on three grounds including being contrary to its zoning and that it "would injure the residential amenities of the area" and "set an undesirable precedent for similar type development in the area".
As well as the offices, Carroll planned to develop a hotel, gym and pool, healthcare centre, a café and restaurant and a shop on the site. The four buildings would have been up to 17 storeys high and Carroll owns the site through a company called JP Ryan & Sons.
Separately, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) has written to Dublin City Council in relation to Carroll's office building on North Wall Quay that is currently in legal limbo. Rival developer Sean Dunne has applied to have the building demolished after the Commercial Court ruled that the DDDA acted outside its planning powers in approving the development. Carroll subsequently applied to Dublin City Council to retain the work already undertaken and to complete the building.
The DDDA says the existing structure in its current state "is physically unsatisfactory and represents unsustainable development in its current form". It acknowledges that the building is inconsistent with the planning scheme but argues "this may be addressed by providing residential development on adjoining lands in the applicant's ownership".
"The Authority would request Dublin City Council to ask the applicant to demonstrate compliance with the [planning scheme] over the applicant's landholding and to subsequently condition the development accordingly.
The imposition of such a condition would render the proposed development reasonably consistent with the planning scheme in this circumstance and the authority would therefore support a positive recommendation in respect of this retention application," it wrote.
Sean Dunne's company North Wall Quay Property Development has told the council that it will be "adversely affected" by the development and states its belief that "the application suffers from a serious deficit of accurate information". It also argued the application was invalid because under the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Dublin City Council has told Carroll that his plan has "poor architectural quality, insufficient urban design and strategic rationale" and would "have a materially negative visual impact" on the area.
The developer wanted to develop more than 82,000 square metres of office space on the 5.5 acre site between East Road and Merchants Square.
The plan was refused on three grounds including being contrary to its zoning and that it "would injure the residential amenities of the area" and "set an undesirable precedent for similar type development in the area".
As well as the offices, Carroll planned to develop a hotel, gym and pool, healthcare centre, a café and restaurant and a shop on the site. The four buildings would have been up to 17 storeys high and Carroll owns the site through a company called JP Ryan & Sons.
Separately, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) has written to Dublin City Council in relation to Carroll's office building on North Wall Quay that is currently in legal limbo. Rival developer Sean Dunne has applied to have the building demolished after the Commercial Court ruled that the DDDA acted outside its planning powers in approving the development. Carroll subsequently applied to Dublin City Council to retain the work already undertaken and to complete the building.
The DDDA says the existing structure in its current state "is physically unsatisfactory and represents unsustainable development in its current form". It acknowledges that the building is inconsistent with the planning scheme but argues "this may be addressed by providing residential development on adjoining lands in the applicant's ownership".
"The Authority would request Dublin City Council to ask the applicant to demonstrate compliance with the [planning scheme] over the applicant's landholding and to subsequently condition the development accordingly.
The imposition of such a condition would render the proposed development reasonably consistent with the planning scheme in this circumstance and the authority would therefore support a positive recommendation in respect of this retention application," it wrote.
Sean Dunne's company North Wall Quay Property Development has told the council that it will be "adversely affected" by the development and states its belief that "the application suffers from a serious deficit of accurate information". It also argued the application was invalid because under the requirements of the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
€4bn worth of power stations seeking connection to grid
CER plans licensing overhaul as 50 projects await connection
THE Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) looks set to overhaul its approval system for new power stations after a flood of applications which has left up to €4bn worth of potential projects awaiting connections.
Sources said 50 projects with a combined capacity of 6,000 megawatts (MW), a similar level to the country's entire supply, were now seeking connections to the national grid.
These include large 400MW gas-fired stations, costing €350m each, from several major players. But the majority are smaller peaking plants, which step in during calm conditions when wind farms cannot produce power.
Most applications have been submitted over the past three months as investors seek to benefit from the forthcoming Gate 3 connection offers for wind farms.
Sources said the CER needed to alter its licensing system so it could quickly identify unviable schemes to allow Eirgrid, the national grid operator, to draw up long-term development plans.
"Due to the volume of renewable and conventional applications, the current system is beginning to creak," said a new CER connection report.
But CER is likely to continue to favour larger power plants because they produce cheaper electricity.
A CER spokesman confirmed the regulator was planning to alter its system for processing applications and would launch an industry consultation next month.
He said the renewed interest in conventional power generation was due to the single all-island electricity market introduced last year.
"Under the old market, if you didn't have enough customers, you had nobody to sell to and you could only really recover your fuel costs," he said. "The single market takes a lot of the risk out of power generation, giving new generators a good start."
The move is not expected to delay the processing of Gate 3 connection offers for wind farms and will have no impact on approved but unbuilt projects such as Seán Quinn's planned 445MW station in Co Louth.
But the independent interconnector being proposed by Imera may be delayed; although the CER has ordered Eirgrid to give the company a provisional connection offer, a final decision on the project will be made only when the new criteria are finalised.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
THE Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) looks set to overhaul its approval system for new power stations after a flood of applications which has left up to €4bn worth of potential projects awaiting connections.
Sources said 50 projects with a combined capacity of 6,000 megawatts (MW), a similar level to the country's entire supply, were now seeking connections to the national grid.
These include large 400MW gas-fired stations, costing €350m each, from several major players. But the majority are smaller peaking plants, which step in during calm conditions when wind farms cannot produce power.
Most applications have been submitted over the past three months as investors seek to benefit from the forthcoming Gate 3 connection offers for wind farms.
Sources said the CER needed to alter its licensing system so it could quickly identify unviable schemes to allow Eirgrid, the national grid operator, to draw up long-term development plans.
"Due to the volume of renewable and conventional applications, the current system is beginning to creak," said a new CER connection report.
But CER is likely to continue to favour larger power plants because they produce cheaper electricity.
A CER spokesman confirmed the regulator was planning to alter its system for processing applications and would launch an industry consultation next month.
He said the renewed interest in conventional power generation was due to the single all-island electricity market introduced last year.
"Under the old market, if you didn't have enough customers, you had nobody to sell to and you could only really recover your fuel costs," he said. "The single market takes a lot of the risk out of power generation, giving new generators a good start."
The move is not expected to delay the processing of Gate 3 connection offers for wind farms and will have no impact on approved but unbuilt projects such as Seán Quinn's planned 445MW station in Co Louth.
But the independent interconnector being proposed by Imera may be delayed; although the CER has ordered Eirgrid to give the company a provisional connection offer, a final decision on the project will be made only when the new criteria are finalised.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
O'Reilly's €1bn O'Connell Street scheme gets green light
Plans for a €1bn retail scheme at O'Connell Street in Dublin have been given the go-ahead by Dublin City Council. Joe O'Reilly's Chartered Land has been told it can develop its Dublin Central scheme, which will cover a site stretching from O'Connell Street to Moore Street and Henry Street to Parnell Street. John Lewis has already been secured as the anchor shop for the development by letting agent Bannon.
The council granted permission subject to 32 conditions, including a stipulation that there be free public access to the proposed 'Sky Park' and that only 769 parking spaces be provided.
O'Reilly will have to pay the council nearly €9.5m in contributions before work is allowed to proceed and will also have to pay nearly €2.3m towards the construction of Metro North. He will have to pay €50,000 to the council to carry out a "comprehensive traffic study on the operation of the proposed car park in city centre street network". This study will take place about six months after the opening of the development.
The council decided to allow the development after Chartered Land submitted changes to its original plans in October, one of which was that the Sky Park would actually face the sun rather than away from it. The height of the building was also reduced, along with the heights of other buildings.
O'Reilly's assets include stakes in Dundrum Town Centre, The Pavilions in Swords, the Ilac Centre in Dublin 1 and the new retail scheme at South King Street in Dublin 2. He is also developing offices in the city's south docks. Through his holdings in Castlethorn Construction, he is involved in the Adamstown development and the Rathborne scheme at Ashtown in west Dublin.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
The council granted permission subject to 32 conditions, including a stipulation that there be free public access to the proposed 'Sky Park' and that only 769 parking spaces be provided.
O'Reilly will have to pay the council nearly €9.5m in contributions before work is allowed to proceed and will also have to pay nearly €2.3m towards the construction of Metro North. He will have to pay €50,000 to the council to carry out a "comprehensive traffic study on the operation of the proposed car park in city centre street network". This study will take place about six months after the opening of the development.
The council decided to allow the development after Chartered Land submitted changes to its original plans in October, one of which was that the Sky Park would actually face the sun rather than away from it. The height of the building was also reduced, along with the heights of other buildings.
O'Reilly's assets include stakes in Dundrum Town Centre, The Pavilions in Swords, the Ilac Centre in Dublin 1 and the new retail scheme at South King Street in Dublin 2. He is also developing offices in the city's south docks. Through his holdings in Castlethorn Construction, he is involved in the Adamstown development and the Rathborne scheme at Ashtown in west Dublin.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Ryan plans to fast-track energy developments
The government plans to reform the planning process in order to fast track energy-related developments worth €16 billion.
The reform of foreshore planning will speed up offshore renewable energy projects and connections to the electricity grid using the current oil and gas licensing process.
The move comes after the government’s plan for economic recovery, which was launched last week, highlighted the future importance of renewable energy. The changes to the planning process have been drafted into a bill by the Oireachtas joint committee on climate change and energy security, which has been sent to Eamon Ryan, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. It envisages bringing offshore renewable energy projects within the scope of the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act, 2006.This should ensure that planning decisions on offshore renewable energy projects are made within a year. It is the first time that an Oireachtas committee has drafted a bill to be forwarded to the government. Under its terms, the Marine Institute would be given new roles and responsibilities, such as the preparation of strategic area assessments for designated areas and the power to grant leases for offshore renewable energy projects.
It would also handle the allocation of designated areas for energy production, modelled on the current auction rules for petroleum development and exploitation. It would also act as a statutory adviser to An Bord Pleanala for planning applications from approved leases.
A spokeswoman for Ryan confirmed there would be a ’‘complete reform’’ of the planning process for offshore projects, and said that facilitating connections to the electricity grid from the foreshore would be a priority. ’‘The oil and gas exploration licensing system is one of the best ways of fast-tracking these," she said.
’‘Once the grid is connected, the state can then set out a space for renewable companies to operate from. We will also be discussing this with our petrol affairs division, and with the Department of the Environment, the ESB, Eirgrid and current foreshore operators."
Michael Walsh, chief executive of the Irish Wind Energy Association, said that, while he welcomed the move, other issues relating to the provision of wind and tidal energy needed to be resolved. ’‘Planning permission is one of the three main stages our members go through - the others are the economic startup costs and connection to the grid," he said.
’‘We asked the [Oireachtas] committee for automatic renewal of the current five-year planning expiration, or [to increase] this to ten-year expiration. There is also a major shortage of investment in the grid, and there should be some incentivising of Eirgrid and the ESB to increase capacity on it, because it’s just not there at the moment."
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
The reform of foreshore planning will speed up offshore renewable energy projects and connections to the electricity grid using the current oil and gas licensing process.
The move comes after the government’s plan for economic recovery, which was launched last week, highlighted the future importance of renewable energy. The changes to the planning process have been drafted into a bill by the Oireachtas joint committee on climate change and energy security, which has been sent to Eamon Ryan, the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources. It envisages bringing offshore renewable energy projects within the scope of the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act, 2006.This should ensure that planning decisions on offshore renewable energy projects are made within a year. It is the first time that an Oireachtas committee has drafted a bill to be forwarded to the government. Under its terms, the Marine Institute would be given new roles and responsibilities, such as the preparation of strategic area assessments for designated areas and the power to grant leases for offshore renewable energy projects.
It would also handle the allocation of designated areas for energy production, modelled on the current auction rules for petroleum development and exploitation. It would also act as a statutory adviser to An Bord Pleanala for planning applications from approved leases.
A spokeswoman for Ryan confirmed there would be a ’‘complete reform’’ of the planning process for offshore projects, and said that facilitating connections to the electricity grid from the foreshore would be a priority. ’‘The oil and gas exploration licensing system is one of the best ways of fast-tracking these," she said.
’‘Once the grid is connected, the state can then set out a space for renewable companies to operate from. We will also be discussing this with our petrol affairs division, and with the Department of the Environment, the ESB, Eirgrid and current foreshore operators."
Michael Walsh, chief executive of the Irish Wind Energy Association, said that, while he welcomed the move, other issues relating to the provision of wind and tidal energy needed to be resolved. ’‘Planning permission is one of the three main stages our members go through - the others are the economic startup costs and connection to the grid," he said.
’‘We asked the [Oireachtas] committee for automatic renewal of the current five-year planning expiration, or [to increase] this to ten-year expiration. There is also a major shortage of investment in the grid, and there should be some incentivising of Eirgrid and the ESB to increase capacity on it, because it’s just not there at the moment."
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Saturday, 20 December 2008
€800m project gets green light
INTERNATIONAL property company Treasury Holdings was yesterday granted planning permission to develop the €800m Spring Cross Ballymun Town Centre.
Construction on the final piece of Dublin's Ballymun Regeneration programme will start in the new year and will create 2,000 jobs. It is expected that 8,500 direct and indirect jobs will be created once the project is complete in 2012.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Construction on the final piece of Dublin's Ballymun Regeneration programme will start in the new year and will create 2,000 jobs. It is expected that 8,500 direct and indirect jobs will be created once the project is complete in 2012.
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Mansfield pursues convention centre plan
JIM MANSFIELD looks set to stir up another hornet's nest in relation to his five-year battle to build a second convention centre at his sprawling Citywest Complex in Saggart, Co Dublin. You might recall that Mansfield was forced to stop work on the facility a few years back, leaving a shell in place that still remains.
Mansfield thought he had finally received the green light when An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission last January, albeit with a reduced capacity of 4,100 compared with his original plan to host 6,000 at the €50 million venue.
South Dublin County Council, however, is threatening to scupper his plans. Citing a European Court of Justice ruling on retention planning permission, the council has threatened to take Mansfield to court unless he produces an Environmental Impact Assessment report.
Mansfield's legal advisers disagree and the larger-than-life businessman plans to press ahead with the development. "We'll be starting next week," Mansfield told me on Tuesday in his spacious office overlooking the helipad at Citywest. "We're actively recruiting staff for the convention centre."
Mansfield claims to be weathering the economic storm reasonably well. Turnover at Citywest this year is up 6.7 per cent. Mansfield says only two events have been cancelled and he has 120 events booked in for 2009.
Citywest comprises 1,730 hotel rooms, suites and apartments; two golf courses and a large convention centre. It has proved to be a cash cow for Mansfield's expanding business interests, which include Weston aerodrome, Finnstown hotel near Lucan and Palmerstown House golf course in Kildare.
His holding company, HSS, achieved turnover of €103 million in the year to the end of March 2008 and had retained profits of €77.3 million.
Weston is also flying, so to speak. It made a profit of €900,000 on turnover of €3.1 million in the year to the end of March.
That said, his properties have had their valuations slashed. "Citywest probably would have been worth €550 million at the peak . . . today you're talking about €400 million. Palmerstown is 800 acres. That was worth €500 million. Today I suppose you would be doing well to get €300 million."
Has he dropped money on the stock market? "Not two shillings," he says. "I invested €500,000 in Irish Life one time and it did very well to begin with and so I put more money in, and then it went down and I lost a packet. Never again did I get involved in it."
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Mansfield thought he had finally received the green light when An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission last January, albeit with a reduced capacity of 4,100 compared with his original plan to host 6,000 at the €50 million venue.
South Dublin County Council, however, is threatening to scupper his plans. Citing a European Court of Justice ruling on retention planning permission, the council has threatened to take Mansfield to court unless he produces an Environmental Impact Assessment report.
Mansfield's legal advisers disagree and the larger-than-life businessman plans to press ahead with the development. "We'll be starting next week," Mansfield told me on Tuesday in his spacious office overlooking the helipad at Citywest. "We're actively recruiting staff for the convention centre."
Mansfield claims to be weathering the economic storm reasonably well. Turnover at Citywest this year is up 6.7 per cent. Mansfield says only two events have been cancelled and he has 120 events booked in for 2009.
Citywest comprises 1,730 hotel rooms, suites and apartments; two golf courses and a large convention centre. It has proved to be a cash cow for Mansfield's expanding business interests, which include Weston aerodrome, Finnstown hotel near Lucan and Palmerstown House golf course in Kildare.
His holding company, HSS, achieved turnover of €103 million in the year to the end of March 2008 and had retained profits of €77.3 million.
Weston is also flying, so to speak. It made a profit of €900,000 on turnover of €3.1 million in the year to the end of March.
That said, his properties have had their valuations slashed. "Citywest probably would have been worth €550 million at the peak . . . today you're talking about €400 million. Palmerstown is 800 acres. That was worth €500 million. Today I suppose you would be doing well to get €300 million."
Has he dropped money on the stock market? "Not two shillings," he says. "I invested €500,000 in Irish Life one time and it did very well to begin with and so I put more money in, and then it went down and I lost a packet. Never again did I get involved in it."
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Retail and leisure centre gets go-ahead under Ballymun regeneration scheme
THE PROPOSED €800 million development of a retail complex in Ballymun Town Centre has been granted full planning permission by Dublin City Council.
The development, part of the Ballymun regeneration programme, will comprise more than 60,000sq m of retail space, 28,000sq m of office space and 11,000sq m of leisure facilities. It will include an 11-screen cinema, a bowling alley, a family entertainment centre and a child drop-in centre, according to developers Treasury Holdings.
The company yesterday said the Spring Cross development would generate 2,000 jobs during construction, due to begin in 2009, and a further 8,500 jobs on completion in 2012.
Niall Kavanagh, director of development at Treasury Holdings Ireland, said: “We recognise how important the regeneration of Ballymun is to Dublin city and are delighted with today’s announcement as it means we can now move forward with the project.”
The development is based on a sustainable open street scheme conducive to community and a positive retail experience, he added.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The development, part of the Ballymun regeneration programme, will comprise more than 60,000sq m of retail space, 28,000sq m of office space and 11,000sq m of leisure facilities. It will include an 11-screen cinema, a bowling alley, a family entertainment centre and a child drop-in centre, according to developers Treasury Holdings.
The company yesterday said the Spring Cross development would generate 2,000 jobs during construction, due to begin in 2009, and a further 8,500 jobs on completion in 2012.
Niall Kavanagh, director of development at Treasury Holdings Ireland, said: “We recognise how important the regeneration of Ballymun is to Dublin city and are delighted with today’s announcement as it means we can now move forward with the project.”
The development is based on a sustainable open street scheme conducive to community and a positive retail experience, he added.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Newgrange got new lease of light and life in 1960s 'rebuild'
ON THE eve of the winter solstice celebration, several leading Irish archaeologists have discovered that a controversial reconstruction of Newgrange passage tomb four decades ago led to the accidental detection of its key feature – the roof box.
The box, a 25cm-high opening which captures the dawning sunlight on the shortest days of the year, was only found during the rebuilding, according to a new book by Boyne Valley archaeologists Geraldine and Matthew Stout.
Ironically, the rebuild of the tomb by the late Prof MJ O’Kelly of University College Cork might never have been permitted under today’s archaeological standards.
The rebuild involved some “liberties” with several key features – including the roof box, the authors note. However, examination of drawings and records kept by the Prof O’Kelly shows a “transparency” in the nature of his decision-making.
Built 1,000 years before Stonehenge, Newgrange was rediscovered 300 years ago but its full significance was only identified by Prof O’Kelly from the early 1960s. “I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t take on this dig. I feel that it will probably be very dull,” Prof O’Kelly is quoted as telling a colleague in 1961.
In fact, it was anything but, and in 1967 he made the first observation of the mid-winter “solstice phenomenon” which would make Newgrange the best-known of all the world’s megalithic tombs due to its alignment, the authors noted.
This was after the dismantling and replacing of the box under Prof O’Kelly between 1964 and 1967, during which slight changes turned it into a “narrow passage”.
The quartz wall surrounding the passage tomb which was erected between 1967 and 1974 was also based on Prof O’Kelly’s interpretation, rather than documentary evidence, the authors note. One Danish archaeologist has even questioned whether a quartz wall ever existed.
However, Ms Stout told The Irish Times yesterday Prof O’Kelly’s pioneering achievements in Newgrange outweighed any questionable aspects of the reconstruction.
He had shown conviction and courage in convincing the British establishment that Newgrange was older than Stonehenge, she said.
She also said he would be “delighted ” to know that the solstice event could be broadcast internationally via a live internet web stream – as is occurring at the chamber in Co Meath tomorrow.
The Office of Public Works is collaborating with the International Year of Astronomy 2009 based at NUI Galway to transmit the event.
The illumination of the passage tomb depends on the weather, but is timed for 08.58 Greenwich mean time tomorrow. A live stream will be available free of charge on the Heritage Ireland website, www.heritageireland.ie and at www.astronomy2009.ie .
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The box, a 25cm-high opening which captures the dawning sunlight on the shortest days of the year, was only found during the rebuilding, according to a new book by Boyne Valley archaeologists Geraldine and Matthew Stout.
Ironically, the rebuild of the tomb by the late Prof MJ O’Kelly of University College Cork might never have been permitted under today’s archaeological standards.
The rebuild involved some “liberties” with several key features – including the roof box, the authors note. However, examination of drawings and records kept by the Prof O’Kelly shows a “transparency” in the nature of his decision-making.
Built 1,000 years before Stonehenge, Newgrange was rediscovered 300 years ago but its full significance was only identified by Prof O’Kelly from the early 1960s. “I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t take on this dig. I feel that it will probably be very dull,” Prof O’Kelly is quoted as telling a colleague in 1961.
In fact, it was anything but, and in 1967 he made the first observation of the mid-winter “solstice phenomenon” which would make Newgrange the best-known of all the world’s megalithic tombs due to its alignment, the authors noted.
This was after the dismantling and replacing of the box under Prof O’Kelly between 1964 and 1967, during which slight changes turned it into a “narrow passage”.
The quartz wall surrounding the passage tomb which was erected between 1967 and 1974 was also based on Prof O’Kelly’s interpretation, rather than documentary evidence, the authors note. One Danish archaeologist has even questioned whether a quartz wall ever existed.
However, Ms Stout told The Irish Times yesterday Prof O’Kelly’s pioneering achievements in Newgrange outweighed any questionable aspects of the reconstruction.
He had shown conviction and courage in convincing the British establishment that Newgrange was older than Stonehenge, she said.
She also said he would be “delighted ” to know that the solstice event could be broadcast internationally via a live internet web stream – as is occurring at the chamber in Co Meath tomorrow.
The Office of Public Works is collaborating with the International Year of Astronomy 2009 based at NUI Galway to transmit the event.
The illumination of the passage tomb depends on the weather, but is timed for 08.58 Greenwich mean time tomorrow. A live stream will be available free of charge on the Heritage Ireland website, www.heritageireland.ie and at www.astronomy2009.ie .
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 19 December 2008
Planning changes may ‘depopulate’ west Cork
PROTESTS are to be held next week by west Cork residents angered by planning changes they believe could lead to further population falls in parts of west Cork.
The proposed designation of coastal areas around Castletownbere, Bantry and Schull as one of seven scenic landscape areas in the county, is to be voted on by members of Cork County Council when they meet on Monday. The changes, which were first proposed in August, are among a number of amendments to Cork County Development Plan put forward by planning officials.
Michael O’Sullivan, Cork chairman of the Irish Rural Dwellers’ Association and chair of Beara Chamber of Commerce, said the move could mean children of families around the Beara, Mizen Head and Sheep’s Head communities being unable to get permission for houses in the future.
“But it’s about much more than planning,” said Mr O’Sullivan. “This could depopulate rural west Cork when we’re supposed to be trying to get people moving in rather than frightening them away.
“The planners are trying to get all the people living in towns and villages instead of rural communities.”
He said up to 200 people could travel to Monday’s meeting at Cork County Hall to show their opposition to the changes.
Cork County Council said the draft amendments have been out for public consultation since August and are still being discussed, with any decision to be made by council members.
Six other scenic landscape areas are proposed along the Blackwater and Lee rivers, Cork and Kinsale harbours, Gougane Barra and the Clonakilty estuary.
Council documents circulated to members propose facilitation of tourism and recreation, and a sustainable approach to new development, including housing, which respects the existing character, pattern and tradition of the areas.
Cllr Noel Harrington, mayor of County Cork and a Beara peninsula representative for Fine Gael, has previously voiced his support for the designation.
He said in September that it will make it easier for people looking to build one-off housing to secure planning permission, as long as their sites are deemed suitable.
However, Mr O’Sullivan said that such suitability is not defined and will still be open to the interpretation of council planners.
A council spokesperson said any future development would be assessed on the impact it might have on the landscape’s character and the main aim of the development plan amendments are to protect scenic areas.
Councillors are also meeting today to reach decision on whether to agree to other planning designation changes, and it is expected that the new development plan will be adopted at a meeting on January 9.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The proposed designation of coastal areas around Castletownbere, Bantry and Schull as one of seven scenic landscape areas in the county, is to be voted on by members of Cork County Council when they meet on Monday. The changes, which were first proposed in August, are among a number of amendments to Cork County Development Plan put forward by planning officials.
Michael O’Sullivan, Cork chairman of the Irish Rural Dwellers’ Association and chair of Beara Chamber of Commerce, said the move could mean children of families around the Beara, Mizen Head and Sheep’s Head communities being unable to get permission for houses in the future.
“But it’s about much more than planning,” said Mr O’Sullivan. “This could depopulate rural west Cork when we’re supposed to be trying to get people moving in rather than frightening them away.
“The planners are trying to get all the people living in towns and villages instead of rural communities.”
He said up to 200 people could travel to Monday’s meeting at Cork County Hall to show their opposition to the changes.
Cork County Council said the draft amendments have been out for public consultation since August and are still being discussed, with any decision to be made by council members.
Six other scenic landscape areas are proposed along the Blackwater and Lee rivers, Cork and Kinsale harbours, Gougane Barra and the Clonakilty estuary.
Council documents circulated to members propose facilitation of tourism and recreation, and a sustainable approach to new development, including housing, which respects the existing character, pattern and tradition of the areas.
Cllr Noel Harrington, mayor of County Cork and a Beara peninsula representative for Fine Gael, has previously voiced his support for the designation.
He said in September that it will make it easier for people looking to build one-off housing to secure planning permission, as long as their sites are deemed suitable.
However, Mr O’Sullivan said that such suitability is not defined and will still be open to the interpretation of council planners.
A council spokesperson said any future development would be assessed on the impact it might have on the landscape’s character and the main aim of the development plan amendments are to protect scenic areas.
Councillors are also meeting today to reach decision on whether to agree to other planning designation changes, and it is expected that the new development plan will be adopted at a meeting on January 9.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Renewable energy sources to account for 40% of output by 2020
SUSTAINABLE AGENDA: THE 2020 target for renewable energy has been increased to 40 per cent as part of the new strategy by Government to make the "green economy" a core component of its recovery plan.
Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the Government's aim was to deliver a "New Green Deal" that focused on energy efficiency and the investment in clean and renewable technologies.
"As one of the most fossil fuel dependent countries in the world, we must prepare for a future when the prices and volatility we have recently witnessed become the norm," he said.
Improving the environment and energy security is one of the five "action areas" in the plan to rejuvenate the economy and attain sustainable growth.
Minster for Energy Eamon Ryan, who also spoke at the launch of the plan, said it represented a fundamental sea-change in Government thinking and direction.
"The economy is moving in a greener direction," he said. "The smart economy will be a green economy."
Later, Mr Ryan, who is a Green Party TD, said it was reasonable to make comparisons between the plan and ground-breaking events in the past: such as Ireland's decision to join the EEC in 1973 and the collective consensus on building the economy in 1987.
"I have not seen anything like it back in terms of an economic plan. We now own the sustainable economic agenda and it's been put at the heart of Government thinking.
"Our green advantage is real and puts us ahead of other countries.
"The benefits across the board will be real and we can generate wealth in our sustainability agenda, using digital technology, and in agriculture and tourism," he said.
Other key elements in the energy area includes a long-term investment of €30 billion in renewable energy, new supports to allow large companies generate their own renewable electricity on site; and the roll-out of smart meters for every household in the country at a cost of €1 billion. The meters will allow users to monitor their usage, automatically switch off appliances, as well as feed renewable energy into the national grid.
Mr Ryan also pledged yesterday that if more than 25,000 households improved insulation in their homes next year, he would immediately seek to secure extra funds.
The Government will also put a greater emphasis on green enterprise and the development of green technology, both identified as key areas of growth in future years.
Planning for such renewable projects as wind turbines will also be fast-tracked.
The chief executive of the ESB, Padraig McManus, said that the biggest challenge in the plan was to have 40 per cent renewables by 2020, some 20 per cent above the EU target.
"That is going to be a stretch, there's no doubt about that. I know the Minister is committed to it," he said. "If you look at the level of wind connections that people are seeking, by next year, 2009, we will have offers out to people to connect 6,000 megawatts of wind. If that happens, then it's possible." (The current peak demand is circa 5,500 megawatts).
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the Government's aim was to deliver a "New Green Deal" that focused on energy efficiency and the investment in clean and renewable technologies.
"As one of the most fossil fuel dependent countries in the world, we must prepare for a future when the prices and volatility we have recently witnessed become the norm," he said.
Improving the environment and energy security is one of the five "action areas" in the plan to rejuvenate the economy and attain sustainable growth.
Minster for Energy Eamon Ryan, who also spoke at the launch of the plan, said it represented a fundamental sea-change in Government thinking and direction.
"The economy is moving in a greener direction," he said. "The smart economy will be a green economy."
Later, Mr Ryan, who is a Green Party TD, said it was reasonable to make comparisons between the plan and ground-breaking events in the past: such as Ireland's decision to join the EEC in 1973 and the collective consensus on building the economy in 1987.
"I have not seen anything like it back in terms of an economic plan. We now own the sustainable economic agenda and it's been put at the heart of Government thinking.
"Our green advantage is real and puts us ahead of other countries.
"The benefits across the board will be real and we can generate wealth in our sustainability agenda, using digital technology, and in agriculture and tourism," he said.
Other key elements in the energy area includes a long-term investment of €30 billion in renewable energy, new supports to allow large companies generate their own renewable electricity on site; and the roll-out of smart meters for every household in the country at a cost of €1 billion. The meters will allow users to monitor their usage, automatically switch off appliances, as well as feed renewable energy into the national grid.
Mr Ryan also pledged yesterday that if more than 25,000 households improved insulation in their homes next year, he would immediately seek to secure extra funds.
The Government will also put a greater emphasis on green enterprise and the development of green technology, both identified as key areas of growth in future years.
Planning for such renewable projects as wind turbines will also be fast-tracked.
The chief executive of the ESB, Padraig McManus, said that the biggest challenge in the plan was to have 40 per cent renewables by 2020, some 20 per cent above the EU target.
"That is going to be a stretch, there's no doubt about that. I know the Minister is committed to it," he said. "If you look at the level of wind connections that people are seeking, by next year, 2009, we will have offers out to people to connect 6,000 megawatts of wind. If that happens, then it's possible." (The current peak demand is circa 5,500 megawatts).
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Renovations to archbishop of Dublin's palace cost €500,000
The Catholic Church spent more then €500,000 to renovate the Archbishop of Dublin's palace in Drumcondra over the last four years.
Figures obtained by the Irish Independent the total paid for doing up the house -- with more than €200,000 spent on the first floor alone.
A spokeswoman said last night that €100,000 of the overall figure went on renovating the kitchen, utility and laundry areas and fitting appliances.
But the spokeswoman refused to confirm that €94,000 was spent installing a top-of-the-range Miele kitchen for Archbishop Diarmuid Martin -- who has spent three decades as a Vatican diplomat and who likes to cook at home.
The spokesperson later said that €77,000 was spent on the actual Miele units and appliances for the kitchen, utility, laundry and storage area.
This area caters for up to 30 people at a time during various meetings, and houses industrial appliances suitable for such numbers, she said.
The figures come in the wake of an interview last Friday in which Archbishop Martin urged the Government to develop a robust national poverty strategy. He also urged people to mind their money.
"We would all be happier if we were a little bit more austere in our lifestyle. I think there is room for a lot of improvement," he told Pat Kenny on the 'Late Late Show'.
Waste
"Nobody is in favour of waste, throwing food away or spending on things that are absolutely useless. If we learn some of that it will be for the good of all of us."
While originally built as a residence for archbishops of Dublin, the archbishop's house is now primarily used for office and meeting purposes.
It contains office accommodation for the archbishop and seven other diocesan personnel.
The building also provides meeting facilities for a range of Church meetings, conferences and events and is an important diocesan resource.
Archbishop Martin and his immediate predecessors have occupied two rooms -- a bedroom and a study -- for their private use.
A spokeswoman confirmed that significant work was required on the downstairs area, which is over 100 years old.
"Kitchen and toilet facilities date back over 30 years and were in very poor repair and no longer in line with current health and safety standards," she said, "A complete overhaul . . . was required."
"Work on the ground floor began at the end of last year. The cost for this work is around €200,000," the spokeswoman added.
The overall cost to date of renovations over four years was €500,000.
Patricia McDonagh
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Figures obtained by the Irish Independent the total paid for doing up the house -- with more than €200,000 spent on the first floor alone.
A spokeswoman said last night that €100,000 of the overall figure went on renovating the kitchen, utility and laundry areas and fitting appliances.
But the spokeswoman refused to confirm that €94,000 was spent installing a top-of-the-range Miele kitchen for Archbishop Diarmuid Martin -- who has spent three decades as a Vatican diplomat and who likes to cook at home.
The spokesperson later said that €77,000 was spent on the actual Miele units and appliances for the kitchen, utility, laundry and storage area.
This area caters for up to 30 people at a time during various meetings, and houses industrial appliances suitable for such numbers, she said.
The figures come in the wake of an interview last Friday in which Archbishop Martin urged the Government to develop a robust national poverty strategy. He also urged people to mind their money.
"We would all be happier if we were a little bit more austere in our lifestyle. I think there is room for a lot of improvement," he told Pat Kenny on the 'Late Late Show'.
Waste
"Nobody is in favour of waste, throwing food away or spending on things that are absolutely useless. If we learn some of that it will be for the good of all of us."
While originally built as a residence for archbishops of Dublin, the archbishop's house is now primarily used for office and meeting purposes.
It contains office accommodation for the archbishop and seven other diocesan personnel.
The building also provides meeting facilities for a range of Church meetings, conferences and events and is an important diocesan resource.
Archbishop Martin and his immediate predecessors have occupied two rooms -- a bedroom and a study -- for their private use.
A spokeswoman confirmed that significant work was required on the downstairs area, which is over 100 years old.
"Kitchen and toilet facilities date back over 30 years and were in very poor repair and no longer in line with current health and safety standards," she said, "A complete overhaul . . . was required."
"Work on the ground floor began at the end of last year. The cost for this work is around €200,000," the spokeswoman added.
The overall cost to date of renovations over four years was €500,000.
Patricia McDonagh
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
€30m bill to protect eroding Kerry coast
IT COULD cost more than €30 million to protect Kerry’s most vulnerable stretches of coastline from erosion, a report has estimated.
However, the council has no money to do the work and Government coffers are empty. A mere €3m was available for coastal protection, nationally, last year.
The crisis was graphically highlighted this week when erosion created a new, five-acre island at Rossbeigh, cutting off a large chunk of the sand dune area at a popular blue flag beach just off the Ring of Kerry.
Some people in the area have now offered to provide machinery and labour, free of charge, to prevent further damage.
Rossbeigh-based Fianna Fáil councillor and businessman Michael Cahill, who has warned for many years of severe damage by erosion, said there are fears the entire dunes area would eventually be washed away by the sea.
“’In my grandfather’s time it was said there was an acre of dune in Rossbeigh for every day of the year, but there’s less than one-third of that left,” he said.
Kerry has approximately 12% of the country’s coastline and the second highest amount of ‘soft’ coastline — areas vulnerable to erosion, including sand dunes, glacial cliffs, marine wetlands and estuary zones.
The problem was spectacularly illustrated by a landslide in Dunquin, last year, following which a new one kilometre stretch of roadway had to be built.
In 2003, it was estimated that of Kerry’s 684km of coastline, 378km was soft, with about 41km in need of urgent attention.
The cost of protecting the 41km was then conservatively estimated at €26m, but the figure is well over €30m at this stage, according to the council report released yesterday.
In 2003, a prioritised programme of work needed at 10 vulnerable locations was submitted to the Department of Marines for funding, with an estimated cost of almost €11m.
But, only a fraction of the work regarded as necessary five years ago has since been carried out due to a funds shortage.
In early 2007, however, the council had to proceed with emergency works at Inch, in the interest of public safety.
The works cost €4m, with grant aid of €900,000, coming from the Department of Agriculture and €150,000 from the Department of Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The Department of Environment allocated €950,000.
However, there is still a €2m shortfall.
“The level of funding provided nationally for coastal protection works is totally inadequate, and this has been highlighted in previous responses to notices of motions by this council,” said a council spokesman.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
However, the council has no money to do the work and Government coffers are empty. A mere €3m was available for coastal protection, nationally, last year.
The crisis was graphically highlighted this week when erosion created a new, five-acre island at Rossbeigh, cutting off a large chunk of the sand dune area at a popular blue flag beach just off the Ring of Kerry.
Some people in the area have now offered to provide machinery and labour, free of charge, to prevent further damage.
Rossbeigh-based Fianna Fáil councillor and businessman Michael Cahill, who has warned for many years of severe damage by erosion, said there are fears the entire dunes area would eventually be washed away by the sea.
“’In my grandfather’s time it was said there was an acre of dune in Rossbeigh for every day of the year, but there’s less than one-third of that left,” he said.
Kerry has approximately 12% of the country’s coastline and the second highest amount of ‘soft’ coastline — areas vulnerable to erosion, including sand dunes, glacial cliffs, marine wetlands and estuary zones.
The problem was spectacularly illustrated by a landslide in Dunquin, last year, following which a new one kilometre stretch of roadway had to be built.
In 2003, it was estimated that of Kerry’s 684km of coastline, 378km was soft, with about 41km in need of urgent attention.
The cost of protecting the 41km was then conservatively estimated at €26m, but the figure is well over €30m at this stage, according to the council report released yesterday.
In 2003, a prioritised programme of work needed at 10 vulnerable locations was submitted to the Department of Marines for funding, with an estimated cost of almost €11m.
But, only a fraction of the work regarded as necessary five years ago has since been carried out due to a funds shortage.
In early 2007, however, the council had to proceed with emergency works at Inch, in the interest of public safety.
The works cost €4m, with grant aid of €900,000, coming from the Department of Agriculture and €150,000 from the Department of Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The Department of Environment allocated €950,000.
However, there is still a €2m shortfall.
“The level of funding provided nationally for coastal protection works is totally inadequate, and this has been highlighted in previous responses to notices of motions by this council,” said a council spokesman.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Heritage group to lead campaign for Beamish site
The National Conservation and Heritage Group, which helped persuade brewing giants Diageo to develop the Guinness Storehouse as a tourist attraction, has confirmed it will mount a similar campaign to save Cork’s historic South Gate brewery site.
The group’s chairman, Dublin-based Damien Cassidy, said the site, in the heart of Cork’s historic core and with its striking mock-Tudor frontage, has huge tourism potential. The brewery, founded in Cork in 1792, is to close next March with the loss of 120 jobs.
The decision was announced last month after months of speculation about its future following the Competition Authority’s green light for its takeover by Heineken Ireland.
Heineken Ireland said it decided to close Beamish after a “a review of both individual brewing operations with particular focus on capacity, expansion capability and future investment”.
Mr Cassidy, who led a campaign to save Kilmainham Gaol, said he is hoping to form and then lead an apolitical delegation that would seek a meeting with senior Heineken executives in the coming weeks to discuss the Beamish project.
The group held similar meetings with Diageo when the Guinness brewing site in St James’s Gate, Dublin, was facing sale and possible development. The Guinness Storehouse is now Ireland’s top visitor attraction and the world’s third biggest “brand experience”. Last month, it welcomed its millionth visitor since opening in 2000.
Mr Cassidy said he will stress the success of the Storehouse when the delegation meets Heineken executives in coming weeks.
“We will put the case to Heineken to maintain some brewing on the site and save the buildings on cultural and heritage grounds, but most importantly on tourism grounds,” he said.
He said the site is perfectly positioned in a historic part of the city, close to South Gate Bridge and St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.
* The group has invited the public to attend an open meeting at the Flying Enterprise Bar, near the brewery, at 7pm on Saturday.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The group’s chairman, Dublin-based Damien Cassidy, said the site, in the heart of Cork’s historic core and with its striking mock-Tudor frontage, has huge tourism potential. The brewery, founded in Cork in 1792, is to close next March with the loss of 120 jobs.
The decision was announced last month after months of speculation about its future following the Competition Authority’s green light for its takeover by Heineken Ireland.
Heineken Ireland said it decided to close Beamish after a “a review of both individual brewing operations with particular focus on capacity, expansion capability and future investment”.
Mr Cassidy, who led a campaign to save Kilmainham Gaol, said he is hoping to form and then lead an apolitical delegation that would seek a meeting with senior Heineken executives in the coming weeks to discuss the Beamish project.
The group held similar meetings with Diageo when the Guinness brewing site in St James’s Gate, Dublin, was facing sale and possible development. The Guinness Storehouse is now Ireland’s top visitor attraction and the world’s third biggest “brand experience”. Last month, it welcomed its millionth visitor since opening in 2000.
Mr Cassidy said he will stress the success of the Storehouse when the delegation meets Heineken executives in coming weeks.
“We will put the case to Heineken to maintain some brewing on the site and save the buildings on cultural and heritage grounds, but most importantly on tourism grounds,” he said.
He said the site is perfectly positioned in a historic part of the city, close to South Gate Bridge and St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.
* The group has invited the public to attend an open meeting at the Flying Enterprise Bar, near the brewery, at 7pm on Saturday.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
€100m winter leisure park planned for Dublin
A building development company is planning to build an indoor ski resort and extreme sports centre in Tyrellstown, County Dublin, which it claims could lead to the creation of up to 700 jobs.
The project will feature two ski slopes; the longest running for 190 meters, a rock and ice climbing area and a high-level adventure playground.
The project is being run by Twinlite and is similar to recent winter sport developments in Manchester and Milton Keynes in the UK.
Rick Larkin, Twinlite director said barring any delays in the planning process he hoped the centre would open in the third quarter of 2010.
He said the company had already raised the estimated €100 million required for the development costs and said the worsening economic outlook for the country was not a significant concern.
“International experience is that in a recessionary environment leisure spend tends to be pretty resilient. People are drawn towards escapism and similar facilities in the UK have been performing well”.
In Manchester the fee for 90 minutes skiing including equipment hire is around £24 and Mr Larkin said he expects the pricing model for “Snowtopia” to be broadly similar.
The company expects up to 1.5 million visitors a year to a development that will include a paintball centre, digital theatres, a gym, restaurants and retail outlets.
Mr Larkin said the new jobs would be across the entire development and suggested that another “300 indirect” jobs could be created once the new centre is operational.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
The project will feature two ski slopes; the longest running for 190 meters, a rock and ice climbing area and a high-level adventure playground.
The project is being run by Twinlite and is similar to recent winter sport developments in Manchester and Milton Keynes in the UK.
Rick Larkin, Twinlite director said barring any delays in the planning process he hoped the centre would open in the third quarter of 2010.
He said the company had already raised the estimated €100 million required for the development costs and said the worsening economic outlook for the country was not a significant concern.
“International experience is that in a recessionary environment leisure spend tends to be pretty resilient. People are drawn towards escapism and similar facilities in the UK have been performing well”.
In Manchester the fee for 90 minutes skiing including equipment hire is around £24 and Mr Larkin said he expects the pricing model for “Snowtopia” to be broadly similar.
The company expects up to 1.5 million visitors a year to a development that will include a paintball centre, digital theatres, a gym, restaurants and retail outlets.
Mr Larkin said the new jobs would be across the entire development and suggested that another “300 indirect” jobs could be created once the new centre is operational.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
Firm criticises city council's regeneration plan
BOSTON FIRM Corcoran Jennison says it is still willing to redevelop three major Dublin housing regeneration projects which Dublin City Council (DCC) is to spend €95 million rebuilding.
The council this month announced it would rebuild 280 social units on the sites of the dilapidated flat complexes at St Michael's Estates, O'Devaney Gardens and Dominick Street.
These major inner-city flat complexes were to have been regenerated with a mix of social, affordable and private housing under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the council and developer Bernard McNamara. However the deal collapsed earlier this year.
Corcoran Jennison, which was the underbidder in relation to two of the projects awarded to Mr McNamara, has told The Irish Times that it would be prepared to go ahead with the regeneration of all three schemes, but the council had dismissed its proposals.
In a letter to The Irish Times severely criticising the local authority's actions, Miles Byrne, development director of Corcoran Jennison, said the council was in danger of creating more "failed communities" by not providing a mix of social and private housing on the three sites.
The company, which has been involved in the development of mixed-tenure communities for more than 35 years, said its plans were "the only viable solution" for the regeneration of the complexes.
Following the collapse of the agreements with Mr McNamara, Corcoran Jennison approached the council with proposals to develop the PPP schemes, but it says the council did not enter into meaningful negotiations.
"Contrary to what has been publicly reported, please also note at no time did DCC negotiate with Corcoran Jennison to complete these important regeneration schemes. In our opinion Dublin City Council was simply 'going through the motions' with respect to the alleged 'negotiations' with Corcoran Jennison."
The residents of the three flat complexes would remain isolated and stigmatised unless the sites were redeveloped with a mix of social and private housing, Mr Byrne said.
"We strongly believe the Corcoran Jennison model fulfils the stated goals of the PPP proposals.
"Yet DCC has decided to move ahead with an alternate regeneration plan that is in many ways a repackaging of the regeneration plans that created the failed communities of Dominick Street, O'Devaney Gardens and St Michael's Estate."
In a statement the council said it had received legal advice that it could not negotiate with Corcoran Jennison on the PPP projects.
"Dublin City Council's stated intention throughout the present economic downturn, which led to the collapse of a number of PPPs, has always been to put its tenants first and will continue to do so in the regeneration of these estates."
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The council this month announced it would rebuild 280 social units on the sites of the dilapidated flat complexes at St Michael's Estates, O'Devaney Gardens and Dominick Street.
These major inner-city flat complexes were to have been regenerated with a mix of social, affordable and private housing under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) between the council and developer Bernard McNamara. However the deal collapsed earlier this year.
Corcoran Jennison, which was the underbidder in relation to two of the projects awarded to Mr McNamara, has told The Irish Times that it would be prepared to go ahead with the regeneration of all three schemes, but the council had dismissed its proposals.
In a letter to The Irish Times severely criticising the local authority's actions, Miles Byrne, development director of Corcoran Jennison, said the council was in danger of creating more "failed communities" by not providing a mix of social and private housing on the three sites.
The company, which has been involved in the development of mixed-tenure communities for more than 35 years, said its plans were "the only viable solution" for the regeneration of the complexes.
Following the collapse of the agreements with Mr McNamara, Corcoran Jennison approached the council with proposals to develop the PPP schemes, but it says the council did not enter into meaningful negotiations.
"Contrary to what has been publicly reported, please also note at no time did DCC negotiate with Corcoran Jennison to complete these important regeneration schemes. In our opinion Dublin City Council was simply 'going through the motions' with respect to the alleged 'negotiations' with Corcoran Jennison."
The residents of the three flat complexes would remain isolated and stigmatised unless the sites were redeveloped with a mix of social and private housing, Mr Byrne said.
"We strongly believe the Corcoran Jennison model fulfils the stated goals of the PPP proposals.
"Yet DCC has decided to move ahead with an alternate regeneration plan that is in many ways a repackaging of the regeneration plans that created the failed communities of Dominick Street, O'Devaney Gardens and St Michael's Estate."
In a statement the council said it had received legal advice that it could not negotiate with Corcoran Jennison on the PPP projects.
"Dublin City Council's stated intention throughout the present economic downturn, which led to the collapse of a number of PPPs, has always been to put its tenants first and will continue to do so in the regeneration of these estates."
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 17 December 2008
Enforcement action fails
Efforts by South Tipperary County Council to have 52 holiday homes on the outskirts of Cashel destroyed have ended in defeat at Cashel District Court.
The planning authority had taken the case against Liam Campion, claiming the developer had not complied with planning permission.
The County Laois based developer was taken to court for failing to adhere to an enforcement order instructing him to demolish the €25 million project at Ballypadeen near Cashel.
Liam Campion contested the court proceedings and this week saw the case dismissed with costs awarded to him.
Tipp FM
www.buckplanning.ie
The planning authority had taken the case against Liam Campion, claiming the developer had not complied with planning permission.
The County Laois based developer was taken to court for failing to adhere to an enforcement order instructing him to demolish the €25 million project at Ballypadeen near Cashel.
Liam Campion contested the court proceedings and this week saw the case dismissed with costs awarded to him.
Tipp FM
www.buckplanning.ie
Upgrade planned for cycling route
A SIGNIFICANT upgrading of a new walking and cycling route between north Kerry and west Limerick has been announced.
The development is to take place next year on the former Limerick to Kerry railway line.
Limerick County Council has signed a €552,638 contract with Jons Civil Engineering Ltd, Duleek, Co Meath, to commence works on the Great Southern Trail, from Newcastle West to Barnagh and Newcastle West to Ardagh, Co Limerick.
The dismantled rail line is still owned by Irish Rail which will undertake repairs to the viaduct at Garryduff, near Newcastle West, as part of the upgrading works.
Sections of trails from Abbeyfeale to Barnagh and Newcastle West to Ardagh are already open and being used by the public. The additional works will be over 11km.
The trail will be part of a designated national cycling network linked to cycling hub towns, such as Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West, to improve infrastructure and facilities for both tourists and locals.
Limerick County Council administrative officer, Anthony Coleman, said the landscape of the area was ideal for the outdoor enthusiast and casual walker.
“The Great Southern Trail is a unique, 53-mile (85km) stretch of countryside in west Limerick and north Kerry and will benefit greatly from the planned improvement and grading works,” he added
The work is being part-funded by Fáilte Ireland under the National Development Plan tourism product development sub-programme.
The work will include a rolled gravel surface path and all associated drainage, fencing, signage and repair works to structures.
Upgrading works will also be carried out to the existing path between Newcastle West and Ardagh.
Irish Examiners
www.buckplanning.ie
The development is to take place next year on the former Limerick to Kerry railway line.
Limerick County Council has signed a €552,638 contract with Jons Civil Engineering Ltd, Duleek, Co Meath, to commence works on the Great Southern Trail, from Newcastle West to Barnagh and Newcastle West to Ardagh, Co Limerick.
The dismantled rail line is still owned by Irish Rail which will undertake repairs to the viaduct at Garryduff, near Newcastle West, as part of the upgrading works.
Sections of trails from Abbeyfeale to Barnagh and Newcastle West to Ardagh are already open and being used by the public. The additional works will be over 11km.
The trail will be part of a designated national cycling network linked to cycling hub towns, such as Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West, to improve infrastructure and facilities for both tourists and locals.
Limerick County Council administrative officer, Anthony Coleman, said the landscape of the area was ideal for the outdoor enthusiast and casual walker.
“The Great Southern Trail is a unique, 53-mile (85km) stretch of countryside in west Limerick and north Kerry and will benefit greatly from the planned improvement and grading works,” he added
The work is being part-funded by Fáilte Ireland under the National Development Plan tourism product development sub-programme.
The work will include a rolled gravel surface path and all associated drainage, fencing, signage and repair works to structures.
Upgrading works will also be carried out to the existing path between Newcastle West and Ardagh.
Irish Examiners
www.buckplanning.ie
Call for Sligo's main street to reopen to traffic
TWO YEARS after Sligo’s main street was pedestrianised amid much controversy local councillors have called on the county manager to reopen it to traffic.
Business leaders and local people have consistently criticised the failure of the council to carry out enhancement works on O’Connell Street since it was closed to traffic in August 2006. Councillors have now voted by a tiny margin not to take out a €4.5 million loan to enable the enhancement works to take place.
At this week’s Sligo borough council meeting a motion calling on the manager to reopen the street was carried on the casting vote of Mayor Veronica Cawley (Lab). A motion urging a loan not be authorised was also carried.
Cllr Chris MacManus (SF) said it would be irresponsible to take on such a debt when local authority jobs were under threat. Councillors had been told such projects, which were to have been funded by the exchequer under the Gateway Innovation Fund,were being deferred because of financial constraints.
Ibec northwest regional director Padraig O’Grady said the failure to invest in the street had been a deterrent to shoppers.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Business leaders and local people have consistently criticised the failure of the council to carry out enhancement works on O’Connell Street since it was closed to traffic in August 2006. Councillors have now voted by a tiny margin not to take out a €4.5 million loan to enable the enhancement works to take place.
At this week’s Sligo borough council meeting a motion calling on the manager to reopen the street was carried on the casting vote of Mayor Veronica Cawley (Lab). A motion urging a loan not be authorised was also carried.
Cllr Chris MacManus (SF) said it would be irresponsible to take on such a debt when local authority jobs were under threat. Councillors had been told such projects, which were to have been funded by the exchequer under the Gateway Innovation Fund,were being deferred because of financial constraints.
Ibec northwest regional director Padraig O’Grady said the failure to invest in the street had been a deterrent to shoppers.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Council to decide on quarry request
A DECISION on an application to import 1,200 tonnes of stone per month to an unauthorised quarry in Ashford is due from the County Council on Thursday.
O'Reilly Brothers Ltd, who own the quarry in Ballylusk, have applied to Wicklow County Council for permission to extend operations to include an increase in the rate of extraction of up to 60,000 tonnes of stone per year.
This comes despite the fact that the High Court upheld a decision made by An Bord Pleanála and in 2003 ruled that the quarry was operating without planning permission and was not exempt from the requirement for planning permission.
However, the quarry is still in operation and at times the local gardaí have had to ask people living nearby to vacate their homes due to safety concerns when blasting is taking place.
While many people expected activity to cease once the High Court ruling was received, Des O'Brien, Director of Services for the Council's Planning Section, says the legal process involved has proved a lengthy one.
'An enforcement action brought by the Council is due before the circuit court early next year. It can be a slow process and there is no guarantee that the matter won't be adjourned on the day of the court date. Enforcement cases often take a lot of time.'
O'Reilly Brothers Ltd. are also looking to retain existing screening and for the retention of a 19sq m works canteen.
Furthermore, they want to import up to 300 tonnes of stone per week, as well as a wheel cleansing unit, a settlement lagoon, the provision of an effluent treatment system and improvements to the current entrance.
Myles BUCHANAN
Wicklow People
www.buckplanning.ie
O'Reilly Brothers Ltd, who own the quarry in Ballylusk, have applied to Wicklow County Council for permission to extend operations to include an increase in the rate of extraction of up to 60,000 tonnes of stone per year.
This comes despite the fact that the High Court upheld a decision made by An Bord Pleanála and in 2003 ruled that the quarry was operating without planning permission and was not exempt from the requirement for planning permission.
However, the quarry is still in operation and at times the local gardaí have had to ask people living nearby to vacate their homes due to safety concerns when blasting is taking place.
While many people expected activity to cease once the High Court ruling was received, Des O'Brien, Director of Services for the Council's Planning Section, says the legal process involved has proved a lengthy one.
'An enforcement action brought by the Council is due before the circuit court early next year. It can be a slow process and there is no guarantee that the matter won't be adjourned on the day of the court date. Enforcement cases often take a lot of time.'
O'Reilly Brothers Ltd. are also looking to retain existing screening and for the retention of a 19sq m works canteen.
Furthermore, they want to import up to 300 tonnes of stone per week, as well as a wheel cleansing unit, a settlement lagoon, the provision of an effluent treatment system and improvements to the current entrance.
Myles BUCHANAN
Wicklow People
www.buckplanning.ie
Wicklow County Council lands green award
WICKLOW COUNTY Council's environmental record was recognised as they won an award as the top Green county Council in the country.
The Green Award was handed over to the local authority for the Garden County due to council efforts to provide more sustainable services and actively encourage businesses and the public to become greener in outlook and practice.
The council was praised in particular for the depth and breath of the submission made, focusing on waste, energy, water, biodiversity and travel.
Acknowledging the award, County Council Cathaoirleach Derek Mitchell said, ' It's a great tribute to all the staff of the council across a wide range of services provided. The concept of being 'green' has deep roots in all the County Council's activities, and this bodes well for the future of the Garden County.'
It's the first time the awards have ever taken place and Wicklow County Council impressed the likes of environmental campaigner in the building industry Gerry McCaughey and RTE presenter Duncan Stewart, who were two of the judges.
Facts that impressed the judging panel included two thirds of all waste in County Buildings and local authority offices is now segregated for recycling, a raft of innovative energy saving measures have cut fuel bills in County Buildings, in community infrastructure projects and for local people and massive water savings have been generated from a leak reduction programme.
Myles BUCHANAN
Wicklow People
www.buckplanning.ie
The Green Award was handed over to the local authority for the Garden County due to council efforts to provide more sustainable services and actively encourage businesses and the public to become greener in outlook and practice.
The council was praised in particular for the depth and breath of the submission made, focusing on waste, energy, water, biodiversity and travel.
Acknowledging the award, County Council Cathaoirleach Derek Mitchell said, ' It's a great tribute to all the staff of the council across a wide range of services provided. The concept of being 'green' has deep roots in all the County Council's activities, and this bodes well for the future of the Garden County.'
It's the first time the awards have ever taken place and Wicklow County Council impressed the likes of environmental campaigner in the building industry Gerry McCaughey and RTE presenter Duncan Stewart, who were two of the judges.
Facts that impressed the judging panel included two thirds of all waste in County Buildings and local authority offices is now segregated for recycling, a raft of innovative energy saving measures have cut fuel bills in County Buildings, in community infrastructure projects and for local people and massive water savings have been generated from a leak reduction programme.
Myles BUCHANAN
Wicklow People
www.buckplanning.ie
Island created as sea breaches sand dunes at Kerry blue flag beach
A NEW island has been created at one of Kerry’s blue flag beaches, after the sea breached sand dunes during the weekend.
Kerry County Council engineers were examining the scene and assessing the damage at Rossbeigh, yesterday.
About five acres of dunes near the end of the Rossbeigh Spit are now cut off and there are fears of further knock-on damage in the Castlemaine Harbour, Dooks and Cromane areas.
However, the council has little or no money to deal with the problem and there is also a shortage of government funds for coast protection nationally, a council meeting was told.
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Cahill, a businessman in Rossbeigh, proposed an emergency motion calling for urgent action, at yesterday’s meeting. He said the damage at the popular beach occurred during a high tide, a gap of 1,100 feet had been opened up and he was seriously concerned about what was going to happen next.
“I had predicted several years ago the dunes were eventually going to be breached, but successive governments failed to do anything about the erosion problem. It’s absolutely alarming to see what has happened,” said Mr Cahill.
The damage was caused by a combination of high tides, erosion and global warming, he claimed.
“People now have justified concerns about what will happen in the greater Castlemaine Harbour area and low lying lands for which the Rossbeigh dunes have acted as a protection barrier,” he said. “If action isn’t taken, erosion will continue and the dunes will eventually be washed away completely.”
Mr Cahill also feared an old stone tower, called the Castlemaine Beacon, near the point of the spit will also be washed away this winter. The tower had already been undermined, he said.
Responsibility for coastal protection is due to pass from the Department of Agriculture and Food to the Office of Public Works (OPW), on January 1 next, and Mr Cahill is to contact the minister of state with the responsibility for the OPW, Martin Mansergh, on the issue.
He was supported by South Kerry Independent Alliance councillor Michael Gleeson who said the inevitable had happened in Rossbeigh. “There are very serious implications for tourism and the fishing and farming communities who will suffer because of this.”
Kerry County Council has, in recent years, spent €4 million on coast protection in the Inch area of the Dingle Peninsula, but last year only €3 million was available nationally to tackle coastal erosion, the meeting was told.
Council director of services Charlie O’Sullivan said any money put up by the council would have to be matched by funds from government departments.
“We will be looking at all possibilities and a full report will be provided,” he added.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Kerry County Council engineers were examining the scene and assessing the damage at Rossbeigh, yesterday.
About five acres of dunes near the end of the Rossbeigh Spit are now cut off and there are fears of further knock-on damage in the Castlemaine Harbour, Dooks and Cromane areas.
However, the council has little or no money to deal with the problem and there is also a shortage of government funds for coast protection nationally, a council meeting was told.
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Cahill, a businessman in Rossbeigh, proposed an emergency motion calling for urgent action, at yesterday’s meeting. He said the damage at the popular beach occurred during a high tide, a gap of 1,100 feet had been opened up and he was seriously concerned about what was going to happen next.
“I had predicted several years ago the dunes were eventually going to be breached, but successive governments failed to do anything about the erosion problem. It’s absolutely alarming to see what has happened,” said Mr Cahill.
The damage was caused by a combination of high tides, erosion and global warming, he claimed.
“People now have justified concerns about what will happen in the greater Castlemaine Harbour area and low lying lands for which the Rossbeigh dunes have acted as a protection barrier,” he said. “If action isn’t taken, erosion will continue and the dunes will eventually be washed away completely.”
Mr Cahill also feared an old stone tower, called the Castlemaine Beacon, near the point of the spit will also be washed away this winter. The tower had already been undermined, he said.
Responsibility for coastal protection is due to pass from the Department of Agriculture and Food to the Office of Public Works (OPW), on January 1 next, and Mr Cahill is to contact the minister of state with the responsibility for the OPW, Martin Mansergh, on the issue.
He was supported by South Kerry Independent Alliance councillor Michael Gleeson who said the inevitable had happened in Rossbeigh. “There are very serious implications for tourism and the fishing and farming communities who will suffer because of this.”
Kerry County Council has, in recent years, spent €4 million on coast protection in the Inch area of the Dingle Peninsula, but last year only €3 million was available nationally to tackle coastal erosion, the meeting was told.
Council director of services Charlie O’Sullivan said any money put up by the council would have to be matched by funds from government departments.
“We will be looking at all possibilities and a full report will be provided,” he added.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Irish economy becoming more energy efficient - SEI
The primary energy intensity (energy used per unit of GDP generated) of the Irish economy fell by 42 per cent between 1990 and 2007, marking a long-term trend of improved energy efficiency, Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) said today.
According to the SEI, in 1990 the Irish economy required 150 kilograms of oil equivalent (kgoe) to produce €1000 of GDP, however, by 2007 this had fallen to just 90 kgoe.
In a report published today, Energy in Ireland 1990 – 2007 , SEI said since 2005, energy-related CO2 emissions have reduced by 1.4 per cent (excluding international aviation), while the economy grew by 12 per cent during the same period.
And it reveals that all sections of the economy with the exception of transport, which grew by 5.1 per cent, experienced reductions in energy-related CO2 emissions last year.
However, the SEI also warns that Ireland's import dependency, while falling from 91 per cent in 2006, still remained high at 89 per cent in 2007.
Brian Motherway, head of Industry at SEI said the report reveals “a long term trend of improving energy efficiency in the Irish economy.”
“This gain was made over a period of sustained strong economic growth however, while the analysis of 1990 to 2007 charts a period of considerable change, the coming years of lower economic growth and increasing targets will require much greater and more rapid change, in how we source and use energy," he warned.
The report also showed that the since Government introduced emission-linked VRT and road tax rates in July of this year, lower emission cars accounted for 84 per cent of total vehicle sales, compared with 41 per cent in the same period of 2007.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
According to the SEI, in 1990 the Irish economy required 150 kilograms of oil equivalent (kgoe) to produce €1000 of GDP, however, by 2007 this had fallen to just 90 kgoe.
In a report published today, Energy in Ireland 1990 – 2007 , SEI said since 2005, energy-related CO2 emissions have reduced by 1.4 per cent (excluding international aviation), while the economy grew by 12 per cent during the same period.
And it reveals that all sections of the economy with the exception of transport, which grew by 5.1 per cent, experienced reductions in energy-related CO2 emissions last year.
However, the SEI also warns that Ireland's import dependency, while falling from 91 per cent in 2006, still remained high at 89 per cent in 2007.
Brian Motherway, head of Industry at SEI said the report reveals “a long term trend of improving energy efficiency in the Irish economy.”
“This gain was made over a period of sustained strong economic growth however, while the analysis of 1990 to 2007 charts a period of considerable change, the coming years of lower economic growth and increasing targets will require much greater and more rapid change, in how we source and use energy," he warned.
The report also showed that the since Government introduced emission-linked VRT and road tax rates in July of this year, lower emission cars accounted for 84 per cent of total vehicle sales, compared with 41 per cent in the same period of 2007.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
Clarification of Corrib gas route changes sought
OPPONENTS OF the controversial Corrib gas project yesterday demanded clarification of new changes to the proposed onshore pipeline route.
They intend writing to Joe Brosnan, the chairman of the forum recently established by two Government Ministers, Eamon Ryan and Eamon Ó Cuív, to elicit what status the initiative has.
Shell consultants RPS said yesterday that “a revised [planning] application will now seek minor realignments to part of the proposed route for the Corrib onshore pipeline, in order to avoid more sensitive habitat, including bog pools, in the Rossport commonage, identified during recent surveys”.
However, spokesman for community group Pobal Chill Chomáin, John Monaghan, questioned how such surveys had been undertaken since there was a District Court order preventing Shell from carrying out such invasive works in the commonage.
RPS also revealed that “the updated application will seek, in certain areas, planning approval for a wider route corridor within which the proposed Corrib onshore pipeline will be constructed”.
In a joint statement Pobal Chill Chomáin and business group Pobal le Chéile observed that this “backtrack” of the planning application showed once again the project was being built “on the wrong site”.
During August the board gave the developers six weeks to provide further information relating to the development’s impact on the stability of ground in the area; its environmental impact; and the impact of any extension of the life of the wellfields or “extensification” of wellfields upstream.
PJ Rudden, RPS group director, said yesterday: “The route of the pipeline will largely remain unchanged, and will remain a minimum of 140 metres from occupied dwellings.
“If approved by An Bord Pleanála, a wider route corridor will ensure that there is the possibility of making further small deviations to the route during the construction phase, should this be deemed necessary in particular for environmental reasons.”
However, John Monaghan argued that a new application would not have been submitted unless there were “significant changes”.
“Once again, Shell is playing fast and loose with the planning process,” he said.
Maura Harrington, of the Shell to Sea campaign, claimed this was further evidence of unacceptable action by Shell.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
They intend writing to Joe Brosnan, the chairman of the forum recently established by two Government Ministers, Eamon Ryan and Eamon Ó Cuív, to elicit what status the initiative has.
Shell consultants RPS said yesterday that “a revised [planning] application will now seek minor realignments to part of the proposed route for the Corrib onshore pipeline, in order to avoid more sensitive habitat, including bog pools, in the Rossport commonage, identified during recent surveys”.
However, spokesman for community group Pobal Chill Chomáin, John Monaghan, questioned how such surveys had been undertaken since there was a District Court order preventing Shell from carrying out such invasive works in the commonage.
RPS also revealed that “the updated application will seek, in certain areas, planning approval for a wider route corridor within which the proposed Corrib onshore pipeline will be constructed”.
In a joint statement Pobal Chill Chomáin and business group Pobal le Chéile observed that this “backtrack” of the planning application showed once again the project was being built “on the wrong site”.
During August the board gave the developers six weeks to provide further information relating to the development’s impact on the stability of ground in the area; its environmental impact; and the impact of any extension of the life of the wellfields or “extensification” of wellfields upstream.
PJ Rudden, RPS group director, said yesterday: “The route of the pipeline will largely remain unchanged, and will remain a minimum of 140 metres from occupied dwellings.
“If approved by An Bord Pleanála, a wider route corridor will ensure that there is the possibility of making further small deviations to the route during the construction phase, should this be deemed necessary in particular for environmental reasons.”
However, John Monaghan argued that a new application would not have been submitted unless there were “significant changes”.
“Once again, Shell is playing fast and loose with the planning process,” he said.
Maura Harrington, of the Shell to Sea campaign, claimed this was further evidence of unacceptable action by Shell.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 14 December 2008
Mellon submits Knockrabo plans
Developer and entrepreneur Niall Mellon of Knockrabo Developments has applied for further changes to the proposed development on part of the former Bank of Ireland sports grounds in Knockrabo, Goatstown, south Dublin.
The 6.1-acre site, located off Mount Anville Road, adjoins a reservation for a major road development, the Sandyford to St Helen’s link road, which has yet to be finalised by the National Roads Authority.
The site is also bounded by the mature residential Ardilea Downs estate, some residents of which have already opposed the development. Last week, Mellon lodged revised plans to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for a development of 85 residential units and a 223 square met re creche.
If granted, the properties will comprise 27 four and five-bedroom houses and 58 apartments laid out over three five-storey blocks. Permission has also been sought for the refurbishment of existing protected gate lodge and entrance piers of Knockrabo House, protected structures, to their original condition.
Mellon is also looking to build a new entrance off Mount Anville Road. Knockrabo Developments also submitted revised plans on the site last April, when it reduced the number of proposed residential units to 85 properties.
It has been almost four years since Mellon was refused planning permission by an Bord Pleanala for a development of more than 360 residential units on the site.
Mellon, who also is behind the trust which builds houses for the homeless in South Africa, purchased the site for €50 million in 2003 from Michael Roden’s Merrion Property Group. The Merrion Group, which had paid €25.4 million for the 23.6 acres at the end of 1999, had originally proposed a 569-unit development on the grounds.
O’Malley Developments is also seeking to build houses at Knockrabo. The developer bought a portion of the site from Knockrabo Developments in an off-market deal, but in 2007 An Bord Pleanala refused O’Malley Developments planning permission for a 129-unit housing scheme.
Sunday Business Post
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The 6.1-acre site, located off Mount Anville Road, adjoins a reservation for a major road development, the Sandyford to St Helen’s link road, which has yet to be finalised by the National Roads Authority.
The site is also bounded by the mature residential Ardilea Downs estate, some residents of which have already opposed the development. Last week, Mellon lodged revised plans to Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for a development of 85 residential units and a 223 square met re creche.
If granted, the properties will comprise 27 four and five-bedroom houses and 58 apartments laid out over three five-storey blocks. Permission has also been sought for the refurbishment of existing protected gate lodge and entrance piers of Knockrabo House, protected structures, to their original condition.
Mellon is also looking to build a new entrance off Mount Anville Road. Knockrabo Developments also submitted revised plans on the site last April, when it reduced the number of proposed residential units to 85 properties.
It has been almost four years since Mellon was refused planning permission by an Bord Pleanala for a development of more than 360 residential units on the site.
Mellon, who also is behind the trust which builds houses for the homeless in South Africa, purchased the site for €50 million in 2003 from Michael Roden’s Merrion Property Group. The Merrion Group, which had paid €25.4 million for the 23.6 acres at the end of 1999, had originally proposed a 569-unit development on the grounds.
O’Malley Developments is also seeking to build houses at Knockrabo. The developer bought a portion of the site from Knockrabo Developments in an off-market deal, but in 2007 An Bord Pleanala refused O’Malley Developments planning permission for a 129-unit housing scheme.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Energy expert calls for national grid restrictions to be lifted
A pioneer of wind energy in Ireland has called on the energy regulator to waive current restrictions on selling power to the national grid.
He claims that this will generate industry savings of €1million, save jobs and boost competitiveness.
Lawrence Staudt heads the centre for renewable energy at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DIT).
He said that, under the current system, any energy producer that delivered more than 500kWcould have to wait for up to five years before being cleared by the Commission for Energy Regulation’s (CER) ‘group processing approach’, which permits sale of excess electricity to the grid.
This, according to Staudt, impedes a ‘‘golden opportunity’’ for companies who build their own turbines to reduce their costs by up to €1million within five years. Staudt has just been appointed to the board of Irish company Wind Energy Direct (WED), which will be the first to install and operate turbines on company sites in Ireland.
‘‘This will deliver a significant reduction in energy costs, at a time when our nation’s competitiveness is being eroded year-on-year,” he said.
Sunday Business Post
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He claims that this will generate industry savings of €1million, save jobs and boost competitiveness.
Lawrence Staudt heads the centre for renewable energy at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DIT).
He said that, under the current system, any energy producer that delivered more than 500kWcould have to wait for up to five years before being cleared by the Commission for Energy Regulation’s (CER) ‘group processing approach’, which permits sale of excess electricity to the grid.
This, according to Staudt, impedes a ‘‘golden opportunity’’ for companies who build their own turbines to reduce their costs by up to €1million within five years. Staudt has just been appointed to the board of Irish company Wind Energy Direct (WED), which will be the first to install and operate turbines on company sites in Ireland.
‘‘This will deliver a significant reduction in energy costs, at a time when our nation’s competitiveness is being eroded year-on-year,” he said.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Arnotts given permission for extra retail space
DUBLIN department store Arnotts has been granted permission for a major extension to its €750m Northern Quarter plan.
Dublin City Council last week approved the new plan to build a 4,000sq m department store on the site and convert some of the planned restaurant space into shops.
The scheme was approved subject to eight conditions, including a €90,000 payment towards Metro North and a contribution to the council of more than €350,000.
Arnotts is examining ways to keep its Henry Street premises open throughout work on its €750m Northern Quarter development. It recently opened a number of concessions in the former Debenham's unit in the Jervis Centre.
The move comes as it emerged that some concession holders at the store have signed agreements to remain open until 2011 – suggesting that the current store will remain open until then.
"We are trying to phase the Northern Quarter so that we can build around the current store as much as possible. We may even be able to complete the project without closing it entirely," said Arnotts' chairman Richard Nesbitt.
He said the development would proceed despite the rapidly deteriorating economic environment, which has severely dented consumer confidence.
"For me, the real question about the economy is where it will be when we finish the Northern Quarter and I think the Irish economy will be in a position then to support something like that in the centre of Dublin."
Meanwhile, Bannon Commercial, agent for rival centre Dublin Central, recently secured John Lewis as an anchor tenant for that scheme.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Dublin City Council last week approved the new plan to build a 4,000sq m department store on the site and convert some of the planned restaurant space into shops.
The scheme was approved subject to eight conditions, including a €90,000 payment towards Metro North and a contribution to the council of more than €350,000.
Arnotts is examining ways to keep its Henry Street premises open throughout work on its €750m Northern Quarter development. It recently opened a number of concessions in the former Debenham's unit in the Jervis Centre.
The move comes as it emerged that some concession holders at the store have signed agreements to remain open until 2011 – suggesting that the current store will remain open until then.
"We are trying to phase the Northern Quarter so that we can build around the current store as much as possible. We may even be able to complete the project without closing it entirely," said Arnotts' chairman Richard Nesbitt.
He said the development would proceed despite the rapidly deteriorating economic environment, which has severely dented consumer confidence.
"For me, the real question about the economy is where it will be when we finish the Northern Quarter and I think the Irish economy will be in a position then to support something like that in the centre of Dublin."
Meanwhile, Bannon Commercial, agent for rival centre Dublin Central, recently secured John Lewis as an anchor tenant for that scheme.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Lack of agreement over parking may put a halt to Foxrock's gallop
PLANS for a multi-million euro facelift of Foxrock village in south Dublin could be set to fall at the final fence over difficulties in securing the use of a crucial piece of land owned by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI).
The land has been included in draft plans for the area as car parking but HRI have not committed to its use, potentially derailing the development.
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council say they are confident the ongoing negotiations will reach a successful conclusion but sources have indicated that the parties involved are no closer to reaching one.
The Sunday Tribune has learned that the key difficulty regards access to the land which would not be sufficient to accommodate both parking and equestrian traffic during busy race meets.
Unless the question of access can be addressed to satisfy both sides, plans for the Foxrock redevelopment, as they currently stand, could not proceed.
"Nothing can be done until the allocated (parking) spaces have been acquired; it's the pivotal point of the scheme," said local Cllr Gearoid O'Keefe.
"The evidence of that is that the County Manager himself (Owen Keegan) has gone to meet Horse Racing Ireland and will have further meetings."
A spokesperson for HRI would not be drawn on details of the discussions but said only that they had been requested by the council to facilitate car parking. Whether that would mean the sale or simple use of the land is not clear.
Sources close to the negotiations have indicated that HRI was first approached by the council a year to 18 months ago requesting use of the land. However, despite not securing any guarantee detailed plans for the redevelopment was unveiled last June.
Sunday Tribune
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The land has been included in draft plans for the area as car parking but HRI have not committed to its use, potentially derailing the development.
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council say they are confident the ongoing negotiations will reach a successful conclusion but sources have indicated that the parties involved are no closer to reaching one.
The Sunday Tribune has learned that the key difficulty regards access to the land which would not be sufficient to accommodate both parking and equestrian traffic during busy race meets.
Unless the question of access can be addressed to satisfy both sides, plans for the Foxrock redevelopment, as they currently stand, could not proceed.
"Nothing can be done until the allocated (parking) spaces have been acquired; it's the pivotal point of the scheme," said local Cllr Gearoid O'Keefe.
"The evidence of that is that the County Manager himself (Owen Keegan) has gone to meet Horse Racing Ireland and will have further meetings."
A spokesperson for HRI would not be drawn on details of the discussions but said only that they had been requested by the council to facilitate car parking. Whether that would mean the sale or simple use of the land is not clear.
Sources close to the negotiations have indicated that HRI was first approached by the council a year to 18 months ago requesting use of the land. However, despite not securing any guarantee detailed plans for the redevelopment was unveiled last June.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Council probe may put brakes on secret bike deal
A LUCRATIVE advertising contract given to a French company for Dublin city in exchange for 450 public bicycles is to be scrutinised by an independent audit committee, the Sunday Tribune has learned.
Concerns have surrounded the deal between Dublin City Council and JC Decaux – understood to be worth around €1m per year – as a result of strict secrecy regarding its content.
JC Decaux is set to provide the capital with the free bicycles to be used by the public, as well as some tourist signage, in exchange for 72 advertising billboards.
The deal has come under fire by politicians and business groups, many of whom believe that the public are not getting value for money.
However, a degree of transparency is finally expected following a decision last week to expose the details of the contract to an independent audit committee at Dublin City Council.
Amongst those charged with examining the agreement are senior figures at UCD, DIT and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability.
Last year a new brand of local authority audit committees were established, allowing independent monitoring of the financial workings of a council under the expert guidance of external committee members.
Concern over the arrangement led to an application for the contract to be examined by the audit committee.
Committee members who will examine the deal include Tom McAleese of Chambers Ireland, UCD vice president for capital and commer-
cial development Eamonn Ceannt, Dublin Institute of Technology president Brian Norton, William Carrie of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability and Dublin City
Councillors Dermot Lacey, Gerry Breen and Michael Donnelly.
Cllr Lacey, who put forward the application to have the contracts examined, said it was "unsatisfactory that public representatives were left guessing as to the exact nature of the agreement."
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Concerns have surrounded the deal between Dublin City Council and JC Decaux – understood to be worth around €1m per year – as a result of strict secrecy regarding its content.
JC Decaux is set to provide the capital with the free bicycles to be used by the public, as well as some tourist signage, in exchange for 72 advertising billboards.
The deal has come under fire by politicians and business groups, many of whom believe that the public are not getting value for money.
However, a degree of transparency is finally expected following a decision last week to expose the details of the contract to an independent audit committee at Dublin City Council.
Amongst those charged with examining the agreement are senior figures at UCD, DIT and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability.
Last year a new brand of local authority audit committees were established, allowing independent monitoring of the financial workings of a council under the expert guidance of external committee members.
Concern over the arrangement led to an application for the contract to be examined by the audit committee.
Committee members who will examine the deal include Tom McAleese of Chambers Ireland, UCD vice president for capital and commer-
cial development Eamonn Ceannt, Dublin Institute of Technology president Brian Norton, William Carrie of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability and Dublin City
Councillors Dermot Lacey, Gerry Breen and Michael Donnelly.
Cllr Lacey, who put forward the application to have the contracts examined, said it was "unsatisfactory that public representatives were left guessing as to the exact nature of the agreement."
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Development row sees council sued for millions
PROPERTY developer Bernard McNamara is seeking damages of tens of millions of euro from Dublin City Council after it turned houses that McNamara wanted to develop into protected structures.
McNamara has taken a high court challenge against the council's decision last July to preserve the 19th century terraced houses in South Dublin.
In an application for a judicial review of the decision, McNamara and his business partners argued that the decision to list the houses at Llandaff Properties on Merrion Road was "ultra vires", meaning beyond the powers of the council, and therefore has no legal effect.
The case involves Radora Developments which is owned by McNamara, Jerry O'Reilly and David Courtney.
The Llandaff properties – made up of a short terrace and, at its northern end, Llandaff House – are situated between the Tara Towers Hotel site and McNamara's Elm Park Development.
The application argues that there was no material before the councillors to allow them to conclude that any of the Llandaff properties were of special architectural, or other, interest.
The decision "flew in the face" of the advice of the council's conservation officer, independent conservation consultants, an executive at Dublin City Council, and an architect and historic building consultant engaged by Radora, it added.
A number of councillors, according to Radora, appeared to have acted "from an improper motive" – to prevent the demolition of the properties without first considering whether the statutory criteria were met for designating them as protected structures.
As a result of what the application alleges was a "misfeasance [the improper or unlawful execution of an act] of public office by the elected members", McNamara and Radora had suffered "a significant financial loss and damage".
Around €10m had been spent buying the houses. Plans to develop the properties, along with the adjoining Tara Towers Hotel site had been halted and the company was incurring financing and running costs of €750,000 a year. The site development was expected to yield a profit of around €40m, the application said, but the listing of the Llandaff Properties had "significantly impaired" Radora's ability to properly develop it.
In the application, McNamara and Radora argue that two conservation reports from consultants engaged by Dublin City Council and the report of the council's Conservation Office were not before the elected members at the full council meeting when the decision was made to list the houses.
The councillors, it adds, failed to have regard to certain "relevant considerations", many of which were contained in the various conservation reports – such as the extent of damage to the internal fabric of the houses, the alteration to external features including the presence of modern PVC windows and the absence of "any outstanding architectural features".
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
McNamara has taken a high court challenge against the council's decision last July to preserve the 19th century terraced houses in South Dublin.
In an application for a judicial review of the decision, McNamara and his business partners argued that the decision to list the houses at Llandaff Properties on Merrion Road was "ultra vires", meaning beyond the powers of the council, and therefore has no legal effect.
The case involves Radora Developments which is owned by McNamara, Jerry O'Reilly and David Courtney.
The Llandaff properties – made up of a short terrace and, at its northern end, Llandaff House – are situated between the Tara Towers Hotel site and McNamara's Elm Park Development.
The application argues that there was no material before the councillors to allow them to conclude that any of the Llandaff properties were of special architectural, or other, interest.
The decision "flew in the face" of the advice of the council's conservation officer, independent conservation consultants, an executive at Dublin City Council, and an architect and historic building consultant engaged by Radora, it added.
A number of councillors, according to Radora, appeared to have acted "from an improper motive" – to prevent the demolition of the properties without first considering whether the statutory criteria were met for designating them as protected structures.
As a result of what the application alleges was a "misfeasance [the improper or unlawful execution of an act] of public office by the elected members", McNamara and Radora had suffered "a significant financial loss and damage".
Around €10m had been spent buying the houses. Plans to develop the properties, along with the adjoining Tara Towers Hotel site had been halted and the company was incurring financing and running costs of €750,000 a year. The site development was expected to yield a profit of around €40m, the application said, but the listing of the Llandaff Properties had "significantly impaired" Radora's ability to properly develop it.
In the application, McNamara and Radora argue that two conservation reports from consultants engaged by Dublin City Council and the report of the council's Conservation Office were not before the elected members at the full council meeting when the decision was made to list the houses.
The councillors, it adds, failed to have regard to certain "relevant considerations", many of which were contained in the various conservation reports – such as the extent of damage to the internal fabric of the houses, the alteration to external features including the presence of modern PVC windows and the absence of "any outstanding architectural features".
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Council intent on taking park owner down a peg
NOEL O'Gara, the controversial owner of Dartmouth Square in south Dublin, is to face yet another court battle this week over the future residence of his personal 'gardener' in the park.
Dublin City Council is to seek the removal of a tent from the square but O'Gara will argue that the man living there is his gardener and caretaker.
O'Gara was issued with a summons late last month stating that he had failed to adhere to a legal request to remove all unauthorised tents in situ for habitation purposes.
It also requests that "no further tents, caravans or any other structure for the purposes of habitual accommodation be erected in the park in the future in the absence of a prior grant of planning permission."
Michael O'Connor (57) has been resident in the park for over a year and O'Gara will claim that he has been given the responsibility of caretaking duties. O'Connor's brother also resides in the tent.
He will claim that under Section 4 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 he is exempt from normal planning regulations regarding residential accommodation.
Due to defend himself in the District Court this Thursday, O'Gara will quote part of the Act which outlines the exemption from planning permission for any "development consisting of the use of any land for the purpose of agriculture and development consisting of the use for that purpose of any building occupied together with land so used."
O'Gara has argued that in this respect, O'Connor is entitled to reside in the park which he intends to use for some form of agricultural purpose in the near future.
This week's action will be the fourth such case against the businessman who has so far been ordered to remove parking facilities, a tile business and a caravan from the site.
A number of other tents that had been housing people in the park were removed at the request of O'Connor.
O'Gara will tell the court that Dublin City Council, who lost the land as a result of "negligence", have pursued a "relentless campaign" against him since he purchased it in 2005 for about €10,000. The council declined to comment in the run-up to the court action.
O'Gara will also argue that he is set to provide O'Connor with more substantial accommodation in the spring in order to facilitate his work as a caretaker, gardener and agricultural worker on the two acre plot of land which he now deems "farmland".
O'Connor is in situ with the permission of O'Gara, who claims that he has not broken any laws nor has he caused any disturbance to those residents surrounding the park.
Since purchasing the park O'Gara has claimed that he has been prevented from exercising his rights as a landowner.
"I am telling you and I will be telling the judge that these planners are the same ones who planned Ballymun (in Dublin) and Moyross and South Hill (both in Limerick)," he told the Sunday Tribune.
"These planning laws have destroyed the ordinary Irishman and taken his rights away from him. This is against the memory of the people who gave their lives for our freedom only to hand it back to a bunch of bureaucrats. They are all part of the system with their noses in the trough."
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Dublin City Council is to seek the removal of a tent from the square but O'Gara will argue that the man living there is his gardener and caretaker.
O'Gara was issued with a summons late last month stating that he had failed to adhere to a legal request to remove all unauthorised tents in situ for habitation purposes.
It also requests that "no further tents, caravans or any other structure for the purposes of habitual accommodation be erected in the park in the future in the absence of a prior grant of planning permission."
Michael O'Connor (57) has been resident in the park for over a year and O'Gara will claim that he has been given the responsibility of caretaking duties. O'Connor's brother also resides in the tent.
He will claim that under Section 4 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 he is exempt from normal planning regulations regarding residential accommodation.
Due to defend himself in the District Court this Thursday, O'Gara will quote part of the Act which outlines the exemption from planning permission for any "development consisting of the use of any land for the purpose of agriculture and development consisting of the use for that purpose of any building occupied together with land so used."
O'Gara has argued that in this respect, O'Connor is entitled to reside in the park which he intends to use for some form of agricultural purpose in the near future.
This week's action will be the fourth such case against the businessman who has so far been ordered to remove parking facilities, a tile business and a caravan from the site.
A number of other tents that had been housing people in the park were removed at the request of O'Connor.
O'Gara will tell the court that Dublin City Council, who lost the land as a result of "negligence", have pursued a "relentless campaign" against him since he purchased it in 2005 for about €10,000. The council declined to comment in the run-up to the court action.
O'Gara will also argue that he is set to provide O'Connor with more substantial accommodation in the spring in order to facilitate his work as a caretaker, gardener and agricultural worker on the two acre plot of land which he now deems "farmland".
O'Connor is in situ with the permission of O'Gara, who claims that he has not broken any laws nor has he caused any disturbance to those residents surrounding the park.
Since purchasing the park O'Gara has claimed that he has been prevented from exercising his rights as a landowner.
"I am telling you and I will be telling the judge that these planners are the same ones who planned Ballymun (in Dublin) and Moyross and South Hill (both in Limerick)," he told the Sunday Tribune.
"These planning laws have destroyed the ordinary Irishman and taken his rights away from him. This is against the memory of the people who gave their lives for our freedom only to hand it back to a bunch of bureaucrats. They are all part of the system with their noses in the trough."
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Fallout from collapse of Croke Villas PPP
THERE ARE 42 concrete steps up to John Ellis's top-floor flat in Croke Villas just off the Ballybough Road in Dublin's north inner city. He climbs them several times each day with his 12-year-old grandson on his shoulder.
"It could be six times a day I carry him up and down. Going down to school in the morning and back up, and then if he wants to go down and play or if we're to go out for anything. I'm not going to leave him upstairs. All the other kids get to go out and play."
Jonathan's wheelchair sits outside at the bottom of the stairs. It has been stolen two or three times, by people from outside the flats, John says - no one who knows Jonathan would take it.
There are no lifts in the 1960s flat complex, there is no shed to store the wheelchair in. It's too heavy to bring up the stairs and even if you could get it up, there'd be nowhere in the small two-bedroom flat to put it.
Three generations of the Ellis family live in the flat. John shares a bedroom with his son Graham.
In the back bedroom John's wife Rose shares a bed with her 14-year-old grandson Darryl. Jonathan, because of his cerebral palsy, has a small bed to himself.
Downstairs in the only other room in the house, apart from a tiny kitchenette, John's daughter Samantha sleeps on the couch.
The family is one of 36 living in overcrowded conditions in Croke Villas who were to have been rehoused under a public private partnership (PPP) regeneration scheme between Dublin City Council and Bennett Developments Ltd.
Earlier this week the city council announced that the PPP could not go ahead because of the "prevailing economic climate and global credit crunch".
John had hoped his family would be in their new home this Christmas with a table for his family to have their dinner on. Now he doesn't know when, or if, they'll have a new place to live.
"I'll just wait. I don't want to be pushing all the time. If they say it will be done in 18 months that's okay, but I've heard 18 months before, and it's come and gone."
Rose, however, has run out of patience.
"I'm devastated. I'm 32 years in this kip - I don't mean to call it that, I try to do everything I can to have it nice but we're all on top of each other. I'm in cancer remission at the moment, I need my own bed, Jonathan needs ramps so he can get around. We can't stay here any longer."
Maria Burnett has chronic asthma and also lives on the top floor in a two-bedroom flat with her two daughters, one of whom is pregnant, and two grandchildren.
"I've a letter from the Mater hospital saying I should be in a house, I should be somewhere with a ground floor. I'm on a breathing machine in the flat, I'm always in and out of hospital, and when the ambulance comes they have the stairs to face."
Maria is on crutches following a fall and finds the wet stairs almost impossible to manage. She is desperate to leave the flats, but can't move away because she needs to be near her mother who is in the same complex. She had pinned all her hopes on the regeneration project.
"To be honest, it's crap living here, but I feel like I'm stuck."
In another block in the complex, across a barren playing area strewn with bits of broken glass and plastic from where a car was rammed through a gate several weeks ago, lives Tricia Skelly.
She's lived in Croke Villas for 33 years and raised her six children there. The flats were officially opened by Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco, but says Tricia, any initial cachet they might have lent to the place is long gone.
"We're seen as vermin. Even to people in the area, because we're in this complex we're nobodies. Well I'm not nobody, I'm as good as anyone else and like anyone else, I want the best for my children.
"They're entitled to a good environment, a good education and somewhere to live that's as good as anywhere else. I just want a house, I think I deserve a house."
The council has not yet said whether it will now redevelop the complex using its own resources, following the failure of the PPP. It is due to update the residents on its plans next week.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
"It could be six times a day I carry him up and down. Going down to school in the morning and back up, and then if he wants to go down and play or if we're to go out for anything. I'm not going to leave him upstairs. All the other kids get to go out and play."
Jonathan's wheelchair sits outside at the bottom of the stairs. It has been stolen two or three times, by people from outside the flats, John says - no one who knows Jonathan would take it.
There are no lifts in the 1960s flat complex, there is no shed to store the wheelchair in. It's too heavy to bring up the stairs and even if you could get it up, there'd be nowhere in the small two-bedroom flat to put it.
Three generations of the Ellis family live in the flat. John shares a bedroom with his son Graham.
In the back bedroom John's wife Rose shares a bed with her 14-year-old grandson Darryl. Jonathan, because of his cerebral palsy, has a small bed to himself.
Downstairs in the only other room in the house, apart from a tiny kitchenette, John's daughter Samantha sleeps on the couch.
The family is one of 36 living in overcrowded conditions in Croke Villas who were to have been rehoused under a public private partnership (PPP) regeneration scheme between Dublin City Council and Bennett Developments Ltd.
Earlier this week the city council announced that the PPP could not go ahead because of the "prevailing economic climate and global credit crunch".
John had hoped his family would be in their new home this Christmas with a table for his family to have their dinner on. Now he doesn't know when, or if, they'll have a new place to live.
"I'll just wait. I don't want to be pushing all the time. If they say it will be done in 18 months that's okay, but I've heard 18 months before, and it's come and gone."
Rose, however, has run out of patience.
"I'm devastated. I'm 32 years in this kip - I don't mean to call it that, I try to do everything I can to have it nice but we're all on top of each other. I'm in cancer remission at the moment, I need my own bed, Jonathan needs ramps so he can get around. We can't stay here any longer."
Maria Burnett has chronic asthma and also lives on the top floor in a two-bedroom flat with her two daughters, one of whom is pregnant, and two grandchildren.
"I've a letter from the Mater hospital saying I should be in a house, I should be somewhere with a ground floor. I'm on a breathing machine in the flat, I'm always in and out of hospital, and when the ambulance comes they have the stairs to face."
Maria is on crutches following a fall and finds the wet stairs almost impossible to manage. She is desperate to leave the flats, but can't move away because she needs to be near her mother who is in the same complex. She had pinned all her hopes on the regeneration project.
"To be honest, it's crap living here, but I feel like I'm stuck."
In another block in the complex, across a barren playing area strewn with bits of broken glass and plastic from where a car was rammed through a gate several weeks ago, lives Tricia Skelly.
She's lived in Croke Villas for 33 years and raised her six children there. The flats were officially opened by Princess Grace and Prince Rainier of Monaco, but says Tricia, any initial cachet they might have lent to the place is long gone.
"We're seen as vermin. Even to people in the area, because we're in this complex we're nobodies. Well I'm not nobody, I'm as good as anyone else and like anyone else, I want the best for my children.
"They're entitled to a good environment, a good education and somewhere to live that's as good as anywhere else. I just want a house, I think I deserve a house."
The council has not yet said whether it will now redevelop the complex using its own resources, following the failure of the PPP. It is due to update the residents on its plans next week.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Dunne to press ahead with demolition bid
DEVELOPER SEÁN Dunne has made clear to the High Court that he is pressing ahead with his bid to have an €83 million rival development on Dublin's north quays demolished following a court decision that the rival development was built on foot of an unlawful planning certificate.
That court decision last October sounded the "death knell" for the planning certificate, Garret Simons SC, for Mr Dunne's North Wall Property Holding Company, argued yesterday. He urged the court to make a simple and unconditional order quashing the certificate as invalid from the time it was issued in summer 2007.
However, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) and developer Liam Carroll's North Quay Investments Ltd (NQI) - whose development is the one at risk - appealed to the court to make a form of order in the case which would assist them in making arguments at a future hearing that the development should remain in place.
Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan reserved her decision on the exact form of order to be made and on who should pay NQI's costs. The DDDA accepts it must pay Mr Dunne's costs arising from his successful challenge to the certificate of permission for the development but argues it should not have to pay NQI's costs.
An application by NQI for retention permission for its development is being heard by the planning authority while separate proceedings in which Mr Dunne wants an order to tear down the development are for mention in the High Court in early January.
It is understood that if retention permission is granted, Mr Dunne intends to appeal that decision to An Bord Pleanála.
Yesterday's court applications arose from Ms Justice Finlay Geoghegan's judgment in October that the DDDA acted unlawfully and outside its powers in how it granted "fast-track" permission for the NQI development on the former Brooks Thomas site at North Wall quay. The development is valued at some €200 million, including the €83 million building at risk.
The DDDA later said it was not appealing that judgment. A separate challenge by the Spencer Dock Development Company related to the same NQI development was subsequently settled.
Ms Justice Finlay Geoghegan heard submissions as to the form of order to be made in Mr Dunne's proceedings as a result of her decision.
Michael Collins SC, for NQI, said if the court did make an order quashing as invalid the section 29 planning certificate for the NQI development, it should grant an accompanying order that the finding of invalidity should apply retrospectively. He said the development should be considered exempt development up to the date of the High Court decision.
Mr Collins said Mr Dunne was adopting an "absolutist position" in the matter which the court should reject. If that position was correct, it would drop "a nuclear bomb" on all administrative decisions. It could not have been the legislature's intent that buildings half or fully built should be put at naught. If that was the case, no developer would "turn a sod" on the docklands.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
That court decision last October sounded the "death knell" for the planning certificate, Garret Simons SC, for Mr Dunne's North Wall Property Holding Company, argued yesterday. He urged the court to make a simple and unconditional order quashing the certificate as invalid from the time it was issued in summer 2007.
However, the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) and developer Liam Carroll's North Quay Investments Ltd (NQI) - whose development is the one at risk - appealed to the court to make a form of order in the case which would assist them in making arguments at a future hearing that the development should remain in place.
Ms Justice Mary Finlay Geoghegan reserved her decision on the exact form of order to be made and on who should pay NQI's costs. The DDDA accepts it must pay Mr Dunne's costs arising from his successful challenge to the certificate of permission for the development but argues it should not have to pay NQI's costs.
An application by NQI for retention permission for its development is being heard by the planning authority while separate proceedings in which Mr Dunne wants an order to tear down the development are for mention in the High Court in early January.
It is understood that if retention permission is granted, Mr Dunne intends to appeal that decision to An Bord Pleanála.
Yesterday's court applications arose from Ms Justice Finlay Geoghegan's judgment in October that the DDDA acted unlawfully and outside its powers in how it granted "fast-track" permission for the NQI development on the former Brooks Thomas site at North Wall quay. The development is valued at some €200 million, including the €83 million building at risk.
The DDDA later said it was not appealing that judgment. A separate challenge by the Spencer Dock Development Company related to the same NQI development was subsequently settled.
Ms Justice Finlay Geoghegan heard submissions as to the form of order to be made in Mr Dunne's proceedings as a result of her decision.
Michael Collins SC, for NQI, said if the court did make an order quashing as invalid the section 29 planning certificate for the NQI development, it should grant an accompanying order that the finding of invalidity should apply retrospectively. He said the development should be considered exempt development up to the date of the High Court decision.
Mr Collins said Mr Dunne was adopting an "absolutist position" in the matter which the court should reject. If that position was correct, it would drop "a nuclear bomb" on all administrative decisions. It could not have been the legislature's intent that buildings half or fully built should be put at naught. If that was the case, no developer would "turn a sod" on the docklands.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Application for modified Shell pipeline withdrawn
SHELL EP Ireland has withdrawn its planning application for a modified onshore pipeline for the Corrib gas project.
An Bord Pleanála confirmed last night that the company had withdrawn its submission yesterday under the Strategic Infrastructure Act.
The company declined to comment on the move last night, but sources close to the project said that a revised application under the fast-tracking legislation would be lodged in the new year.
An Bord Pleanála had been seeking crucial additional information from the Corrib gas developers on the new pipeline route, which was modified as a result of a recommendation by Government mediator Peter Cassells.
The board had given the developers six weeks last August to provide further information relating to the development's impact on the stability of ground in the area; its environmental impact; and the impact of any extension of the life of wellfields or "extensification" of wellfields upstream.
The board also sought reports on a post-landslide site at Derrybrien wind farm in Co Galway, as referred to in the company's environmental impact statement. The proposed 9km high-pressure pipeline route runs from a landfall at Glengad under Dooncarton mountain, where there was a series of landslides in September 2003.
It is understood that the company had prepared, but had not submitted, this additional information to date. It had cited delays in obtaining access to the Rossport commonage for survey work in its communications with the appeals board.
In November 2007, a Belmullet district court ruling in a case taken by 20 landowners found that proper notification was not given by Shell consultants in relation to commonage access, nor was shareholder consent sought under the Gas Act. The company has since acquired a share in the Rossport commonage.
Sources close to the company said that a combination of factors, including access to Rossport, had influenced the decision to withdraw the current application. Other factors included a delay in laying the offshore pipeline until next year, and a recent direction that disposal of peat unearthed in any pipeline-laying must be incorporated in any planning application.
The sources said that this allowed for time to submit a fresh application, along with the same environmental impact statement. There would be "no overall delay" to the project as a result.
Work on the gas refinery at Bellanaboy is expected to be completed next year.
Sources cited also a need to secure some "flexibility" from An Bord Pleanála in relation to the pipeline, similar to that allowed to An Bord Gáis and to the Shannon liquified natural gas project.
It is understood that there will be no fundamental change to the modified route, but there will be some "adjustments", described as "minor", in the new application.
The original pipeline route was never submitted for planning approval, while the gas refinery was. The State's consent for the high-pressure pipeline route - the first of its type on the island - involved compulsory access to private land, which was approved by former marine minister Frank Fahey before the 2002 general election.
Community protests over health and safety led to the jailing of five men, known as the Rossport Five, in June 2005 for 94 days.
A new safety review, which recommended reducing pressure, and a report by Mr Cassells recommending route modification, were commissioned by former energy minister Noel Dempsey.
Efforts by Mr Dempsey's successor, Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan, to achieve a solution to the controversy hit a serious obstacle earlier this month when community groups criticised the narrow terms of reference for a new forum. The groups declined to participate on this basis.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
An Bord Pleanála confirmed last night that the company had withdrawn its submission yesterday under the Strategic Infrastructure Act.
The company declined to comment on the move last night, but sources close to the project said that a revised application under the fast-tracking legislation would be lodged in the new year.
An Bord Pleanála had been seeking crucial additional information from the Corrib gas developers on the new pipeline route, which was modified as a result of a recommendation by Government mediator Peter Cassells.
The board had given the developers six weeks last August to provide further information relating to the development's impact on the stability of ground in the area; its environmental impact; and the impact of any extension of the life of wellfields or "extensification" of wellfields upstream.
The board also sought reports on a post-landslide site at Derrybrien wind farm in Co Galway, as referred to in the company's environmental impact statement. The proposed 9km high-pressure pipeline route runs from a landfall at Glengad under Dooncarton mountain, where there was a series of landslides in September 2003.
It is understood that the company had prepared, but had not submitted, this additional information to date. It had cited delays in obtaining access to the Rossport commonage for survey work in its communications with the appeals board.
In November 2007, a Belmullet district court ruling in a case taken by 20 landowners found that proper notification was not given by Shell consultants in relation to commonage access, nor was shareholder consent sought under the Gas Act. The company has since acquired a share in the Rossport commonage.
Sources close to the company said that a combination of factors, including access to Rossport, had influenced the decision to withdraw the current application. Other factors included a delay in laying the offshore pipeline until next year, and a recent direction that disposal of peat unearthed in any pipeline-laying must be incorporated in any planning application.
The sources said that this allowed for time to submit a fresh application, along with the same environmental impact statement. There would be "no overall delay" to the project as a result.
Work on the gas refinery at Bellanaboy is expected to be completed next year.
Sources cited also a need to secure some "flexibility" from An Bord Pleanála in relation to the pipeline, similar to that allowed to An Bord Gáis and to the Shannon liquified natural gas project.
It is understood that there will be no fundamental change to the modified route, but there will be some "adjustments", described as "minor", in the new application.
The original pipeline route was never submitted for planning approval, while the gas refinery was. The State's consent for the high-pressure pipeline route - the first of its type on the island - involved compulsory access to private land, which was approved by former marine minister Frank Fahey before the 2002 general election.
Community protests over health and safety led to the jailing of five men, known as the Rossport Five, in June 2005 for 94 days.
A new safety review, which recommended reducing pressure, and a report by Mr Cassells recommending route modification, were commissioned by former energy minister Noel Dempsey.
Efforts by Mr Dempsey's successor, Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan, to achieve a solution to the controversy hit a serious obstacle earlier this month when community groups criticised the narrow terms of reference for a new forum. The groups declined to participate on this basis.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 11 December 2008
Private hospital to co-locate at St James's
A consortium has been given the go-ahead to construct a private hospital on the grounds of St James’s Hospital in Dublin.
Synchrony Healthcare has signed an agreement with the HSE and St James’s which will see it build a new facility providing 195 in-patient beds, 72 outpatient beds and eight operating theatres.
An application for planning permission will now be submitted.
Under the terms of the agreement, Synchrony Healthcare has been granted a 65-year lease.
With almost 1,000 inpatients beds, St James’s Hospital is the largest in the country and treats about 300,000 patients per year. It is one of the eight designated national cancer centres and provides national clinical specialties in a wide range of areas.
Chief executive of St James’s Hospital Ian Carter said the new hospital would add to St James's capacity.
"This new development will greatly add to our capacity to bring even more advanced treatments to more patients and will underline our role as a leader in patient care. We look forward to working in partnership with Synchrony Healthcare in advancing this significant project,” he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Synchrony Healthcare has signed an agreement with the HSE and St James’s which will see it build a new facility providing 195 in-patient beds, 72 outpatient beds and eight operating theatres.
An application for planning permission will now be submitted.
Under the terms of the agreement, Synchrony Healthcare has been granted a 65-year lease.
With almost 1,000 inpatients beds, St James’s Hospital is the largest in the country and treats about 300,000 patients per year. It is one of the eight designated national cancer centres and provides national clinical specialties in a wide range of areas.
Chief executive of St James’s Hospital Ian Carter said the new hospital would add to St James's capacity.
"This new development will greatly add to our capacity to bring even more advanced treatments to more patients and will underline our role as a leader in patient care. We look forward to working in partnership with Synchrony Healthcare in advancing this significant project,” he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
New medical centre plan for Dun Laoghaire
A MEDICAL FACILITY and a new public square are planned on the site of Dún Laoghaire's Boylan Community Centre. A proposal for the new scheme would involve the demolition of the centre on Sussex Street and the adjoining St Mary's Hall on Eblana Avenue, which are both beside the nurses' home of St Michael's Hospital.
Developer KBK Properties is proposing to build a mixed-use medical facility of 4,734sq m (50,956sq ft).
The building will incorporate a Swiftcare Clinic, 10 GP suites, 17 consultant suites, a pharmacy, optician, dental practice and a restaurant fronting onto a public square on Sussex Street, which will link George's Street with Harbour Square.
Owned by architect Neil Burke Kennedy and Dominic Kelly, KBK Properties' plans, if approved by the council, will see the construction of a building that will range in height from three storeys on Eblana Avenue to six storeys at the rear of the site. Some 111 car-parking spaces will be provided in a two-level underground car-park.
The 0.48-acre site was put on the market by St Michael's parish in May of last year. The sale was handled by Donal Kellegher of Savills and it is believed that it was sold for around €11 million.
Previous schemes by KBK include the redevelopment of the Workmen's Club on Lower George's Street in Dún Laoghaire.
Developer Noel Smyth's plans to redevelop the nurses' home on Eblana Avenue as apartments, as well as to build 80 apartments at the seafront car-park of the hospital at Crofton Road, were refused by An Bord Pleanála last July.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Developer KBK Properties is proposing to build a mixed-use medical facility of 4,734sq m (50,956sq ft).
The building will incorporate a Swiftcare Clinic, 10 GP suites, 17 consultant suites, a pharmacy, optician, dental practice and a restaurant fronting onto a public square on Sussex Street, which will link George's Street with Harbour Square.
Owned by architect Neil Burke Kennedy and Dominic Kelly, KBK Properties' plans, if approved by the council, will see the construction of a building that will range in height from three storeys on Eblana Avenue to six storeys at the rear of the site. Some 111 car-parking spaces will be provided in a two-level underground car-park.
The 0.48-acre site was put on the market by St Michael's parish in May of last year. The sale was handled by Donal Kellegher of Savills and it is believed that it was sold for around €11 million.
Previous schemes by KBK include the redevelopment of the Workmen's Club on Lower George's Street in Dún Laoghaire.
Developer Noel Smyth's plans to redevelop the nurses' home on Eblana Avenue as apartments, as well as to build 80 apartments at the seafront car-park of the hospital at Crofton Road, were refused by An Bord Pleanála last July.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Croke Villas public-private partnership scheme fails
ANOTHER DUBLIN City Council public-private partnership (PPP) which was to provide the regeneration of an inner city social housing complex has collapsed.
Croke Villas, a 1960s block of 79 flats off the Ballybough Road in the north inner city, was to have been redeveloped as a complex of retail, private apartments and 36 social housing units under a PPP between Bennett Developments Ltd and the council.
The termination of the project follows the collapse this year of five PPP social housing regeneration schemes between the council and developer Bernard McNamara. The changes in the housing market meant it was no longer viable for Mr McNamara to provide social houses in exchange for land to build private housing.
In a statement last night, the council said it had been unable to conclude negotiations with Bennett Developments, who were the preferred bidder for Croke Villas, because of the "prevailing economic climate and global credit crunch".
The flats had been earmarked for redevelopment by the council for almost 10 years, but progress towards the PPP scheme began two years ago. Half of the block has been detenanted over the past 18 months in preparation for demolition but, as with O'Devaney Gardens (the Dublin 7 complex that was to have been developed by Mr McNamara), delays in the project meant the empty flats became a magnet for anti-social behaviour.
Paula Mitchell, who has lived in Croke Villas for 15 years and is a member of the regeneration group, said more than 150 men women and children now faced an uncertain future.
"People thought they'd be eating their Christmas dinner at a kitchen table instead of eating off their laps."
Families with four or five children were living in tiny one-bedroom flats. "There's one woman who is the carer for her 12-year-old grandson who's in a wheelchair. Every day, she has to leave the wheelchair in a stairwell and carry him up several flights of stairs."
The regeneration group realised in recent months there was a problem with the PPP because of the delays, Ms Mitchell said, but has only now been told the PPP has been terminated.
"The council has told us that they will go to plan B, but we never heard of a plan B and they haven't told us what that is yet."
A council taskforce established after the collapse of the NcNamara PPPs at O'Devaney Gardens, St Michael's Estate, Dominick Street, Sean McDermott Street and Infirmary Road recommended this month that the council build three of these projects out of its own resources.
Managing director of Bennett Developments Eugene Moore said he was disappointed negotiations had not concluded, but there remained a possibility they could resume. "This project may well be resurrected in the not-too-distant future," he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Croke Villas, a 1960s block of 79 flats off the Ballybough Road in the north inner city, was to have been redeveloped as a complex of retail, private apartments and 36 social housing units under a PPP between Bennett Developments Ltd and the council.
The termination of the project follows the collapse this year of five PPP social housing regeneration schemes between the council and developer Bernard McNamara. The changes in the housing market meant it was no longer viable for Mr McNamara to provide social houses in exchange for land to build private housing.
In a statement last night, the council said it had been unable to conclude negotiations with Bennett Developments, who were the preferred bidder for Croke Villas, because of the "prevailing economic climate and global credit crunch".
The flats had been earmarked for redevelopment by the council for almost 10 years, but progress towards the PPP scheme began two years ago. Half of the block has been detenanted over the past 18 months in preparation for demolition but, as with O'Devaney Gardens (the Dublin 7 complex that was to have been developed by Mr McNamara), delays in the project meant the empty flats became a magnet for anti-social behaviour.
Paula Mitchell, who has lived in Croke Villas for 15 years and is a member of the regeneration group, said more than 150 men women and children now faced an uncertain future.
"People thought they'd be eating their Christmas dinner at a kitchen table instead of eating off their laps."
Families with four or five children were living in tiny one-bedroom flats. "There's one woman who is the carer for her 12-year-old grandson who's in a wheelchair. Every day, she has to leave the wheelchair in a stairwell and carry him up several flights of stairs."
The regeneration group realised in recent months there was a problem with the PPP because of the delays, Ms Mitchell said, but has only now been told the PPP has been terminated.
"The council has told us that they will go to plan B, but we never heard of a plan B and they haven't told us what that is yet."
A council taskforce established after the collapse of the NcNamara PPPs at O'Devaney Gardens, St Michael's Estate, Dominick Street, Sean McDermott Street and Infirmary Road recommended this month that the council build three of these projects out of its own resources.
Managing director of Bennett Developments Eugene Moore said he was disappointed negotiations had not concluded, but there remained a possibility they could resume. "This project may well be resurrected in the not-too-distant future," he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 10 December 2008
Clare council rezones 70 contentious acres
MEMBERS OF Clare County Council have rejected Department of the Environment warnings not to press ahead with a contentious "ad-hoc" rezoning of 70 acres for industry.
The move by the council is one a series of snubs that councillors have delivered to Minister for the Environment John Gormley in drawing up the new greater Ennis development plan.
The councillors ignored departmental pleas to dezone land after it found that there was over-zoning in the greater Ennis area and they loosened the rules on one-off housing.
The department has concluded that the adopted plan "does not represent a strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of Clare".
Mr Gormley is now poised to use his executive powers to direct the council to carry out the dezonings and tighten restrictions on one-off housing with the plan now becoming law.
The largest single rezoning that went against the wishes of the council planners was a proposal to rezone 70 acres at Beechpark on the outskirts of Ennis from countryside to industrial to facilitate a business campus.
Ennis developer Pádraig Howard is promoting the proposal. He believes it will provide 80 to 100 jobs in the short term and expand to a potential 2,000 jobs in the next 10 to 15 years in a "sustainable enterpreneurship campus".
However, county manager Alec Fleming has called on councillors to abandon the rezoning after putting forward a series of planning reasons as to why the site should not be rezoned.
In a council report, Mr Fleming urged councillors to "abandon its ad-hoc" industrial rezoning as it would lead to a substantial risk of contamination of the Claureen river and could affect the spawning grounds of protected fish species.
In evaluating the proposal, the council's planning unit said: "The site contains some of the best examples of mature forest in the Ennis area and such a habitat could be threatened by any injudicious development."
In its submission, the department stated: "If there is a proven demand for such a quantum of zoning, then the council could give consideration to rezoning this land but only where there is no appropriate alternative land which is more closely integrated into the urban area."
However, the councillors ignored the pleas of the manager and the Department of the Environment and pressed ahead with the rezoning.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The move by the council is one a series of snubs that councillors have delivered to Minister for the Environment John Gormley in drawing up the new greater Ennis development plan.
The councillors ignored departmental pleas to dezone land after it found that there was over-zoning in the greater Ennis area and they loosened the rules on one-off housing.
The department has concluded that the adopted plan "does not represent a strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of Clare".
Mr Gormley is now poised to use his executive powers to direct the council to carry out the dezonings and tighten restrictions on one-off housing with the plan now becoming law.
The largest single rezoning that went against the wishes of the council planners was a proposal to rezone 70 acres at Beechpark on the outskirts of Ennis from countryside to industrial to facilitate a business campus.
Ennis developer Pádraig Howard is promoting the proposal. He believes it will provide 80 to 100 jobs in the short term and expand to a potential 2,000 jobs in the next 10 to 15 years in a "sustainable enterpreneurship campus".
However, county manager Alec Fleming has called on councillors to abandon the rezoning after putting forward a series of planning reasons as to why the site should not be rezoned.
In a council report, Mr Fleming urged councillors to "abandon its ad-hoc" industrial rezoning as it would lead to a substantial risk of contamination of the Claureen river and could affect the spawning grounds of protected fish species.
In evaluating the proposal, the council's planning unit said: "The site contains some of the best examples of mature forest in the Ennis area and such a habitat could be threatened by any injudicious development."
In its submission, the department stated: "If there is a proven demand for such a quantum of zoning, then the council could give consideration to rezoning this land but only where there is no appropriate alternative land which is more closely integrated into the urban area."
However, the councillors ignored the pleas of the manager and the Department of the Environment and pressed ahead with the rezoning.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
New €50m school for engineers at NUI Galway
A NEW €50 million engineering school is to be developed at NUI Galway, Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe announced last night. Tendering for the new school will begin shortly.
When the building is completed in 2010, NUI Galway will have facilities for more than 1,100 engineering students and staff.
The project will be funded through a combination of exchequer funding under the National Development Plan 2007- 2013, resources realised by NUI Galway, as well as donor funding.
The 14,000sq m building will bring all the engineering disciplines from across the campus together.
Last night, Mr O'Keeffe said the new development will enhance the number of skilled graduates in the sector and broaden Ireland's appeal as a location for the study and research of engineering.
When this project is completed, it will represent a major Government-sponsored investment in the development and modernisation of facilities at NUI Galway, he said.
The Minister stressed that investment of this nature was not granted lightly.
"Capital projects such as this one are subject to a rigorous assessment under the Government's capital appraisal guidelines," he continued. "In this instance, both my department and the Higher Education Authority recognised the essential benefits of this project and accepted the comprehensive business case made by NUI Galway."
More than €50 million has been invested by the State in capital developments at NUI Galway in recent years. The funding has enabled expansion and growth of research programmes in fields such as biomedical engineering, nanotechnology and marine science.
NUI Galway will also receive €6 million under the research refurbishment scheme, allowing the university to maintain and upgrade its research facilities.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
When the building is completed in 2010, NUI Galway will have facilities for more than 1,100 engineering students and staff.
The project will be funded through a combination of exchequer funding under the National Development Plan 2007- 2013, resources realised by NUI Galway, as well as donor funding.
The 14,000sq m building will bring all the engineering disciplines from across the campus together.
Last night, Mr O'Keeffe said the new development will enhance the number of skilled graduates in the sector and broaden Ireland's appeal as a location for the study and research of engineering.
When this project is completed, it will represent a major Government-sponsored investment in the development and modernisation of facilities at NUI Galway, he said.
The Minister stressed that investment of this nature was not granted lightly.
"Capital projects such as this one are subject to a rigorous assessment under the Government's capital appraisal guidelines," he continued. "In this instance, both my department and the Higher Education Authority recognised the essential benefits of this project and accepted the comprehensive business case made by NUI Galway."
More than €50 million has been invested by the State in capital developments at NUI Galway in recent years. The funding has enabled expansion and growth of research programmes in fields such as biomedical engineering, nanotechnology and marine science.
NUI Galway will also receive €6 million under the research refurbishment scheme, allowing the university to maintain and upgrade its research facilities.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Harvest rain to cut water use, says report
RAINWATER HARVESTING could significantly extend the life of water treatment plants and cut down on the waste of drinking water across the State, a study by the National Rural Water Monitoring Committee has found.
Two pilot projects found harvested rainwater offered huge environmental and economic benefits and could replace up to 40 per cent of mains water used in houses. Collecting rainwater can eliminate the use of treated water for flushing toilets, washing, gardening, and supplying water for livestock, the committee found.
The domestic rainwater harvesting project, carried out in a rural housing development in Co Carlow, found the use of rainwater to flush toilets reduced demand on mains water by up to 33 per cent. Samples taken from the harvesting system all complied with EU bathing water standards and 37 per cent complied with more stringent drinking water regulations. The agricultural project carried out at a 250-acre livestock farm in Co Meath led to rainwater replacing 43 per cent of the mains water used in animal troughs.
The committee, established by the Department of the Environment, recommends that rainwater harvesting be considered for widespread use to supplement mains water for non-drinking purposes, and should be built in to any new developments.
"Rainwater harvesting is a sustainable water conservation measure that has the potential to contribute to the sustainability of raw water sources and to the viability of water treatment plants," the report states.
Rainwater harvesting offered cost savings to local authorities and developers, but educational programmes and grants were needed to make it more appealing for users, the report said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Two pilot projects found harvested rainwater offered huge environmental and economic benefits and could replace up to 40 per cent of mains water used in houses. Collecting rainwater can eliminate the use of treated water for flushing toilets, washing, gardening, and supplying water for livestock, the committee found.
The domestic rainwater harvesting project, carried out in a rural housing development in Co Carlow, found the use of rainwater to flush toilets reduced demand on mains water by up to 33 per cent. Samples taken from the harvesting system all complied with EU bathing water standards and 37 per cent complied with more stringent drinking water regulations. The agricultural project carried out at a 250-acre livestock farm in Co Meath led to rainwater replacing 43 per cent of the mains water used in animal troughs.
The committee, established by the Department of the Environment, recommends that rainwater harvesting be considered for widespread use to supplement mains water for non-drinking purposes, and should be built in to any new developments.
"Rainwater harvesting is a sustainable water conservation measure that has the potential to contribute to the sustainability of raw water sources and to the viability of water treatment plants," the report states.
Rainwater harvesting offered cost savings to local authorities and developers, but educational programmes and grants were needed to make it more appealing for users, the report said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
€80m town revamp gets green light after 13 years
A TOWN centre is to finally get an €80m revamp after years of difficult negotiations.
An Bord Pleanala has given the go-ahead to Ireland's largest developer, Treasury Holdings, to develop a retail scheme in Sligo Town Centre, first mooted 13 years ago.
The development at Wine Street Car park, comprising of 30 shops, 1,000 car parking spaces, 27 offices and 30,000 square feet of office space will form the final piece of a €250m centre-block master plan by the local authority to revive the town centre.
Planning permission had already been granted for the redevelopment of a nearby site on Adelaide Street.
Last night, Sligo Mayor, Veronica Cawley (Lab) described the decision as vital for the enhancement of the shopping experience in the gateway town.
"We have gone through a lot to get it to this stage. At this point, it is vital to see the centre of town developed. We have put our trust in Treasury Holdings and hopefully they will put their trust in the people of Sligo with an early start date," she said.
Anita Guidera
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
An Bord Pleanala has given the go-ahead to Ireland's largest developer, Treasury Holdings, to develop a retail scheme in Sligo Town Centre, first mooted 13 years ago.
The development at Wine Street Car park, comprising of 30 shops, 1,000 car parking spaces, 27 offices and 30,000 square feet of office space will form the final piece of a €250m centre-block master plan by the local authority to revive the town centre.
Planning permission had already been granted for the redevelopment of a nearby site on Adelaide Street.
Last night, Sligo Mayor, Veronica Cawley (Lab) described the decision as vital for the enhancement of the shopping experience in the gateway town.
"We have gone through a lot to get it to this stage. At this point, it is vital to see the centre of town developed. We have put our trust in Treasury Holdings and hopefully they will put their trust in the people of Sligo with an early start date," she said.
Anita Guidera
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Brosnan voices grave concerns over gas terminal
ACTOR Pierce Brosnan, 55, has come out in support of a group opposing a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal development near Tarbert, Co Kerry.
The James Bond and Remington Steele star has written to Kerry County Council’s planning department describing the Shannon LNG proposal as “gravely serious” and calling for a review.
An oral hearing into an application by Shannon LNG for a 26km pipeline that would connect a terminal in Tarbert with the national gas grid, at Foynes, Co Limerick, was held by An Bord Pleanála last week. The company gave firm assurances about the safety of the pipeline, saying risks to people living along the overland route were “insignificant”. They also said the pipeline was up to An Bord Gáis standards.
However, the 007 star, whose late father, Tom, came from Tralee, claimed the €500 million project had been fast-tracked and piecemealed. He also said no coherent assessment had been undertaken of the serious and significant risks to public health and safety.
In a letter, also signed by his wife Keely, Brosnan said the project demanded the utmost scrutiny and review.
The couple have already supported a successful campaign to prevent an LNG project from going ahead off the west coast of California, where they live.
After a four-year campaign and lengthy hearings, the plan was eventually vetoed by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Brosnans claimed the project would have polluted the community in violating air quality laws and posing serious risks to public health and safety in California.
Meanwhile, Johnny McElligott, of the Safety Before LNG group — the main opponent of the Tarbert proposal — last night said the Shannon LNG issue was “not over by a long shot”. He said there would be at least two more oral hearings and an application for a foreshore licence.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The James Bond and Remington Steele star has written to Kerry County Council’s planning department describing the Shannon LNG proposal as “gravely serious” and calling for a review.
An oral hearing into an application by Shannon LNG for a 26km pipeline that would connect a terminal in Tarbert with the national gas grid, at Foynes, Co Limerick, was held by An Bord Pleanála last week. The company gave firm assurances about the safety of the pipeline, saying risks to people living along the overland route were “insignificant”. They also said the pipeline was up to An Bord Gáis standards.
However, the 007 star, whose late father, Tom, came from Tralee, claimed the €500 million project had been fast-tracked and piecemealed. He also said no coherent assessment had been undertaken of the serious and significant risks to public health and safety.
In a letter, also signed by his wife Keely, Brosnan said the project demanded the utmost scrutiny and review.
The couple have already supported a successful campaign to prevent an LNG project from going ahead off the west coast of California, where they live.
After a four-year campaign and lengthy hearings, the plan was eventually vetoed by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The Brosnans claimed the project would have polluted the community in violating air quality laws and posing serious risks to public health and safety in California.
Meanwhile, Johnny McElligott, of the Safety Before LNG group — the main opponent of the Tarbert proposal — last night said the Shannon LNG issue was “not over by a long shot”. He said there would be at least two more oral hearings and an application for a foreshore licence.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Manor house set for conversion into €75m hotel
PLANS have been approved for a €75 million project near Mallow which will feature a 40-bed hotel, 18-hole golf course, 109 houses and 16 holiday homes.
Cork County Council members voted unanimously yesterday to adopt a material contravention of the county development plan, which will allow the land to be rezoned for the project.
Developers Magner Manor want to convert the Georgian-built Ballygiblin Manor at Cecilstown into a luxury hotel and spa.
The 18-hole golf course will contain an artificial lake and the developers also plan to provide driving bays and a golf academy on the site.
The council’s acting senior planner, Kevin Lynch, recommended the project as he said it had a number of positive elements, including refurbishing the old manor house which was built in 1720.
He said it would establish a flagship tourism project at Cecilstown, which is 13km north-west of Mallow.
The site, he added, was also in the disadvantaged CLÁR area.
The project will provide much-needed jobs during construction and after its completion.
An Taisce made a submission which stated that it was in favour of “suitable and sensitive” redevelopment of the old manor house, but added that it wasn’t in favour of the whole scale of the project, especially the number of residential homes.
This stance was criticised by a number of public representatives.
“It’s a hugely important project for north Cork. It is very ambitious in the current economic climate and we must do everything to support it,” Cllr Pat Buckley (FG) said.
“It will lead to a significant number of tourists coming into this area.”
Cllr Marian Murphy (FG) said she was very impressed by the plans.
“It is very similar to Muckross House in Killarney and it would be a shame if it wasn’t developed,” Cllr Murphy said.
Cllr Marie “The Shamrock” Murphy (FF) said the development would bring a jobs boost to the area, while Cllr Noel O’Connor (FG), who is chairman of Blackwater Tourism, said his organisation was totally behind it.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Cork County Council members voted unanimously yesterday to adopt a material contravention of the county development plan, which will allow the land to be rezoned for the project.
Developers Magner Manor want to convert the Georgian-built Ballygiblin Manor at Cecilstown into a luxury hotel and spa.
The 18-hole golf course will contain an artificial lake and the developers also plan to provide driving bays and a golf academy on the site.
The council’s acting senior planner, Kevin Lynch, recommended the project as he said it had a number of positive elements, including refurbishing the old manor house which was built in 1720.
He said it would establish a flagship tourism project at Cecilstown, which is 13km north-west of Mallow.
The site, he added, was also in the disadvantaged CLÁR area.
The project will provide much-needed jobs during construction and after its completion.
An Taisce made a submission which stated that it was in favour of “suitable and sensitive” redevelopment of the old manor house, but added that it wasn’t in favour of the whole scale of the project, especially the number of residential homes.
This stance was criticised by a number of public representatives.
“It’s a hugely important project for north Cork. It is very ambitious in the current economic climate and we must do everything to support it,” Cllr Pat Buckley (FG) said.
“It will lead to a significant number of tourists coming into this area.”
Cllr Marian Murphy (FG) said she was very impressed by the plans.
“It is very similar to Muckross House in Killarney and it would be a shame if it wasn’t developed,” Cllr Murphy said.
Cllr Marie “The Shamrock” Murphy (FF) said the development would bring a jobs boost to the area, while Cllr Noel O’Connor (FG), who is chairman of Blackwater Tourism, said his organisation was totally behind it.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Gormley unable to say what will happen to Haulbowline site
ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley will be unable to say how the former Irish Steel plant will be dealt with until a Government decision is made on the issue.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley reiterated last night that the minister would be bringing an “options paper” to cabinet “early in the new year”.
But the spokesman said the minister could not indicate in advance what actions the Government might take, as a formal cabinet decision would have to be made on the matter.
“The minister is committed to bringing a formal memorandum to Government outlining possible ways forward. It will then be subject of a Government decision. The outcome of the Government decision cannot be pre-empted at this stage,” the spokesman said.
Consultants hired by Mr Gormley to carry out a risk assessment of the East Tip of the steel plant found it posed no identifiable risk to the health of local residents.
However, they found that recent excavations on the East Tip had exposed sludge material which could form dust in dry weather periods and therefore pose a future airborne threat. The consultants therefore recommended that these excavations be backfilled. The consultants made no recommendations on the remediation of the wider Irish Steel site because they had been commissioned only to examine the East Tip.
It is believed that removing the estimated 500,000 tonnes of waste on the site, and dealing with the toxic substances they contain, could cost up to €300 million. Given the poor state of the public finances, it is thought likely the Government will move to backfill the excavations in line with the consultants’ report, but defer the remediation of the overall site.
Green party senator Dan Boyle yesterday suggested it may be unwise to attempt remediation of the overall site in any case. He said this was because the consultants’ report appeared to indicate that the environmental risk increased when efforts were made to remove material.
“I think there have to be questions raised about it, because some of the additional risks that have come about through this report seem to indicate that the compiling of new slag heaps and the creation of open pools of water on Haulbowline were themselves environmental risks.”
He denied, however, that this meant leaving the site in its current state.
“No, I think what you’re talking about is a range of measures: the removal of all material, the removal of the most dangerous part of the material, [or] some sort of containment measures. You’re either talking about topping, capping, some kind of sheeting or some wall around the perimeter of the East [Tip] in particular that would stop any potential seepage — all of which will have cost implications.”
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
A spokesman for Mr Gormley reiterated last night that the minister would be bringing an “options paper” to cabinet “early in the new year”.
But the spokesman said the minister could not indicate in advance what actions the Government might take, as a formal cabinet decision would have to be made on the matter.
“The minister is committed to bringing a formal memorandum to Government outlining possible ways forward. It will then be subject of a Government decision. The outcome of the Government decision cannot be pre-empted at this stage,” the spokesman said.
Consultants hired by Mr Gormley to carry out a risk assessment of the East Tip of the steel plant found it posed no identifiable risk to the health of local residents.
However, they found that recent excavations on the East Tip had exposed sludge material which could form dust in dry weather periods and therefore pose a future airborne threat. The consultants therefore recommended that these excavations be backfilled. The consultants made no recommendations on the remediation of the wider Irish Steel site because they had been commissioned only to examine the East Tip.
It is believed that removing the estimated 500,000 tonnes of waste on the site, and dealing with the toxic substances they contain, could cost up to €300 million. Given the poor state of the public finances, it is thought likely the Government will move to backfill the excavations in line with the consultants’ report, but defer the remediation of the overall site.
Green party senator Dan Boyle yesterday suggested it may be unwise to attempt remediation of the overall site in any case. He said this was because the consultants’ report appeared to indicate that the environmental risk increased when efforts were made to remove material.
“I think there have to be questions raised about it, because some of the additional risks that have come about through this report seem to indicate that the compiling of new slag heaps and the creation of open pools of water on Haulbowline were themselves environmental risks.”
He denied, however, that this meant leaving the site in its current state.
“No, I think what you’re talking about is a range of measures: the removal of all material, the removal of the most dangerous part of the material, [or] some sort of containment measures. You’re either talking about topping, capping, some kind of sheeting or some wall around the perimeter of the East [Tip] in particular that would stop any potential seepage — all of which will have cost implications.”
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Tesco plan for petrol station opposed
PETROL STATION retailers from across Co Clare are opposing a plan by Tesco to open a station in Kilrush which they say will force the closure of a number of stations with the loss of 43 jobs.
Last month Kilrush Town Council granted planning permission to Tesco to build a four-island petrol station on the Ennis road in the west Clare town.
The council gave the plan the go-ahead in spite of strong opposition from station owners and from the independent retailers organisation, Rgdata.
Eleven stations have appealed the decision: Oliver O'Shea and John Crowley, Kilrush; John Daly, Cooraclare; Michael Fitzpatrick, Kilmihil; Michael Sheedy, Darragh; O'Sullivan Hansbury, Ennis; Maxol/Spar, Clarecastle; Pádraic Hayes, Doonbeg; David Glynn, Killimer; Tony Nealon, Kilmurry McMahon and Tessie Power, Knockerra.
Lodged by the Irish Petrol Retailers' Association, the appeal states that a number of these stations, some of which provide the only shop for local communities, would be forced to close.
The station owners predict that their Tesco rival would take 43 per cent of the petrol retail market in west Clare, with Tesco accounting for sales of €149,940 per week.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Last month Kilrush Town Council granted planning permission to Tesco to build a four-island petrol station on the Ennis road in the west Clare town.
The council gave the plan the go-ahead in spite of strong opposition from station owners and from the independent retailers organisation, Rgdata.
Eleven stations have appealed the decision: Oliver O'Shea and John Crowley, Kilrush; John Daly, Cooraclare; Michael Fitzpatrick, Kilmihil; Michael Sheedy, Darragh; O'Sullivan Hansbury, Ennis; Maxol/Spar, Clarecastle; Pádraic Hayes, Doonbeg; David Glynn, Killimer; Tony Nealon, Kilmurry McMahon and Tessie Power, Knockerra.
Lodged by the Irish Petrol Retailers' Association, the appeal states that a number of these stations, some of which provide the only shop for local communities, would be forced to close.
The station owners predict that their Tesco rival would take 43 per cent of the petrol retail market in west Clare, with Tesco accounting for sales of €149,940 per week.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Meath incinerator files go missing
MEATH COUNTY council says it cannot rule out a "sinister explanation" as to why seven boxes of planning files on an incinerator being built in the county are now missing from the council offices.
The files were last seen in August when they were viewed by a member of the public at the planning offices in Navan. A spokesman yesterday said it had written to the Garda to alert them of its concerns. He said the council has reviewed CCTV footage from the office. An historic planning file from 2001 cannot be located.
The council holds electronic copies of the file and a full copy is held by An Bord Pleanála.
"It should be noted that the council holds ten of thousands of such files dating back to the 1960s," he said.
The files in question relate to Indaver Ireland's waste incinerator under construction at Carranstown near Duleek, Co Meath.
The Department of the Environment confirmed that Minister for the Environment John Gormley contacted the county manager in Meath towards the end of last month "in connection with representations he had received in respect of alleged irregularities with the planning file for the Indaver facility. The Minister also received a request from Deputy Shane McEntee (FG) for a meeting to discuss the same matter".
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The files were last seen in August when they were viewed by a member of the public at the planning offices in Navan. A spokesman yesterday said it had written to the Garda to alert them of its concerns. He said the council has reviewed CCTV footage from the office. An historic planning file from 2001 cannot be located.
The council holds electronic copies of the file and a full copy is held by An Bord Pleanála.
"It should be noted that the council holds ten of thousands of such files dating back to the 1960s," he said.
The files in question relate to Indaver Ireland's waste incinerator under construction at Carranstown near Duleek, Co Meath.
The Department of the Environment confirmed that Minister for the Environment John Gormley contacted the county manager in Meath towards the end of last month "in connection with representations he had received in respect of alleged irregularities with the planning file for the Indaver facility. The Minister also received a request from Deputy Shane McEntee (FG) for a meeting to discuss the same matter".
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Local pressure groups call for more work to be done on site
THE STUDY by environmental consultants White Young Green into the risks to human health from waste at the former Irish Steel plant at Haulbowline received a mixed response yesterday from environmental groups and public representatives in Cork.
Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment (Chase) welcomed the report but called on the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, to honour his commitment to ensuring that the site is remediated to a safe and acceptable level.
Chase spokeswoman Mary Hurley said that the report focused solely on the East Tip area of the former steel plant and called for further investigation of the risk posed by waste materials elsewhere on the site including at the former steel work buildings.
"The consultants said it was very important now to do a full investigation of the whole site and not just the East Tip area and that's what we're looking for from Minister Gormley - a full assessment of the level of risk across the entire site," said Ms Hurley
"Our other concern is that this report calls for further ongoing monitoring but that should not be used as a reason for not acting now - the situation remains urgent and we don't want the current budgetary problems used as a reason for doing nothing."
Friends of the Irish Environment spokesman Tony Lowes said that the report appeared to ignore "more than 13 years of documented evidence of concentrated contamination by basing its conclusion on three months of very limited tests".
Mr Lowes instanced the report's recommendation for "engineering improvements", "rock armouring", "back filling" and said that a "toxic lagoon discovered by accident this year had been documented as far back as 1995 but was revealed this year during backfilling.
Cobh Action for Clean Air spokesman Frank Kelleher said that he took "some comfort from the report that the threat may not be as bad as first feared" but he said the levels of Chromium 6 being found in mussels in the harbour area was "worrying".
Cobh Labour Cllr John Mulvihill said he was concerned that Mr Gormley might use the report's call for further study as a reason for deferring remedial works at the site which he said "was a matter of very great concern to the people of Cobh and the lower harbour."
"I'm afraid that next report will recommend a further report and the whole thing will get long fingered," said Mr Mulvhill. He called on Mr Gormley to honour a pledge to raise the issue of a baseline health study of people in the lower harbour area with the Minister for Health Mary Harney.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment (Chase) welcomed the report but called on the Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, to honour his commitment to ensuring that the site is remediated to a safe and acceptable level.
Chase spokeswoman Mary Hurley said that the report focused solely on the East Tip area of the former steel plant and called for further investigation of the risk posed by waste materials elsewhere on the site including at the former steel work buildings.
"The consultants said it was very important now to do a full investigation of the whole site and not just the East Tip area and that's what we're looking for from Minister Gormley - a full assessment of the level of risk across the entire site," said Ms Hurley
"Our other concern is that this report calls for further ongoing monitoring but that should not be used as a reason for not acting now - the situation remains urgent and we don't want the current budgetary problems used as a reason for doing nothing."
Friends of the Irish Environment spokesman Tony Lowes said that the report appeared to ignore "more than 13 years of documented evidence of concentrated contamination by basing its conclusion on three months of very limited tests".
Mr Lowes instanced the report's recommendation for "engineering improvements", "rock armouring", "back filling" and said that a "toxic lagoon discovered by accident this year had been documented as far back as 1995 but was revealed this year during backfilling.
Cobh Action for Clean Air spokesman Frank Kelleher said that he took "some comfort from the report that the threat may not be as bad as first feared" but he said the levels of Chromium 6 being found in mussels in the harbour area was "worrying".
Cobh Labour Cllr John Mulvihill said he was concerned that Mr Gormley might use the report's call for further study as a reason for deferring remedial works at the site which he said "was a matter of very great concern to the people of Cobh and the lower harbour."
"I'm afraid that next report will recommend a further report and the whole thing will get long fingered," said Mr Mulvhill. He called on Mr Gormley to honour a pledge to raise the issue of a baseline health study of people in the lower harbour area with the Minister for Health Mary Harney.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Haulbowline site is safe, report finds
MINISTER FOR the Environment John Gormley yesterday pledged to ensure the former Irish Steel site at Haulbowline Island in Cork harbour is cleaned up for future use after an environmental report showed waste material posed no identifiable risks to human health.
Mr Gormley said his priority was "to ensure a sustainable future for the site so that it turns from being an environmental liability into an asset for the entire local community". He will present a memo to Government on the matter early in the New Year.
The memo, he said, would include an assessment of the site as it currently exists, the work carried out to date, the various options in terms of future use of the site and the remediation that would be required for these possible uses.
He pledged there would be continued monitoring of the site, which is adjacent to the Naval Service HQ on the island, and stressed he was committed to "ongoing consultation with the local community in advance of any Government decisions as to what becomes of the site".
Mr Gormley was speaking following the publication of a report by environmental consultants White Young Green, who carried out an analysis of soil, slag, dust, surface and groundwater samples to determine the level of risk to human health from waste at the former steel plant.
The site, which is owned by the Department of Finance, covers some 20 hectares, comprising about 11 hectares formerly occupied by the steelworks and a further nine at the East Tip which has been built up by slag deposits over the decades.
WYG project manager Kevin Cleary told The Irish Times the study focused on the East Tip area but stressed the study advocated further investigation, including beneath the former steelworks buildings. "The remaining areas of the main steelworks site will need to be investigated and assessed as a separate investigation to quantify the potential for contamination from historic site operations and underground structures," he said.
Mr Cleary said the report clearly highlighted the need for continuing monitoring.
"The nature of these things are dynamic - atmospheric conditions change, for example. We have drawn a line in the sand with this report but the site needs further monitoring."
The study found elevated background concentrations of mercury, arsenic and nickel in some marine samples while an elevated lead concentration was found in a mussel sample, but none was considered to be linked to waste at the East Tip.
The authors note that chromium was detected in mussels near the East Tip and the main steelworks but they could not determine conclusively if the concentration is recent or historic. They recommend further comparative study using mussels from "a clean site".
The study also recommends that an environmental audit be undertaken on the East Naval Base site to identify potential sources for lead dust in the area of the East Tip. It recommends that ambient air monitoring be carried out during dry, windy weather for at least 30 days.
The authors compared the findings with a report they carried out in 2005 and concluded that, apart from excavation work carried out on sludges at the East Tip, there was no major change in water quality, leading to the conclusion the area was in a stable state.
However, they note that during a period of combined high tide and adverse weather conditions, the excavation works carried out in the northern area of the East Tip resulted in seawater breaching the embankment and flooding the excavated area, where oily sludge material was exposed.
The authors recommend engineering works, including rock armouring, be carried out near the shoreline to raise the site so that there is no repeat of this.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Mr Gormley said his priority was "to ensure a sustainable future for the site so that it turns from being an environmental liability into an asset for the entire local community". He will present a memo to Government on the matter early in the New Year.
The memo, he said, would include an assessment of the site as it currently exists, the work carried out to date, the various options in terms of future use of the site and the remediation that would be required for these possible uses.
He pledged there would be continued monitoring of the site, which is adjacent to the Naval Service HQ on the island, and stressed he was committed to "ongoing consultation with the local community in advance of any Government decisions as to what becomes of the site".
Mr Gormley was speaking following the publication of a report by environmental consultants White Young Green, who carried out an analysis of soil, slag, dust, surface and groundwater samples to determine the level of risk to human health from waste at the former steel plant.
The site, which is owned by the Department of Finance, covers some 20 hectares, comprising about 11 hectares formerly occupied by the steelworks and a further nine at the East Tip which has been built up by slag deposits over the decades.
WYG project manager Kevin Cleary told The Irish Times the study focused on the East Tip area but stressed the study advocated further investigation, including beneath the former steelworks buildings. "The remaining areas of the main steelworks site will need to be investigated and assessed as a separate investigation to quantify the potential for contamination from historic site operations and underground structures," he said.
Mr Cleary said the report clearly highlighted the need for continuing monitoring.
"The nature of these things are dynamic - atmospheric conditions change, for example. We have drawn a line in the sand with this report but the site needs further monitoring."
The study found elevated background concentrations of mercury, arsenic and nickel in some marine samples while an elevated lead concentration was found in a mussel sample, but none was considered to be linked to waste at the East Tip.
The authors note that chromium was detected in mussels near the East Tip and the main steelworks but they could not determine conclusively if the concentration is recent or historic. They recommend further comparative study using mussels from "a clean site".
The study also recommends that an environmental audit be undertaken on the East Naval Base site to identify potential sources for lead dust in the area of the East Tip. It recommends that ambient air monitoring be carried out during dry, windy weather for at least 30 days.
The authors compared the findings with a report they carried out in 2005 and concluded that, apart from excavation work carried out on sludges at the East Tip, there was no major change in water quality, leading to the conclusion the area was in a stable state.
However, they note that during a period of combined high tide and adverse weather conditions, the excavation works carried out in the northern area of the East Tip resulted in seawater breaching the embankment and flooding the excavated area, where oily sludge material was exposed.
The authors recommend engineering works, including rock armouring, be carried out near the shoreline to raise the site so that there is no repeat of this.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 8 December 2008
Haulbowline not a threat to locals, claims report
THE toxic waste dump on the former Irish Steel plant in Haulbowline, Co Cork, poses no identifiable threat to local residents, Government-appointed consultants have found.
The main finding of their report, seen by the Irish Examiner, states: “Based on the monitoring works completed, it is concluded that there are no identified risks to the residential inhabitants of Cork harbour associated with the presence of waste materials at the East Tip on Haulbowline Island.”
The consultants, White Young Green, found toxins such as chromium in and around the waste dump, known as the East Tip, but not at levels considered dangerous to humans.
However, they said that chromium in mussels found around Haulbowline exceeded recommended limits, but the cause could not be identified. They recommended that this issue be further investigated.
The consultants also warned that recent excavations on the East Tip had exposed sludge material which could form dust in dry weather periods and therefore pose a future airborne threat.
Although fenced off, the excavations posed a health and safety risk and the consultants recommended that they be backfilled.
The consultants found potentially dangerous levels of toxins in the harbour which they did not believe emanated from the East Tip of the former Irish Steel plant.
Elevated concentrations of mercury, arsenic and nickel were found in water samples taken from the harbour, while high levels of lead were found in mussels.
Slightly elevated concentrations of heavy metals were also detected “intermittently” on a section of the naval base, which forms part of Haulbowline Island, but again, the East Tip was not considered the source.
The consultants recommended that further assessment be carried out in the harbour to assess the scale of both these problems.
They also recommended that the entire steel plant site be investigated, as they had been commissioned only to examine the East Tip.
“This environmental investigation... did not include or address the rest of the former Irish Steel site,” the report says.
“The remaining areas of the steelworks site will need to be investigated and assessed as a separate investigation to quantify the potential for contamination from historic site operations and underground structures.”
Environment Minister John Gormley appointed White Young Green in June to carry out a risk assessment of the site after the Irish Examiner revealed the amount of toxic waste on the East Tip was much higher than previously believed. The report, and a peer review of it conducted by British experts, will be published today.
Mr Gormley is expected to bring a paper to cabinet early in the new year outlining the options for dealing with the site. He has pledged to consult with the community on the issue.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The main finding of their report, seen by the Irish Examiner, states: “Based on the monitoring works completed, it is concluded that there are no identified risks to the residential inhabitants of Cork harbour associated with the presence of waste materials at the East Tip on Haulbowline Island.”
The consultants, White Young Green, found toxins such as chromium in and around the waste dump, known as the East Tip, but not at levels considered dangerous to humans.
However, they said that chromium in mussels found around Haulbowline exceeded recommended limits, but the cause could not be identified. They recommended that this issue be further investigated.
The consultants also warned that recent excavations on the East Tip had exposed sludge material which could form dust in dry weather periods and therefore pose a future airborne threat.
Although fenced off, the excavations posed a health and safety risk and the consultants recommended that they be backfilled.
The consultants found potentially dangerous levels of toxins in the harbour which they did not believe emanated from the East Tip of the former Irish Steel plant.
Elevated concentrations of mercury, arsenic and nickel were found in water samples taken from the harbour, while high levels of lead were found in mussels.
Slightly elevated concentrations of heavy metals were also detected “intermittently” on a section of the naval base, which forms part of Haulbowline Island, but again, the East Tip was not considered the source.
The consultants recommended that further assessment be carried out in the harbour to assess the scale of both these problems.
They also recommended that the entire steel plant site be investigated, as they had been commissioned only to examine the East Tip.
“This environmental investigation... did not include or address the rest of the former Irish Steel site,” the report says.
“The remaining areas of the steelworks site will need to be investigated and assessed as a separate investigation to quantify the potential for contamination from historic site operations and underground structures.”
Environment Minister John Gormley appointed White Young Green in June to carry out a risk assessment of the site after the Irish Examiner revealed the amount of toxic waste on the East Tip was much higher than previously believed. The report, and a peer review of it conducted by British experts, will be published today.
Mr Gormley is expected to bring a paper to cabinet early in the new year outlining the options for dealing with the site. He has pledged to consult with the community on the issue.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Unauthorised Wicklow quarry seeks to expand
WICKLOW COUNTY Council is to decide next week whether to allow an unauthorised quarrying operation to import up to 1,200 tonnes of stone per month.
O'Reilly Brothers quarry at Ballylusk near Ashford was found to be operating without planning permission, and not to be exempt from the requirement for planning permission, by An Bord Pleanála in 2003.
The Bord Pleanála decision was subsequently upheld by the High Court in December 2006, when Mr Justice John Quirke criticised the council's role in the affair, describing its documentation as "deplorable" and "rag-tag".
However, the quarry has continued to operate and on a number of occasions, when blasting was taking place, local people were asked by gardaí to leave their homes in the interests of safety.
Now O'Reilly Brothers Ltd has asked the council for planning permission to extend operations at the site, including an increase in the rate of extraction of up to 60,000 tonnes per year of stone.
The company has also asked the council for permission to retain existing screening along the northern boundary of the site, and for the retention of a 19sq m works canteen.
It has also asked the council to approve the importation of up to 300 tonnes of stone per week, along with a wheel-cleaning unit, a settlement lagoon, provision of an effluent treatment system and improvements to the existing quarry entrance among other ancillary works.
The council is due to decide on the application by December 11th.
Local residents have criticised the application, claiming they have "no faith left that the council will support the rule of law".
Residents, who said they did not want to be named, said they had initially objected to the quarry because of the noise, nuisance and the number of heavy lorries using a country lane.
A number said they had believed the quarry would be forced to close when the planning board and the High Court found against it, and questioned the council's efforts to enforce the court's decision.
Director of services for planning with Wicklow County Council Des O'Brien said an enforcement action taken by the council on foot of the Bord Pleanála and High Court decisions was due to come before the Circuit Court early next year.
He said the council was not in a position to "simply put a chain on the gate" but had to go through the courts.
He said the legal system frequently contributed to making enforcement a slow process, an aspect he claimed was seldom reported in the media.
He added that the council had successfully prosecuted a number of planning enforcement cases at Bray Circuit Court in recent times. These had included houses built without planning permission, unauthorised quarries and other infringements.
Attempts to secure a comment from O'Reilly Brothers over a number of days have not been successful.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
O'Reilly Brothers quarry at Ballylusk near Ashford was found to be operating without planning permission, and not to be exempt from the requirement for planning permission, by An Bord Pleanála in 2003.
The Bord Pleanála decision was subsequently upheld by the High Court in December 2006, when Mr Justice John Quirke criticised the council's role in the affair, describing its documentation as "deplorable" and "rag-tag".
However, the quarry has continued to operate and on a number of occasions, when blasting was taking place, local people were asked by gardaí to leave their homes in the interests of safety.
Now O'Reilly Brothers Ltd has asked the council for planning permission to extend operations at the site, including an increase in the rate of extraction of up to 60,000 tonnes per year of stone.
The company has also asked the council for permission to retain existing screening along the northern boundary of the site, and for the retention of a 19sq m works canteen.
It has also asked the council to approve the importation of up to 300 tonnes of stone per week, along with a wheel-cleaning unit, a settlement lagoon, provision of an effluent treatment system and improvements to the existing quarry entrance among other ancillary works.
The council is due to decide on the application by December 11th.
Local residents have criticised the application, claiming they have "no faith left that the council will support the rule of law".
Residents, who said they did not want to be named, said they had initially objected to the quarry because of the noise, nuisance and the number of heavy lorries using a country lane.
A number said they had believed the quarry would be forced to close when the planning board and the High Court found against it, and questioned the council's efforts to enforce the court's decision.
Director of services for planning with Wicklow County Council Des O'Brien said an enforcement action taken by the council on foot of the Bord Pleanála and High Court decisions was due to come before the Circuit Court early next year.
He said the council was not in a position to "simply put a chain on the gate" but had to go through the courts.
He said the legal system frequently contributed to making enforcement a slow process, an aspect he claimed was seldom reported in the media.
He added that the council had successfully prosecuted a number of planning enforcement cases at Bray Circuit Court in recent times. These had included houses built without planning permission, unauthorised quarries and other infringements.
Attempts to secure a comment from O'Reilly Brothers over a number of days have not been successful.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Report shows Haulbowline site is safe
The investigation into the dangers posed by waste material from the former Irish Ispat plant at Haulbowline in Cork Harbour has concluded there is no risk to local residents.
The report, which was published by the Minister for the Environment John Gormley this morning, was compiled by environmental consultants White Young Green.
The assessment involved analysis of soil, slag, dust, surface and ground water samples for all likely contaminants, including Chromium VI, to determine whether there was a threat to human health or the environment.
In July, the Government was accused of a cover-up concerning the extent of waste at the site after it was disclosed that an estimated 500,000 tonnes of waste material had been buried at the former steel plant which closed in 2001.
A report on the environmental impact of pollution on the neighbouring Naval Service base at Haulbowline, which was released in September, also concluded that there was no unacceptable risk to health.
Mr Gormley today reiterated his commitment to dealing with the legacy issue of waste at the Haulbowline site and said he would be bringing a report to Government early in the New Year for decisions on what actions, if any, should be taken.
Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment, which represents local residents, welcomed the publication of the report and called on the Government to ensure that funding is made available to make the site safe.
Fine Gael said that while the report had concluded that there was no identifiable threat to residents, it was clear that the site is still toxic and that the marine ecosystem in the harbour continues to be adversely affected by
toxic waste material.
"The report confirms that toxic material remains on the site and calls for further investigation of the site and of the harbour more generally. Ultimately, there is only one solution to this problem, and that is the removal of all toxic material," said Simon Coveney, Fine Gael TD for Cork South Central.
“This is an unlicensed, unregulated, toxic dump without planning permission on a porous site in the middle of Cork Harbour. It should be removed over a phased period in a responsible manner,” he added.
Sinn Féin's environment spokesman Martin Ferris questioned whether the report had fully addressed residents' concerns.
“There have been a number of reports over the years, which have taken a long time to emerge and there are still doubts with regard to whether all the facts and previous findings are in the public domain. Not to mention the unresolved issue of why the prevalence of cancer in the area is so much higher than the national average,” he said. "I would therefore call on Minister Gormley to publish or republish all previous reports on the site along with the current report."
Elsewhere, the Labour Party said the study was limited due to the fact that it focussed on one part of Haulbowline Island and did not address the rest of the site.
"The people of the Cork Harbour area have been living under the cloud cast by this site for years, particularly in the last six months. They now require assurances from John Gormley that the problem will be sorted out once and for all," said Ciaran Lynch Labour Party TD, Cork South Central.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
The report, which was published by the Minister for the Environment John Gormley this morning, was compiled by environmental consultants White Young Green.
The assessment involved analysis of soil, slag, dust, surface and ground water samples for all likely contaminants, including Chromium VI, to determine whether there was a threat to human health or the environment.
In July, the Government was accused of a cover-up concerning the extent of waste at the site after it was disclosed that an estimated 500,000 tonnes of waste material had been buried at the former steel plant which closed in 2001.
A report on the environmental impact of pollution on the neighbouring Naval Service base at Haulbowline, which was released in September, also concluded that there was no unacceptable risk to health.
Mr Gormley today reiterated his commitment to dealing with the legacy issue of waste at the Haulbowline site and said he would be bringing a report to Government early in the New Year for decisions on what actions, if any, should be taken.
Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment, which represents local residents, welcomed the publication of the report and called on the Government to ensure that funding is made available to make the site safe.
Fine Gael said that while the report had concluded that there was no identifiable threat to residents, it was clear that the site is still toxic and that the marine ecosystem in the harbour continues to be adversely affected by
toxic waste material.
"The report confirms that toxic material remains on the site and calls for further investigation of the site and of the harbour more generally. Ultimately, there is only one solution to this problem, and that is the removal of all toxic material," said Simon Coveney, Fine Gael TD for Cork South Central.
“This is an unlicensed, unregulated, toxic dump without planning permission on a porous site in the middle of Cork Harbour. It should be removed over a phased period in a responsible manner,” he added.
Sinn Féin's environment spokesman Martin Ferris questioned whether the report had fully addressed residents' concerns.
“There have been a number of reports over the years, which have taken a long time to emerge and there are still doubts with regard to whether all the facts and previous findings are in the public domain. Not to mention the unresolved issue of why the prevalence of cancer in the area is so much higher than the national average,” he said. "I would therefore call on Minister Gormley to publish or republish all previous reports on the site along with the current report."
Elsewhere, the Labour Party said the study was limited due to the fact that it focussed on one part of Haulbowline Island and did not address the rest of the site.
"The people of the Cork Harbour area have been living under the cloud cast by this site for years, particularly in the last six months. They now require assurances from John Gormley that the problem will be sorted out once and for all," said Ciaran Lynch Labour Party TD, Cork South Central.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
New stretch of M8 links Laois and Tipperary
A new stretch of the M8 linking Laois and Tipperary was opened this morning seven months ahead of schedule.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said the 40 kilometre, €434 million motorway between Cullahill and Cashel, on the main Dublin to Cork road, would improve road safety.
Johnstown and Urlingford in Co Kilkenny and Littleton and Horse-and-Jockey in Co Tipperary have been bypassed by the road. Almost 16,000 vehicles will be removed from these towns and other villages on the route and an estimated 20 minutes will be cut from journey times between Dublin and Cork during peak hours.
"Road safety will be greatly improved for drivers using the new motorway as they can now bypass minor junctions on the existing N8 where many of the most serious high speed collisions have occurred,” Mr Dempsey said as he officially opened the road today.
Chairman of the National Roads Authority Peter Malone said 80 kilometres of motorway had been opened to traffic in 2008.
Funding for the scheme was provided under the National Development Plan, 2007-2013, with part funding by the European Union from the Trans-European Transport Networks Budget.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey said the 40 kilometre, €434 million motorway between Cullahill and Cashel, on the main Dublin to Cork road, would improve road safety.
Johnstown and Urlingford in Co Kilkenny and Littleton and Horse-and-Jockey in Co Tipperary have been bypassed by the road. Almost 16,000 vehicles will be removed from these towns and other villages on the route and an estimated 20 minutes will be cut from journey times between Dublin and Cork during peak hours.
"Road safety will be greatly improved for drivers using the new motorway as they can now bypass minor junctions on the existing N8 where many of the most serious high speed collisions have occurred,” Mr Dempsey said as he officially opened the road today.
Chairman of the National Roads Authority Peter Malone said 80 kilometres of motorway had been opened to traffic in 2008.
Funding for the scheme was provided under the National Development Plan, 2007-2013, with part funding by the European Union from the Trans-European Transport Networks Budget.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
Government allocates €11m for historic houses
Over €11 million has been allocated for the upkeep of some of Ireland’s finest historic houses, the Government announced today.
Minister for Tourism Martin Cullen said it was important to invest in the attractions so they can bring in visitors when the economy recovers.
Russborough House in Co Wicklow, Fota House in Co Cork and Rothe House in Kilkenny are among those earmarked for the €11.2 million spend.
“The projects for which funding is being announced today are excellent examples of existing attractions which will benefit from funding for upgrading and development and which will further enhance the tourism product on offer to tourists,” said Mr Cullen.
Russborough, just outside Blessington, Co Wicklow, is to get €2.25 million to develop the Palladian mansion’s ice house, lime kiln and restore its gardens.
A “new visitor experience” will also be created with the funding to provide information about the history of the estate, as well as a photographic and film exhibition, a playground and a sculpture garden.
Kilkenny’s 17th century Rothe House is to get €1.9 million to further develop the museum while the Regency-style Fota House in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, has been allocated €1.7 million for the refurbishment of the first floor and other projects.
Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross, Co Wexford, has been granted almost €2 million, Strokestown Famine Museum in Co Roscommon is to get €2.3 million and Blarney Castle in Co Cork is to receive just over €1 million.
“While international and domestic economic factors are creating a challenging trading environment for the tourism sector at present, it is important that we continue to invest in our tourism product, so we can be best placed to take full advantage when more favourable economic conditions return,” Mr Cullen said.
The funding is being allocated under Fáilte Ireland’s Tourism Capital Investment Programme for projects approved by the Fáilte Ireland Authority.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
Minister for Tourism Martin Cullen said it was important to invest in the attractions so they can bring in visitors when the economy recovers.
Russborough House in Co Wicklow, Fota House in Co Cork and Rothe House in Kilkenny are among those earmarked for the €11.2 million spend.
“The projects for which funding is being announced today are excellent examples of existing attractions which will benefit from funding for upgrading and development and which will further enhance the tourism product on offer to tourists,” said Mr Cullen.
Russborough, just outside Blessington, Co Wicklow, is to get €2.25 million to develop the Palladian mansion’s ice house, lime kiln and restore its gardens.
A “new visitor experience” will also be created with the funding to provide information about the history of the estate, as well as a photographic and film exhibition, a playground and a sculpture garden.
Kilkenny’s 17th century Rothe House is to get €1.9 million to further develop the museum while the Regency-style Fota House in Carrigtwohill, Co Cork, has been allocated €1.7 million for the refurbishment of the first floor and other projects.
Dunbrody Famine Ship in New Ross, Co Wexford, has been granted almost €2 million, Strokestown Famine Museum in Co Roscommon is to get €2.3 million and Blarney Castle in Co Cork is to receive just over €1 million.
“While international and domestic economic factors are creating a challenging trading environment for the tourism sector at present, it is important that we continue to invest in our tourism product, so we can be best placed to take full advantage when more favourable economic conditions return,” Mr Cullen said.
The funding is being allocated under Fáilte Ireland’s Tourism Capital Investment Programme for projects approved by the Fáilte Ireland Authority.
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
Sunday, 7 December 2008
Marina development for heritage town on Shannon sparks controversy
CONTROVERSIAL plans for a €60m marina development overlooking the River Shannon in the heritage town of Ballina are expected to attract significant opposition.
An application for the development at the Derg marina in Ballina, Co Tipperary was filed earlier this month and a decision is expected from Tipperary North County Council early in the new year.
There has been opposition to the plans over concerns the design is inappropriate to the scenic surroundings and the developers have exercised a "dismissive attitude" towards objectors. Those objecting to the proposals had until close of business last Friday to lodge their views with the planning authority.
The 85-apartment project consists of four storeys with a viewing level on top, car-parking facilities, a restaurant and bar, and marina facilities.
Objectors insist they are not opposed to development at the marina but say the plans submitted are not in keeping with the scenic surrounds.
Addressing a meeting last Thursday night, Ballina Marina Action Group spokesman Joe Cahalane said the "scale and density, the impact on the sensitive lakeside environment and the pressure on local infrastructure were the main reasons for opposing the developer's proposals".
In response to the claims, Eclipse Developments say the plans have been a work in progress for almost three years and they have successfully managed to alleviate wider concerns.
"The marina site is zoned for integrated tourism development and our aim is to deliver a world-class marina and public amenity that is both sustainable and sensitively designed," they said.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
An application for the development at the Derg marina in Ballina, Co Tipperary was filed earlier this month and a decision is expected from Tipperary North County Council early in the new year.
There has been opposition to the plans over concerns the design is inappropriate to the scenic surroundings and the developers have exercised a "dismissive attitude" towards objectors. Those objecting to the proposals had until close of business last Friday to lodge their views with the planning authority.
The 85-apartment project consists of four storeys with a viewing level on top, car-parking facilities, a restaurant and bar, and marina facilities.
Objectors insist they are not opposed to development at the marina but say the plans submitted are not in keeping with the scenic surrounds.
Addressing a meeting last Thursday night, Ballina Marina Action Group spokesman Joe Cahalane said the "scale and density, the impact on the sensitive lakeside environment and the pressure on local infrastructure were the main reasons for opposing the developer's proposals".
In response to the claims, Eclipse Developments say the plans have been a work in progress for almost three years and they have successfully managed to alleviate wider concerns.
"The marina site is zoned for integrated tourism development and our aim is to deliver a world-class marina and public amenity that is both sustainable and sensitively designed," they said.
Sunday Tribune
www.buckplanning.ie
Meath planning row deepens
The war of words over planning in Drogheda has deepened, writes Susan Mitchell.
This week, Meath county councillors will call for the resignation of Minister of State Dick Roche, who was highly critical of a recent local area plan produced by the council. Elected members of the Fianna Fail-led council plan to write to Taoiseach Brian Cowen calling for Roche’s resignation. A council spokesman alleged that Roche’s intervention in the matter had been an attempt to ‘‘influence the planning process’’ when a family member had stood to benefit.
The council was responding to a letter from Roche, the former environment minister, who described the controversial South Drogheda Environs Local Area Plan as ‘‘the worst case of maladministration’’ he had ever come across.
Roche has always made his position clear and, in a previous interview with this newspaper, said: ‘‘I was reluctant to get directly involved in this affair because of a family connection, but having been approached by local public representatives, I feel the complaints are serious and warrant investigation.”
Roche described the ‘‘hysterical response’’ to his comments as ‘‘most unusual. I wonder why simple comments I made have triggered such an extraordinary reaction’’.
He said he had always been upfront about a family connection, but was approached and asked to intervene in the affair by a Wicklow constituent. Roche described the goings on, including the council decision to get developers to fund a €200,000 development plan, as ‘‘most unorthodox’’.
Local Fine Gael TD Shane MacEntee also called for a probe into the planning process, and Dublin developer Bill Doyle has threatened to instigate a High Court action over the plan.
The controversy has also engulfed Drogheda United FC, which has gone into examinership. The club had done a deal with Doyle and planned to build a new stadium on lands in the Bryanstown area.
Under the proposed Local Area Plan, much of the land in Bryanstown was zoned for open space and industrial use, rendering the stadium plan redundant.
Doyle claimed he received verbal assurances that the land would be zoned residential. The plan is due for decision by Meath County Council tomorrow.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
This week, Meath county councillors will call for the resignation of Minister of State Dick Roche, who was highly critical of a recent local area plan produced by the council. Elected members of the Fianna Fail-led council plan to write to Taoiseach Brian Cowen calling for Roche’s resignation. A council spokesman alleged that Roche’s intervention in the matter had been an attempt to ‘‘influence the planning process’’ when a family member had stood to benefit.
The council was responding to a letter from Roche, the former environment minister, who described the controversial South Drogheda Environs Local Area Plan as ‘‘the worst case of maladministration’’ he had ever come across.
Roche has always made his position clear and, in a previous interview with this newspaper, said: ‘‘I was reluctant to get directly involved in this affair because of a family connection, but having been approached by local public representatives, I feel the complaints are serious and warrant investigation.”
Roche described the ‘‘hysterical response’’ to his comments as ‘‘most unusual. I wonder why simple comments I made have triggered such an extraordinary reaction’’.
He said he had always been upfront about a family connection, but was approached and asked to intervene in the affair by a Wicklow constituent. Roche described the goings on, including the council decision to get developers to fund a €200,000 development plan, as ‘‘most unorthodox’’.
Local Fine Gael TD Shane MacEntee also called for a probe into the planning process, and Dublin developer Bill Doyle has threatened to instigate a High Court action over the plan.
The controversy has also engulfed Drogheda United FC, which has gone into examinership. The club had done a deal with Doyle and planned to build a new stadium on lands in the Bryanstown area.
Under the proposed Local Area Plan, much of the land in Bryanstown was zoned for open space and industrial use, rendering the stadium plan redundant.
Doyle claimed he received verbal assurances that the land would be zoned residential. The plan is due for decision by Meath County Council tomorrow.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Mount Carmel applies to build €100m hospital
Mount Carmel Hospital has applied for planning permission for a new €100 million hospital on the existing hospital site in Churchtown, Dublin.
Mount Carmel, which concentrates on maternity, orthopaedic, general surgery and daycare, plans to construct a six-storey hospital to replace the existing five-storey building.
It has also applied for planning permission for 28 terraced houses and 12 apartments, with the residential accommodation to be built in the second phase.
Hospital chief executive Catherine MacDaid said the existing hospital would remain open while the new 160-bed facility was being built. She said the new hospital would have ‘‘more daycare and diagnostic facilities’’, as well as more operating theatres, endoscopy suites and delivery suites.
Mount Carmel Hospital, which has 300 staff and 160 consultants with privileges, is part of the Mount Carmel Medical (MCM) group. MCM is owned by Kildare property developer Jerry Conlan.
It includes On€51 boss Philip Lynch among its directors. Niall Donnelly was appointed group chief executive some months ago.
MCM also owns Aut Even Hospital in Kilkenny and St Joseph’s Hospital in Sligo. It is the preferred bidder for the co-located private hospital in Sligo, and is also the only healthcare consortium tendering to build a co-located hospital at Connolly Memorial Hospital in Dublin.
Construction of the new hospital is likely to get under way in 2010, subject to getting the green light from planners.
Objections to the new development are expected. Local Fianna Fail councillor Tony Fox indicated that the increased height and scale of the proposed project was likely to attract opposition.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Mount Carmel, which concentrates on maternity, orthopaedic, general surgery and daycare, plans to construct a six-storey hospital to replace the existing five-storey building.
It has also applied for planning permission for 28 terraced houses and 12 apartments, with the residential accommodation to be built in the second phase.
Hospital chief executive Catherine MacDaid said the existing hospital would remain open while the new 160-bed facility was being built. She said the new hospital would have ‘‘more daycare and diagnostic facilities’’, as well as more operating theatres, endoscopy suites and delivery suites.
Mount Carmel Hospital, which has 300 staff and 160 consultants with privileges, is part of the Mount Carmel Medical (MCM) group. MCM is owned by Kildare property developer Jerry Conlan.
It includes On€51 boss Philip Lynch among its directors. Niall Donnelly was appointed group chief executive some months ago.
MCM also owns Aut Even Hospital in Kilkenny and St Joseph’s Hospital in Sligo. It is the preferred bidder for the co-located private hospital in Sligo, and is also the only healthcare consortium tendering to build a co-located hospital at Connolly Memorial Hospital in Dublin.
Construction of the new hospital is likely to get under way in 2010, subject to getting the green light from planners.
Objections to the new development are expected. Local Fianna Fail councillor Tony Fox indicated that the increased height and scale of the proposed project was likely to attract opposition.
Sunday Business Post
www.buckplanning.ie
Saturday, 6 December 2008
Beamish building ‘must be preserved’
PRESERVING the Beamish and Crawford site will pay for itself in tourism, according to the chairman of the National Conservation and Heritage Group.
Damien Cassidy, whose group helped preserve the famous Bewley’s coffee house in Dublin, last night described Beamish as “the heart and soul of Cork city” and said it was incumbent on all city residents to ensure that the heritage of brewery should be preserved for future generations.
Raising the idea that Cork people should do for Beamish as Dubliners did for Bewley’s, he said: “We campaigned for the retention of Bewley’s of Grafton Street by marching up and down the street and Cork people should do the same for Beamish.”
He said despite the fact that the Beamish structure is a preserved one, he had little faith in local authorities with regards to preservation. “What often happens, as far as local authorities are concerned, all that means is that the front wall of a building is preserved and you can do what you like inside.
“That does not mean that the integrity of the building is preserved and that is what is essential with regards to Beamish.
“This building and enterprise is the heart and soul of Cork city and must be preserved. When you think of its history, spanning hundreds of years, and the fact that it faced countless recessions and even depressions in its time while still providing good employment, it should not be let go.
“What Guinness has done in Dublin could be used as a model for what should be done in Cork and it will pay for itself in tourism revenue.”
“What is needed is some people power and the local authority should get behind and support any voluntary group that wants to see the Beamish heritage preserved,” he said.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Damien Cassidy, whose group helped preserve the famous Bewley’s coffee house in Dublin, last night described Beamish as “the heart and soul of Cork city” and said it was incumbent on all city residents to ensure that the heritage of brewery should be preserved for future generations.
Raising the idea that Cork people should do for Beamish as Dubliners did for Bewley’s, he said: “We campaigned for the retention of Bewley’s of Grafton Street by marching up and down the street and Cork people should do the same for Beamish.”
He said despite the fact that the Beamish structure is a preserved one, he had little faith in local authorities with regards to preservation. “What often happens, as far as local authorities are concerned, all that means is that the front wall of a building is preserved and you can do what you like inside.
“That does not mean that the integrity of the building is preserved and that is what is essential with regards to Beamish.
“This building and enterprise is the heart and soul of Cork city and must be preserved. When you think of its history, spanning hundreds of years, and the fact that it faced countless recessions and even depressions in its time while still providing good employment, it should not be let go.
“What Guinness has done in Dublin could be used as a model for what should be done in Cork and it will pay for itself in tourism revenue.”
“What is needed is some people power and the local authority should get behind and support any voluntary group that wants to see the Beamish heritage preserved,” he said.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Chaotic start for Corrib gas talks forum
THE Government’s promise of a talks forum to resolve bitter disputes over the controversial Corrib gas project descended into chaos yesterday.
As the first hearing began behind closed doors, opponents of the north Mayo Shell development boycotted the meeting and instead organised their own get-together next door.
Shell to Sea accused Energy Minister Eamon Ryan of refusing to tackle mistakes made in the eight-year battle to open the off-shore gas field and coastal refinery.
Spokeswoman Maura Harrington claimed the forum would not address the real concerns.
“While Minster Eamon Ryan accepted that undoubted mistakes have been made in relation to this project, it seems that he doesn’t want these mistakes to be discussed and corrected,” she said.
“This forum is not allowed to address the health concerns of the people of the area, the unsuitability of Bellanaboy as a refinery site or the great giveaway of our gas and oil.
“This media event tries to intrinsically link Shell’s Corrib gas with the proper and sustainable development of the northwest Mayo region. Not only is no link possible, they are mutually exclusive,” said Ms Harrington.
The first meeting of the Government-backed forum was held in a Belmullet hotel.
Mr Ryan and Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Éamon Ó Cuív attended the meeting and insisted the Shell development would go ahead as planned.
Anti-Corrib campaigners Pobal Cill Comainn and Pobal Le Cheile also refused to join the forum.
Former senior civil servant Joe Brosnan — a member of Northern Ireland’s paramilitary watchdog, the Independent Monitoring Commission — heads up the forum.
Managing director of Shell E&P Ireland, Terry Nolan, also attended.
An Garda Síochána, several government departments, local community groups, Shell and workers’ representatives, Mayo County Council and some state agencies will all be involved in the talks.
Shell to Sea’s Terence Conway added: “We have been seeking proper dialogue for eight years now, and the only dialogue the Government have sent our way, is the boot and the baton of An Garda Síochána.”
Mr Ryan claimed Corrib would help turn north Mayo into an energy hub for the country.
“Northwest Mayo has the best resources in Ireland,” Mr Ryan said.
“Renewable and gas energy go hand in hand.
“I believe that development of these resources will bring long-term and sustainable economic development to Mayo.”
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
As the first hearing began behind closed doors, opponents of the north Mayo Shell development boycotted the meeting and instead organised their own get-together next door.
Shell to Sea accused Energy Minister Eamon Ryan of refusing to tackle mistakes made in the eight-year battle to open the off-shore gas field and coastal refinery.
Spokeswoman Maura Harrington claimed the forum would not address the real concerns.
“While Minster Eamon Ryan accepted that undoubted mistakes have been made in relation to this project, it seems that he doesn’t want these mistakes to be discussed and corrected,” she said.
“This forum is not allowed to address the health concerns of the people of the area, the unsuitability of Bellanaboy as a refinery site or the great giveaway of our gas and oil.
“This media event tries to intrinsically link Shell’s Corrib gas with the proper and sustainable development of the northwest Mayo region. Not only is no link possible, they are mutually exclusive,” said Ms Harrington.
The first meeting of the Government-backed forum was held in a Belmullet hotel.
Mr Ryan and Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Éamon Ó Cuív attended the meeting and insisted the Shell development would go ahead as planned.
Anti-Corrib campaigners Pobal Cill Comainn and Pobal Le Cheile also refused to join the forum.
Former senior civil servant Joe Brosnan — a member of Northern Ireland’s paramilitary watchdog, the Independent Monitoring Commission — heads up the forum.
Managing director of Shell E&P Ireland, Terry Nolan, also attended.
An Garda Síochána, several government departments, local community groups, Shell and workers’ representatives, Mayo County Council and some state agencies will all be involved in the talks.
Shell to Sea’s Terence Conway added: “We have been seeking proper dialogue for eight years now, and the only dialogue the Government have sent our way, is the boot and the baton of An Garda Síochána.”
Mr Ryan claimed Corrib would help turn north Mayo into an energy hub for the country.
“Northwest Mayo has the best resources in Ireland,” Mr Ryan said.
“Renewable and gas energy go hand in hand.
“I believe that development of these resources will bring long-term and sustainable economic development to Mayo.”
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Shell opposition groups boycott Mayo forum
Groups opposing the Corrib gas project boycotted a community forum attended by two ministers in Mayo today.
The Community Forum for Development meeting in Belmullet was attended by Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan and Minister for Community Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív.
The gas project opposition groups Pobal Chill Chomáin, Pobal le Chéile and Shell to Sea intend to hold a separate public forum at the same time in the same location.
They have criticised the exclusion from the agenda of the proposed relocation of the Bellanaboy gas refinery and other issues.
Shell to Sea said it would not attend the forum because of its “refusal to deal with the manner in which the existing consents for the Corrib gas project were given to Shell”.
“This event should not be called a forum as attendance is by invitation only,” the group said in a statement.
It said the Ministers had “refused to address the substantive issues”, including the building of a refinery within the catchment area of a regional water supply, the imposition of Shell’s raw gas pipeline upon a “non-consenting community” and the “giveaway” of oil and gas resources to private companies at a time of great public need.
It said Shell to Sea would a attend a separate “people’s forum” today, which would be open to the public to discuss their views on the Corrib gas project.
“Shell to Sea would wholeheartedly welcome any open forum if it was willing to deal with Corrib gas project in its totality. Shell to Sea also object to the pressure various community and development groups in the area have been put under to take part in the Government sponsored event.”
Spokeswoman Maura Harrington said: “While Minster Eamon Ryan accepted that undoubted mistakes have been made in relation to this project, it seems that he doesn’t want these mistakes to be discussed and corrected.
“This forum is not allowed to address the health concerns of the people of the area, the unsuitability of Bellanaboy as a refinery site or the great giveaway of our gas and oil.”
Managing director of Shell E&P Ireland Terry Nolan will attend the inaugural meeting of the community forum.
“As a major company, with more than 900 people employed at Bellanaboy - the biggest building site in Ireland – SEPIL welcomes the opportunity to work with all groups and individuals to enhance the long-term social and economic development of Erris and Co Mayo,” he said.
“The Corrib Gas partners have always been committed to sitting around the table with any individuals or groups to discuss issues of concern relating to the project.”
Mr Nolan said the partners would work with the forum’s chairman Joe Brosnan and the other participants to “leverage the development opportunities that will flow from Corrib”.
A number of local groups, including Pro-Gas Mayo have welcomed the community forum initiative.
Forum chairman Joe Brosnan said he regretted the decision of the opposition groups not to participate.
The first meeting of the Government-backed forum was held behind closed doors in a Belmullet hotel by invitation only.
Mr Ryan and Mr O Cuiv insisted the Shell development would go ahead as planned.
Mr Ryan said Corrib would help turn north Mayo into an energy hub for the country.
“Ireland has some of the best ocean and wind resources in the world and North West Mayo has the best resources in Ireland,” the minister said.
“Renewable and gas energy go hand in hand. I believe that development of these resources will bring long term and sustainable economic development to Mayo.”
An Garda Siochana, which is the focus of numerous complaints over the handling of demonstrations over the gas pipleine, and several Government departments will be involved in the talks. Mayo County Council and some state agencies were also asked to take part.
Additional reporting: PA
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
The Community Forum for Development meeting in Belmullet was attended by Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan and Minister for Community Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív.
The gas project opposition groups Pobal Chill Chomáin, Pobal le Chéile and Shell to Sea intend to hold a separate public forum at the same time in the same location.
They have criticised the exclusion from the agenda of the proposed relocation of the Bellanaboy gas refinery and other issues.
Shell to Sea said it would not attend the forum because of its “refusal to deal with the manner in which the existing consents for the Corrib gas project were given to Shell”.
“This event should not be called a forum as attendance is by invitation only,” the group said in a statement.
It said the Ministers had “refused to address the substantive issues”, including the building of a refinery within the catchment area of a regional water supply, the imposition of Shell’s raw gas pipeline upon a “non-consenting community” and the “giveaway” of oil and gas resources to private companies at a time of great public need.
It said Shell to Sea would a attend a separate “people’s forum” today, which would be open to the public to discuss their views on the Corrib gas project.
“Shell to Sea would wholeheartedly welcome any open forum if it was willing to deal with Corrib gas project in its totality. Shell to Sea also object to the pressure various community and development groups in the area have been put under to take part in the Government sponsored event.”
Spokeswoman Maura Harrington said: “While Minster Eamon Ryan accepted that undoubted mistakes have been made in relation to this project, it seems that he doesn’t want these mistakes to be discussed and corrected.
“This forum is not allowed to address the health concerns of the people of the area, the unsuitability of Bellanaboy as a refinery site or the great giveaway of our gas and oil.”
Managing director of Shell E&P Ireland Terry Nolan will attend the inaugural meeting of the community forum.
“As a major company, with more than 900 people employed at Bellanaboy - the biggest building site in Ireland – SEPIL welcomes the opportunity to work with all groups and individuals to enhance the long-term social and economic development of Erris and Co Mayo,” he said.
“The Corrib Gas partners have always been committed to sitting around the table with any individuals or groups to discuss issues of concern relating to the project.”
Mr Nolan said the partners would work with the forum’s chairman Joe Brosnan and the other participants to “leverage the development opportunities that will flow from Corrib”.
A number of local groups, including Pro-Gas Mayo have welcomed the community forum initiative.
Forum chairman Joe Brosnan said he regretted the decision of the opposition groups not to participate.
The first meeting of the Government-backed forum was held behind closed doors in a Belmullet hotel by invitation only.
Mr Ryan and Mr O Cuiv insisted the Shell development would go ahead as planned.
Mr Ryan said Corrib would help turn north Mayo into an energy hub for the country.
“Ireland has some of the best ocean and wind resources in the world and North West Mayo has the best resources in Ireland,” the minister said.
“Renewable and gas energy go hand in hand. I believe that development of these resources will bring long term and sustainable economic development to Mayo.”
An Garda Siochana, which is the focus of numerous complaints over the handling of demonstrations over the gas pipleine, and several Government departments will be involved in the talks. Mayo County Council and some state agencies were also asked to take part.
Additional reporting: PA
Irishtimes.com
www.buckplanning.ie
Treasures on the roadside
The road-building programme has been accused of destroying archaeological sites, but digs have revealed fascinating material, writes Claire O'Connell
THE ECONOMIC BOOM may be over, but its flurry of road building has uncovered a wealth of archaeological finds with lasting value.
In particular, digs along proposed routes have shed light on "unknown" archaeology that may not have otherwise been examined, according to Rónán Swan, acting head of archaeology at the National Roads Authority.
The scale of road-related archaeological digs has increased massively in recent years - in 1993 there was one road excavation, in 2007 there were 579 - and they usually turn up something of interest, says Swan.
"Most places that we start doing investigations around the country we will find archaeology there," he says. "It's a testament to the wealth of archaeology that we have in this country, and that we have incredible levels of preservation. It's not just the actual site that's important. There can be a tremendous amount of results from post-excavation work, looking at the samples and reports and records."
Some of the sites - most obviously the M3's route at Tara - have courted controversy, but ultimately Swan believes this road-building period will have a profound impact on our understanding of how our ancestors lived day-to-day. "It's telling us about the mundane, about how people lived their lives, it's not just the extremes of the biggest, best, oldest and earliest."
The NRA is keen to share the results with the public through talks, exhibitions and publications, says Swan. "It gives people an easy way of accessing the past, and there's a tremendous thirst on the parts of local communities to find out what's taking place in their area and what's involved." For more information see www.nra.ie/Archaeology.
CASH IN CASHEL
In 2006 a seemingly routine dig suddenly yielded treasure when it turned up a cache of cash near Cashel. That July, archaeologists led by husband-and-wife team Joanne Hughes and Richard O'Brien were excavating the site of an old pond on the planned N8 Cashel bypass route.
"It was full of burned roots and trees, it wasn't very spectacular," says O'Brien. "But then the trowel dug back through the soil and a couple of coins popped up to the surface." Over the following days, the team found a total of 18 silver coins clustered near one spot. The pennies date from the reign of king Edward II in the 14th century and most were minted in London, but one was made in Dublin.
"We can't prove it, but [the stashing of the coins] could be associated with the invasion of the Scots into Cashel in 1317," says O'Brien, who describes the period as an "unfortunate" time for his native town. "We think somebody hid them under a stone or beside a tree near the pond, which was a good marker, and never made it back to get them."
What would the loot have bought you in the period they were buried? "It appears that one sheep was valued at one shilling, which varied between four to six pennies in value at that time," says O'Brien.
IRON USE
You would hardly guess it, but the image above is a close-up of rust. It comes from the work of PhD student Brian Dolan from UCD's school of archaeology, who looks at iron slags around Ireland from the AD first millennium.
Road building has turned up a large number of new archaeologically interesting sites that are providing meat for scientific research. Dolan is looking at what these and other sites can tell us about the little-known iron-using habits of the early medieval period in Ireland. "It's to figure out what people were doing with the iron and where, whether it was specialist activity or general repairs," he says.
In the field, the leftover iron might look like big lumps of clay, but the optical microscope tells a different story. "Under the microscope you can tell whether the blacksmith was smelting iron from ore, or making or repairing something like a sword," explains Dolan.
Monasteries, which needed iron for bells, seem to have been particularly busy in the iron-smithing department, and were often on trade routes around the country. The pictured sample, from a ring fort in Galway, shows the "onion bands" that form as the iron rusts.
Dolan, who is funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences, plans to further map the use of iron at Irish sites and then carry out detailed analyses at selected locations.
BALLYHANNA BONES
When test-trenching along the proposed N15 bypass route in Co Donegal turned up bones in 2003, the coroner was called. But it soon became apparent that these bones had been there a while. Eventually, skeletal remains from around 1,300 individuals were unearthed from the site, an ancient church and graveyard at Ballyhanna that was used in medieval times and again in the 17th century.
The bones yielded their secrets under scientific scrutiny, and told of tough times for the people who lived back then. "There were numerous cases of tuberculosis among the adults, and at least one child displayed lesions characteristic of the disease," says Dr Eileen Murphy, who along with Catriona McKenzie, Roisín McCarthy and Claire McGranaghan examined the bones at Queen's University Belfast.
The skeletal remains also bore the scars of traumas (such as chop marks and even cranial surgery), signs of gross infection that could have been lethal without the luxury of antibiotics, a hereditary condition known as bumpy bone disease, and many of the children showed signs of scurvy, says Murphy.
Chemical analysis of the bones suggests that the Ballyhanna population consumed a marine-based diet and were exposed to lower levels of lead than a modern population, according to research carried out by Tasneem Bashir at IT Sligo, which runs the only BSc Honours in Archaeological Science in the country. DNA analysis of the bones has proven tricky so far, but will look in more detail at the nature of the tuberculosis infection next year.
OLD TRACKWAYS IN EDERCLOON
Edercloon in Co Longford has long been a popular site for roads, as development work on the N4 showed. Excavations there revealed a network of wooden trackways and platforms in the raised bog, dating from around 3,600 BC right up to AD 800, explains archaeologist Caitríona Moore.
The acid conditions of the bog preserved the wood extraordinarily well, right down to the nick marks made by tools through the Stone, Bronze and Iron ages.
The trackways, which frequently criss-crossed and merged, provided access from dry land across and into the bog. They could have been used for rituals, hunting game and gathering plant material for bedding and roofing, and the extent of the tracks indicates community activity, says Moore.
The dig also turned up several large collections of artefacts, including wooden bowls, wheels and spears.
"We found 51 artefacts buried in trackways. There was something around every three to five metres," says Moore. "There are two schools of thought on this - they may have been left there as refuse, or they could have been part of rituals."
Wood and pollen samples from the site are now being examined to find out more about how the ancient trackways were sourced and built.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
THE ECONOMIC BOOM may be over, but its flurry of road building has uncovered a wealth of archaeological finds with lasting value.
In particular, digs along proposed routes have shed light on "unknown" archaeology that may not have otherwise been examined, according to Rónán Swan, acting head of archaeology at the National Roads Authority.
The scale of road-related archaeological digs has increased massively in recent years - in 1993 there was one road excavation, in 2007 there were 579 - and they usually turn up something of interest, says Swan.
"Most places that we start doing investigations around the country we will find archaeology there," he says. "It's a testament to the wealth of archaeology that we have in this country, and that we have incredible levels of preservation. It's not just the actual site that's important. There can be a tremendous amount of results from post-excavation work, looking at the samples and reports and records."
Some of the sites - most obviously the M3's route at Tara - have courted controversy, but ultimately Swan believes this road-building period will have a profound impact on our understanding of how our ancestors lived day-to-day. "It's telling us about the mundane, about how people lived their lives, it's not just the extremes of the biggest, best, oldest and earliest."
The NRA is keen to share the results with the public through talks, exhibitions and publications, says Swan. "It gives people an easy way of accessing the past, and there's a tremendous thirst on the parts of local communities to find out what's taking place in their area and what's involved." For more information see www.nra.ie/Archaeology.
CASH IN CASHEL
In 2006 a seemingly routine dig suddenly yielded treasure when it turned up a cache of cash near Cashel. That July, archaeologists led by husband-and-wife team Joanne Hughes and Richard O'Brien were excavating the site of an old pond on the planned N8 Cashel bypass route.
"It was full of burned roots and trees, it wasn't very spectacular," says O'Brien. "But then the trowel dug back through the soil and a couple of coins popped up to the surface." Over the following days, the team found a total of 18 silver coins clustered near one spot. The pennies date from the reign of king Edward II in the 14th century and most were minted in London, but one was made in Dublin.
"We can't prove it, but [the stashing of the coins] could be associated with the invasion of the Scots into Cashel in 1317," says O'Brien, who describes the period as an "unfortunate" time for his native town. "We think somebody hid them under a stone or beside a tree near the pond, which was a good marker, and never made it back to get them."
What would the loot have bought you in the period they were buried? "It appears that one sheep was valued at one shilling, which varied between four to six pennies in value at that time," says O'Brien.
IRON USE
You would hardly guess it, but the image above is a close-up of rust. It comes from the work of PhD student Brian Dolan from UCD's school of archaeology, who looks at iron slags around Ireland from the AD first millennium.
Road building has turned up a large number of new archaeologically interesting sites that are providing meat for scientific research. Dolan is looking at what these and other sites can tell us about the little-known iron-using habits of the early medieval period in Ireland. "It's to figure out what people were doing with the iron and where, whether it was specialist activity or general repairs," he says.
In the field, the leftover iron might look like big lumps of clay, but the optical microscope tells a different story. "Under the microscope you can tell whether the blacksmith was smelting iron from ore, or making or repairing something like a sword," explains Dolan.
Monasteries, which needed iron for bells, seem to have been particularly busy in the iron-smithing department, and were often on trade routes around the country. The pictured sample, from a ring fort in Galway, shows the "onion bands" that form as the iron rusts.
Dolan, who is funded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences, plans to further map the use of iron at Irish sites and then carry out detailed analyses at selected locations.
BALLYHANNA BONES
When test-trenching along the proposed N15 bypass route in Co Donegal turned up bones in 2003, the coroner was called. But it soon became apparent that these bones had been there a while. Eventually, skeletal remains from around 1,300 individuals were unearthed from the site, an ancient church and graveyard at Ballyhanna that was used in medieval times and again in the 17th century.
The bones yielded their secrets under scientific scrutiny, and told of tough times for the people who lived back then. "There were numerous cases of tuberculosis among the adults, and at least one child displayed lesions characteristic of the disease," says Dr Eileen Murphy, who along with Catriona McKenzie, Roisín McCarthy and Claire McGranaghan examined the bones at Queen's University Belfast.
The skeletal remains also bore the scars of traumas (such as chop marks and even cranial surgery), signs of gross infection that could have been lethal without the luxury of antibiotics, a hereditary condition known as bumpy bone disease, and many of the children showed signs of scurvy, says Murphy.
Chemical analysis of the bones suggests that the Ballyhanna population consumed a marine-based diet and were exposed to lower levels of lead than a modern population, according to research carried out by Tasneem Bashir at IT Sligo, which runs the only BSc Honours in Archaeological Science in the country. DNA analysis of the bones has proven tricky so far, but will look in more detail at the nature of the tuberculosis infection next year.
OLD TRACKWAYS IN EDERCLOON
Edercloon in Co Longford has long been a popular site for roads, as development work on the N4 showed. Excavations there revealed a network of wooden trackways and platforms in the raised bog, dating from around 3,600 BC right up to AD 800, explains archaeologist Caitríona Moore.
The acid conditions of the bog preserved the wood extraordinarily well, right down to the nick marks made by tools through the Stone, Bronze and Iron ages.
The trackways, which frequently criss-crossed and merged, provided access from dry land across and into the bog. They could have been used for rituals, hunting game and gathering plant material for bedding and roofing, and the extent of the tracks indicates community activity, says Moore.
The dig also turned up several large collections of artefacts, including wooden bowls, wheels and spears.
"We found 51 artefacts buried in trackways. There was something around every three to five metres," says Moore. "There are two schools of thought on this - they may have been left there as refuse, or they could have been part of rituals."
Wood and pollen samples from the site are now being examined to find out more about how the ancient trackways were sourced and built.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Pipeline risk to residents ‘insignificant’
THE promoters of a €500 million gas terminal on the Shannon estuary have given assurances about the safety of a 26km pipeline which will run across country from Tarbert, in Co Kerry, to Foynes, Co Limerick.
Leon Bowdoin, engineering vice-president of Shannon LNG (liquefied natural gas), told an An Bord Pleanála hearing the pipeline was designed to the same standard as Bord Gáis pipelines.
Replying to concerns of people in north Kerry about the safety of pipeline, he described risks to people as “insignificant’.
Mr Bowdoin told the hearing in Listowel, pipelines were regarded as the safest and most reliable means of onshore, cross-country transport of large quantities of hazard product.
He also said the pipeline had been routed to avoid centres of population, minimise road and river crossings and to avoid areas liable to landslides.
The €58m pipeline will connect the country’s first LNG terminal, in Tarbert, to the national grid, near Foynes.
In relation to safety concerns raised by the group, Safety Before LNG, Mr Bowdoin said the risk of accident was extremely low, due to the design and operation of the pipeline. Shannon LNG has agreed to make manuals available to communities along the pipeline route so they can monitor the situation and see that best practice is followed.
However, Dr Catherine McMullin of An Taisce said the pipeline would run through a section of rich fen in the townland of Doonard Upper.
This habitat had links with the highly-protected Annex 1 habitat of alkaline fens. She said the mitigation measures proposed by Shannon LNG seemed inadequate.
Johnny McElligott, of Safety Before LNG, said no provision had been made to link the pipeline with the Tarbert or Moneypoint power stations and he called on the hearing’s chairperson, Anne Marie O’Connor, to address that situation.
Other local residents said the project would bring life back to Tarbert and Ballylongford, pointing out that upwards of 100 jobs would created.
A decision is due by February 18.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Leon Bowdoin, engineering vice-president of Shannon LNG (liquefied natural gas), told an An Bord Pleanála hearing the pipeline was designed to the same standard as Bord Gáis pipelines.
Replying to concerns of people in north Kerry about the safety of pipeline, he described risks to people as “insignificant’.
Mr Bowdoin told the hearing in Listowel, pipelines were regarded as the safest and most reliable means of onshore, cross-country transport of large quantities of hazard product.
He also said the pipeline had been routed to avoid centres of population, minimise road and river crossings and to avoid areas liable to landslides.
The €58m pipeline will connect the country’s first LNG terminal, in Tarbert, to the national grid, near Foynes.
In relation to safety concerns raised by the group, Safety Before LNG, Mr Bowdoin said the risk of accident was extremely low, due to the design and operation of the pipeline. Shannon LNG has agreed to make manuals available to communities along the pipeline route so they can monitor the situation and see that best practice is followed.
However, Dr Catherine McMullin of An Taisce said the pipeline would run through a section of rich fen in the townland of Doonard Upper.
This habitat had links with the highly-protected Annex 1 habitat of alkaline fens. She said the mitigation measures proposed by Shannon LNG seemed inadequate.
Johnny McElligott, of Safety Before LNG, said no provision had been made to link the pipeline with the Tarbert or Moneypoint power stations and he called on the hearing’s chairperson, Anne Marie O’Connor, to address that situation.
Other local residents said the project would bring life back to Tarbert and Ballylongford, pointing out that upwards of 100 jobs would created.
A decision is due by February 18.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Planning and development
An Bord Pleanála
APPEALS
Location: former Easons warehouse, Brickfield Drive, Crumlin, D12. Proposed development: demolish on site structures for 52 apartments, 12 houses, science and technology-based industry space, crèche and site works. Applicant: Brian M Durkan and Co Ltd. Appellant(s): Brickfield Drive and Keeper Road Residents Association.
Location : Newcastle Lyons, Co Dublin. Proposed development : 48 residential units and one retail unit. Applicant : Tenbury Developments Ltd. Appellant(s) : Newcastle Lyons Districts Residents Association.
Location : Granite Lodge, Lyndhurst and Drumcree, Herbert Road, Bray, Co Wicklow. Proposed development : demolish three houses for 24 houses and 24 apartments in six blocks with car-parking and site works. Applicant : Tom Gilligan and John Lynch. Appellant(s) : Anthony and Margaret MacGabhann, Brendan Martin, R and M OShea and S and S Kelly, Colin Johnson, Noel Dowling, Pemberton Residents Association, Rectory Way Residents Committee.
Location : Blackrock Cove, Golf Links Road, Haggardstown, Blackrock, Co Louth. Proposed development : 145 residential units, childcare facility, parking, roads, access, and site works. Applicant : Shannon Homes. Appellant(s) : B Ryan, C and L Power, R and R Henry.
Location : High Carn, Rathelton, Co Donegal. Proposed development : 418 residential units. Applicant : PJ Sweeney and Geoffrey House. Appellant(s): Old Glencor Road and Fernhill Residents.
DECISION TO GRANT
Location : Tullow Road, Carlow. Proposed development : 198 residential units, crèche and site works. Applicant : Liam Tedford (with conditions).
DECISION TO REFUSE
Location : 52 Northumberland Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (protected structure). Proposed development : three-storey office building to rear and site works. Applicant : Gannon Homes.
Location : 59-60 Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Proposed development : demolish house for 44 apartments and three retail units in two V-shaped blocks with site works. Applicant : ODolan International Ltd.
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown
APPLICATIONS
Location : former HQ of Jefferson Smurfit Group, Beech Hill, Clonskeagh, D14 and at UCD, Belfield, D4, also at Clonskeagh Road near junction with Clonskeagh Drive, D14. Proposed development : demolish offices for 207 residential units (47 houses and 160 apartments in three blocks of three to seven storeys), two office blocks of two to seven storeys, one to seven-storey science and technology building, two-storey crèche, concierge building, retail kiosk, 624 parking spaces, site works. Applicant : Pamarette Ltd UCD.
Location : 1.95 hectares at Mount Carmel Hospital, Braemor Park, Churchtown, D14. Proposed development : new hospital and 40 dwellings. Demolish hospital complex and associated buildings. New development of 44,060sq m (474,257sq ft). Phase one: 160-bed hospital in the eastern portion of the site on lands partly occupied by the hospital car-park. New hospital of 29,700sq m (319,688sq ft) in three to six storeys above ground and two levels of basement. Provision of 45 car-parking spaces (for staff); ambulance parking area at surface level; 98 car-parking spaces at lower ground level and 114 car-parking spaces at basement level. Phase two: demolition of existing hospital complex for 28 terraced four-bed houses and 12 two-bed apartments; 116 car-parking spaces for residential development at basement; and site works. Applicant : Mount Carmel Medical Group Properties (South Dublin) Ltd.
Location : former Texaco station, Upr Churchtown Rd, Churchtown, D14. Proposed development : medical centre, pharmacy and 26 surface car-parking spaces. Applicant : Ray Power, Moss Cox, Ahmed Mehtar Michael Mehigan.
Dublin City Council
APPLICATIONS
Location : 0.3279-hectare site bounded to the north by Hatch Street Lower, to the west by Earlsfort Terrace, to the east by Hatch Place and to the south by Segrave House in Dublin 2. Proposed development: demolish five-storey office building (17-19 Earlsfort Terrace) for a nine-storey office building with a café at ground floor level. Refurbish and external restoration of 15, 16, 17 and 18 Earlsfort Terrace (17 18 are protected structures). Change of use of 15 Earlsfort Terrace from residential to office use. Change of use of basement and third floor from residential to office use at 16 Earlsfort Terrace. Permission for embassy on third floor at 17 Earlsfort Terrace (protected structure); retention of embassy on first and second floor; change of use of basement and ground floor from office to residential (consisting of a two-bed apartment). Refurbish and external restoration of 18 Earlsfort Terrace (protected structure). Provision of 49 car-parking spaces and site works. Applicant : Ballack Ltd.
Location : 31-34 Bow Lane West, D8. Proposed development: demolish warehouse for 10 apartments (two one-beds, six two-beds and two three-beds) in a five-storey development with two commercial units, 10 car-parking spaces and site works. Applicant : Neil, Hugh and Glyn Gordon.
Location : East Road and Ravensdale Road, East Wall, D3. Proposed development: 127 residential units (16 one-beds, 86 two-beds, five two-bed duplexes, 16 three-beds, three three-bed houses and one three-bed duplex) and a crèche in four blocks with 147 car-parking spaces and site works. Applicant : McGinley Construction Ltd.
DECISION TO GRANT
Location : Ounavarra, 784 Howth Rd, Raheny, D5. Proposed development: demolish house for two blocks with a total of 26 apartments. Block A: 13 apartments (10 two-beds and three three-beds). Block B: 13 apartments (10 two-beds and three three-beds). Retain alterations to vehicular entrance onto Howth Road, also giving access to basement car-park of 39 spaces; and site works. Applicant : Patricia OConnor.
Fingal
APPLICATIONS
Location : Santa Sabina, St Dominic's School and Convent Complex, Greenfield Road, Sutton, D13. Proposed development: 99 dwellings with a crèche. Block A: four-storey block of apartments with five two-beds, two one-beds and one three-bed over a crèche at ground floor. Blocks B1, B2 and B3 each have 11 units (six two-beds, three one-beds and two three-beds). Block C: four storeys with 46 units (45 two-beds and a three-bed). Terrace D: nine five-bed houses, two four-bed houses and one three-bed house. Provision of 112 underground car-parking spaces and 33 surface parking spaces. Landscaping and site works. Applicant : Parsis Ltd.
Location : 4, 4a, 4b 5 Drynam Road, Swords, Co Dublin. Proposed development: demolish dwelling for 13 houses (nine three-beds and four two-beds), landscaping and site works. Applicant : Shannon Homes Ltd.
Meath County Council
APPLICATIONS
Location : Clonmagaddan, Navan, Co Meath. Proposed development: residential, retail, office, pub and restaurant, music school, nursing home, crèche, community centre, boiler house, civic space and associated uses on 53.892 acres. The development will comprise 370 residential units, 16,210.6sq m (174,489sq ft) of retail and commercial uses, civic square of 2,352sq m (25,317sq ft), 1,033 car-parking spaces and site works. Applicant : Joe O'Reilly and Colm O'Rourke.
Kildare County Council
APPLICATIONS
Location : 24.87-acre site with access from Sexes Road and bounded by Mooney's Road, Rickardstown House and part of Rosberry to the north, Station Road to the west and Sexes Road to the south in the town of Rickardstown, Newbridge, Co Kildare. Proposed development : 281 residential units, four retail units, crèche with parking and site works. Applicant : John and Ted Nugent and Declan Gardiner.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
APPEALS
Location: former Easons warehouse, Brickfield Drive, Crumlin, D12. Proposed development: demolish on site structures for 52 apartments, 12 houses, science and technology-based industry space, crèche and site works. Applicant: Brian M Durkan and Co Ltd. Appellant(s): Brickfield Drive and Keeper Road Residents Association.
Location : Newcastle Lyons, Co Dublin. Proposed development : 48 residential units and one retail unit. Applicant : Tenbury Developments Ltd. Appellant(s) : Newcastle Lyons Districts Residents Association.
Location : Granite Lodge, Lyndhurst and Drumcree, Herbert Road, Bray, Co Wicklow. Proposed development : demolish three houses for 24 houses and 24 apartments in six blocks with car-parking and site works. Applicant : Tom Gilligan and John Lynch. Appellant(s) : Anthony and Margaret MacGabhann, Brendan Martin, R and M OShea and S and S Kelly, Colin Johnson, Noel Dowling, Pemberton Residents Association, Rectory Way Residents Committee.
Location : Blackrock Cove, Golf Links Road, Haggardstown, Blackrock, Co Louth. Proposed development : 145 residential units, childcare facility, parking, roads, access, and site works. Applicant : Shannon Homes. Appellant(s) : B Ryan, C and L Power, R and R Henry.
Location : High Carn, Rathelton, Co Donegal. Proposed development : 418 residential units. Applicant : PJ Sweeney and Geoffrey House. Appellant(s): Old Glencor Road and Fernhill Residents.
DECISION TO GRANT
Location : Tullow Road, Carlow. Proposed development : 198 residential units, crèche and site works. Applicant : Liam Tedford (with conditions).
DECISION TO REFUSE
Location : 52 Northumberland Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (protected structure). Proposed development : three-storey office building to rear and site works. Applicant : Gannon Homes.
Location : 59-60 Clontarf Road, Clontarf, Dublin 3. Proposed development : demolish house for 44 apartments and three retail units in two V-shaped blocks with site works. Applicant : ODolan International Ltd.
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown
APPLICATIONS
Location : former HQ of Jefferson Smurfit Group, Beech Hill, Clonskeagh, D14 and at UCD, Belfield, D4, also at Clonskeagh Road near junction with Clonskeagh Drive, D14. Proposed development : demolish offices for 207 residential units (47 houses and 160 apartments in three blocks of three to seven storeys), two office blocks of two to seven storeys, one to seven-storey science and technology building, two-storey crèche, concierge building, retail kiosk, 624 parking spaces, site works. Applicant : Pamarette Ltd UCD.
Location : 1.95 hectares at Mount Carmel Hospital, Braemor Park, Churchtown, D14. Proposed development : new hospital and 40 dwellings. Demolish hospital complex and associated buildings. New development of 44,060sq m (474,257sq ft). Phase one: 160-bed hospital in the eastern portion of the site on lands partly occupied by the hospital car-park. New hospital of 29,700sq m (319,688sq ft) in three to six storeys above ground and two levels of basement. Provision of 45 car-parking spaces (for staff); ambulance parking area at surface level; 98 car-parking spaces at lower ground level and 114 car-parking spaces at basement level. Phase two: demolition of existing hospital complex for 28 terraced four-bed houses and 12 two-bed apartments; 116 car-parking spaces for residential development at basement; and site works. Applicant : Mount Carmel Medical Group Properties (South Dublin) Ltd.
Location : former Texaco station, Upr Churchtown Rd, Churchtown, D14. Proposed development : medical centre, pharmacy and 26 surface car-parking spaces. Applicant : Ray Power, Moss Cox, Ahmed Mehtar Michael Mehigan.
Dublin City Council
APPLICATIONS
Location : 0.3279-hectare site bounded to the north by Hatch Street Lower, to the west by Earlsfort Terrace, to the east by Hatch Place and to the south by Segrave House in Dublin 2. Proposed development: demolish five-storey office building (17-19 Earlsfort Terrace) for a nine-storey office building with a café at ground floor level. Refurbish and external restoration of 15, 16, 17 and 18 Earlsfort Terrace (17 18 are protected structures). Change of use of 15 Earlsfort Terrace from residential to office use. Change of use of basement and third floor from residential to office use at 16 Earlsfort Terrace. Permission for embassy on third floor at 17 Earlsfort Terrace (protected structure); retention of embassy on first and second floor; change of use of basement and ground floor from office to residential (consisting of a two-bed apartment). Refurbish and external restoration of 18 Earlsfort Terrace (protected structure). Provision of 49 car-parking spaces and site works. Applicant : Ballack Ltd.
Location : 31-34 Bow Lane West, D8. Proposed development: demolish warehouse for 10 apartments (two one-beds, six two-beds and two three-beds) in a five-storey development with two commercial units, 10 car-parking spaces and site works. Applicant : Neil, Hugh and Glyn Gordon.
Location : East Road and Ravensdale Road, East Wall, D3. Proposed development: 127 residential units (16 one-beds, 86 two-beds, five two-bed duplexes, 16 three-beds, three three-bed houses and one three-bed duplex) and a crèche in four blocks with 147 car-parking spaces and site works. Applicant : McGinley Construction Ltd.
DECISION TO GRANT
Location : Ounavarra, 784 Howth Rd, Raheny, D5. Proposed development: demolish house for two blocks with a total of 26 apartments. Block A: 13 apartments (10 two-beds and three three-beds). Block B: 13 apartments (10 two-beds and three three-beds). Retain alterations to vehicular entrance onto Howth Road, also giving access to basement car-park of 39 spaces; and site works. Applicant : Patricia OConnor.
Fingal
APPLICATIONS
Location : Santa Sabina, St Dominic's School and Convent Complex, Greenfield Road, Sutton, D13. Proposed development: 99 dwellings with a crèche. Block A: four-storey block of apartments with five two-beds, two one-beds and one three-bed over a crèche at ground floor. Blocks B1, B2 and B3 each have 11 units (six two-beds, three one-beds and two three-beds). Block C: four storeys with 46 units (45 two-beds and a three-bed). Terrace D: nine five-bed houses, two four-bed houses and one three-bed house. Provision of 112 underground car-parking spaces and 33 surface parking spaces. Landscaping and site works. Applicant : Parsis Ltd.
Location : 4, 4a, 4b 5 Drynam Road, Swords, Co Dublin. Proposed development: demolish dwelling for 13 houses (nine three-beds and four two-beds), landscaping and site works. Applicant : Shannon Homes Ltd.
Meath County Council
APPLICATIONS
Location : Clonmagaddan, Navan, Co Meath. Proposed development: residential, retail, office, pub and restaurant, music school, nursing home, crèche, community centre, boiler house, civic space and associated uses on 53.892 acres. The development will comprise 370 residential units, 16,210.6sq m (174,489sq ft) of retail and commercial uses, civic square of 2,352sq m (25,317sq ft), 1,033 car-parking spaces and site works. Applicant : Joe O'Reilly and Colm O'Rourke.
Kildare County Council
APPLICATIONS
Location : 24.87-acre site with access from Sexes Road and bounded by Mooney's Road, Rickardstown House and part of Rosberry to the north, Station Road to the west and Sexes Road to the south in the town of Rickardstown, Newbridge, Co Kildare. Proposed development : 281 residential units, four retail units, crèche with parking and site works. Applicant : John and Ted Nugent and Declan Gardiner.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Developer returns with scaled down scheme for former Smurfit HQ in D6
DEVELOPER PAMERETTE Ltd is making another attempt to redevelop the former Jefferson Smurfit headquarters at Beech Hill in Clonskeagh, Dublin 6, into a mixed-use scheme, writes EDEL MORGAN
The company - owned by the McCormack, Kelly and Flynn families which bought the site for €5 million - is submitting a planning application to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for an office, residential, retail and science and technology development.
The residential element would comprise 207 units, including 47 houses and 160 apartments in three blocks. The houses would be a mix of three, four and five-bed units. Also part of the proposal are two office buildings rising to seven storeys over double basement, a science and technology building also rising to seven storeys over double basement, a crèche, concierge building and a kiosk.
Last December Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council refused planning permission for a bigger development of 360 apartments in 17 blocks and three office blocks on the 5.5-hectare site on Beech Hill Road adjoining UCD's Belfield campus.
The council rejected the scheme because vehicular access from a busy road would cause serious traffic congestion and endanger public safety. This was the second time developer Pamerette Ltd was refused permission.
Pamerette negotiated a joint venture with UCD, which will provide five acres of land in a deal that will see some of the apartments handed over to the college.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The company - owned by the McCormack, Kelly and Flynn families which bought the site for €5 million - is submitting a planning application to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for an office, residential, retail and science and technology development.
The residential element would comprise 207 units, including 47 houses and 160 apartments in three blocks. The houses would be a mix of three, four and five-bed units. Also part of the proposal are two office buildings rising to seven storeys over double basement, a science and technology building also rising to seven storeys over double basement, a crèche, concierge building and a kiosk.
Last December Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council refused planning permission for a bigger development of 360 apartments in 17 blocks and three office blocks on the 5.5-hectare site on Beech Hill Road adjoining UCD's Belfield campus.
The council rejected the scheme because vehicular access from a busy road would cause serious traffic congestion and endanger public safety. This was the second time developer Pamerette Ltd was refused permission.
Pamerette negotiated a joint venture with UCD, which will provide five acres of land in a deal that will see some of the apartments handed over to the college.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
160-bed hospital and 40 homes for Mount Carmel
MOUNT CARMEL Medical Group is submitting a planning application to Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council to redevelop Mount Carmel Hospital in Churchtown, Dublin 14, writes EDEL MORGAN
The medical group, which also owns Aut Even hospital in Kilkenny and St Joseph's private hospital in Sligo, will demolish the private maternity hospital and build a new six-storey one if it gets the go-ahead.
Also part of the proposal is a residential development of 40 houses and apartments on the five-acre site at Braemor Park.
The main shareholder of the Mount Carmel Medical Group, which acquired the hospital in 2006, is property developer Jerry Conlan.
The development would be in two phases: the first would see a new six-storey 160-bed hospital built on the eastern portion of the site.
Mount Carmel Medical Group is now embarking on an extensive investment programme to strengthen the hospital's services. The plan is to expand the maternity unit and create a centre of excellence for mothers and babies with birthing pools, family rooms and 3D scanning.
The new hospital would have obstetrics, pathology and phlebotomy departments, consultants' suites, an X-ray department, theatres and administrative areas. There would also be a research and education area, staff restaurant and an oratory.
Phase two would see the existing five-storey hospital demolished and a residential development built comprising of 28 terraced four-bed houses and 12 two-bedroom apartments in three blocks.
Access to the homes would be off Orwell Road.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The medical group, which also owns Aut Even hospital in Kilkenny and St Joseph's private hospital in Sligo, will demolish the private maternity hospital and build a new six-storey one if it gets the go-ahead.
Also part of the proposal is a residential development of 40 houses and apartments on the five-acre site at Braemor Park.
The main shareholder of the Mount Carmel Medical Group, which acquired the hospital in 2006, is property developer Jerry Conlan.
The development would be in two phases: the first would see a new six-storey 160-bed hospital built on the eastern portion of the site.
Mount Carmel Medical Group is now embarking on an extensive investment programme to strengthen the hospital's services. The plan is to expand the maternity unit and create a centre of excellence for mothers and babies with birthing pools, family rooms and 3D scanning.
The new hospital would have obstetrics, pathology and phlebotomy departments, consultants' suites, an X-ray department, theatres and administrative areas. There would also be a research and education area, staff restaurant and an oratory.
Phase two would see the existing five-storey hospital demolished and a residential development built comprising of 28 terraced four-bed houses and 12 two-bedroom apartments in three blocks.
Access to the homes would be off Orwell Road.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Decision to allow 'half a bypass' in Galway criticised
BUSINESS LEADERS in Galway have urged Minister for the Environment John Gormley to intervene following a decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for just half of a proposed city bypass.
Galway Chamber of Commerce wants the Minister to upgrade the planned 21km N6 bypass to "critical infrastructure" after permission was granted only for the section on the east of the river Corrib.
The board refused permission for the approximately 10km on the west of the river as it would have an adverse effect on Thonabrucky Bog, which is listed as a priority habitat under the EU habitats directive.
Permission has been given for a section of more than 11km from Garraun and Gortatleva in the east, but was refused for the part between Gortatleva and An Baile Nua, including a connection to the western distributor road.
The decision to refuse permission west of the river has been welcomed by An Taisce, but a spokesperson was critical of An Bord Pleanála for permitting the road on the east side.
Former mayor of Galway, Green councillor Niall Ó Brolcháin, said he was not surprised by the decision. "It was always going to be impractical to steamroll through a sensitive environmental area. The bypass plans were a one-dimensional approach to the city's traffic problem," he said.
The ruling has caused consternation in the city's business community.
"It is a bizarre situation that An Bord Pleanála accepts the need for this bypass, but despite exhaustive public consultations and over two years of deliberations, has reservations about the route through a particular area and the impact on the environment therein," said chamber CEO Michael Coyle.
"The need for the bypass is established, the need for the new bridge over the Corrib is established. We now call on Minister Gormley to get involved and send it back to An Bord Pleanála, designated as a piece of 'critical infrastructure' because half a bypass is no good."
Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said the decision was "regrettable" but he urged that work begin as soon as possible on the stretch east of the river and that the National Roads Authority and Galway city and county councils meet to find an alternative route west of the Corrib.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Galway Chamber of Commerce wants the Minister to upgrade the planned 21km N6 bypass to "critical infrastructure" after permission was granted only for the section on the east of the river Corrib.
The board refused permission for the approximately 10km on the west of the river as it would have an adverse effect on Thonabrucky Bog, which is listed as a priority habitat under the EU habitats directive.
Permission has been given for a section of more than 11km from Garraun and Gortatleva in the east, but was refused for the part between Gortatleva and An Baile Nua, including a connection to the western distributor road.
The decision to refuse permission west of the river has been welcomed by An Taisce, but a spokesperson was critical of An Bord Pleanála for permitting the road on the east side.
Former mayor of Galway, Green councillor Niall Ó Brolcháin, said he was not surprised by the decision. "It was always going to be impractical to steamroll through a sensitive environmental area. The bypass plans were a one-dimensional approach to the city's traffic problem," he said.
The ruling has caused consternation in the city's business community.
"It is a bizarre situation that An Bord Pleanála accepts the need for this bypass, but despite exhaustive public consultations and over two years of deliberations, has reservations about the route through a particular area and the impact on the environment therein," said chamber CEO Michael Coyle.
"The need for the bypass is established, the need for the new bridge over the Corrib is established. We now call on Minister Gormley to get involved and send it back to An Bord Pleanála, designated as a piece of 'critical infrastructure' because half a bypass is no good."
Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív said the decision was "regrettable" but he urged that work begin as soon as possible on the stretch east of the river and that the National Roads Authority and Galway city and county councils meet to find an alternative route west of the Corrib.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Kilkenny road proposal 'flawed'
A PROPOSED new "central access" street through Kilkenny city, incorporating a cable-stayed bridge over the river Nore, would lead to the "destruction of significant buried archaeology" an oral hearing into the scheme has heard.
On the second day of an Bord Pleanála hearing, Coilín Ó Drisceoil, chairman of Kilkenny Archaeological Society, yesterday described the scheme as "flawed" and said it would "seriously injure the built heritage of the city". He told planning inspector Danny O'Connor "reclamation archaeology is hugely important" for the understanding of heritage towns and cities.
The scheme, which comprises 3.5km of a new urban roadway and a new river crossing between Kilkenny's two existing bridges, is jointly led by Kilkenny Borough and Kilkenny County councils.
The new street, which would run between the 13th century St Canice's Cathedral and the linked medieval heart of Kilkenny city, is opposed by the Heritage Council and An Taisce among others.
Mr Ó Drisceoil said the "preservation in situ of buried archaeology is the stated policy of the Department of Environment" and the proposed scheme would lead to the "destruction" of much of the area's known buried archaeological features.
John Mulholland, director of services with Kilkenny local authorities said if "submerged archaeology" was discovered, the council would act according to department protocols in dealing with it.
The hearing continues today.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
On the second day of an Bord Pleanála hearing, Coilín Ó Drisceoil, chairman of Kilkenny Archaeological Society, yesterday described the scheme as "flawed" and said it would "seriously injure the built heritage of the city". He told planning inspector Danny O'Connor "reclamation archaeology is hugely important" for the understanding of heritage towns and cities.
The scheme, which comprises 3.5km of a new urban roadway and a new river crossing between Kilkenny's two existing bridges, is jointly led by Kilkenny Borough and Kilkenny County councils.
The new street, which would run between the 13th century St Canice's Cathedral and the linked medieval heart of Kilkenny city, is opposed by the Heritage Council and An Taisce among others.
Mr Ó Drisceoil said the "preservation in situ of buried archaeology is the stated policy of the Department of Environment" and the proposed scheme would lead to the "destruction" of much of the area's known buried archaeological features.
John Mulholland, director of services with Kilkenny local authorities said if "submerged archaeology" was discovered, the council would act according to department protocols in dealing with it.
The hearing continues today.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Owners threaten to close Lissadell
THE OWNERS of Lissadell House, the ancestral home of Countess Markievicz, have warned they will not keep it open as a tourist facility if Sligo County Council asserts public rights of way through the estate.
Councillors voted unanimously on Monday to amend the current county development plan to include a provision for "the preservation of public rights of way" along a number of routes at Lissadell.
The motion was proposed by Cllr Joe Leonard (FG) who said yesterday that local people were anxious that an amicable resolution be found, although the issue had been "a festering sore" for some time. He said 47 people had submitted depositions to the council two years ago asserting that there was a public right of way on routes which had now been blocked off but which generations of local families had used.
In an e-mail to councillors before Monday's meeting, barristers Eddie Walsh and Constance Cassidy, who bought Lissadell in 2003, said it had been sold as a private property and there were no public rights of way across the estate.
They said at the time all internal roads on the estate were clearly excluded by the council from being in public charge. They added that they had invested considerable private funds and personal effort transforming Lissadell and had increased the number of visitors from 4,000 to 48,000 annually without public funds.
"We have avoided the easy options to exploit and develop Lissadell commercially, but there is only so much one family can do," they told councillors.
"If we do not enjoy the support of the councillors who represent the people of Sligo, then our efforts are at naught. Why would anyone continue?"
The couple said they would fight the issue "all the way". They could not continue to operate "if the estate is turned into a rat run" or if they are forced to embark on an expensive legal battle.
Mr Leonard said he acknowledged the work done at the estate since 2003 but he did not accept a public right of way would affect activities there. "It will not inhibit their ability to sell jams or wine," he said.
A number of entrances to the estate had been closed to the public and while Lissadell beach could still be accessed through an entrance owned by Coillte, people who had traditionally used other routes to the beach could no longer do so. He said it was wrong to assume that because the council had not taken charge of the roads that they were not public.
Mr Walsh and Ms Cassidy said it was "noteworthy" that this issue had first been raised in the lead-up to the last local election and was now resurfacing as another election approaches. "These people have had five years to bring an action but they have not done so." They said they were "very disappointed" with the vote and surprised they had received no notification from the council before or since the meeting, even though "this materially affects our rights".
The council must now issue public notices of its intention to amend the plan, and the public has six weeks to object or make submissions. The issue then goes back to elected members for a vote. Asked whether they would fight this move through the courts, the couple confirmed that they would "defend this unwarranted attack to the very end".
They believed those opposing their stance "do not represent the majority of the people of Sligo".
In the e-mail to elected members they said this would "lead only to protracted and expensive litigation, and waste money, energy and time, both on the part of the council, and of Lissadell, at a time when, quite simply, whatever money is available, we wish to plough into keeping Lissadell open, and keeping people employed".
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Councillors voted unanimously on Monday to amend the current county development plan to include a provision for "the preservation of public rights of way" along a number of routes at Lissadell.
The motion was proposed by Cllr Joe Leonard (FG) who said yesterday that local people were anxious that an amicable resolution be found, although the issue had been "a festering sore" for some time. He said 47 people had submitted depositions to the council two years ago asserting that there was a public right of way on routes which had now been blocked off but which generations of local families had used.
In an e-mail to councillors before Monday's meeting, barristers Eddie Walsh and Constance Cassidy, who bought Lissadell in 2003, said it had been sold as a private property and there were no public rights of way across the estate.
They said at the time all internal roads on the estate were clearly excluded by the council from being in public charge. They added that they had invested considerable private funds and personal effort transforming Lissadell and had increased the number of visitors from 4,000 to 48,000 annually without public funds.
"We have avoided the easy options to exploit and develop Lissadell commercially, but there is only so much one family can do," they told councillors.
"If we do not enjoy the support of the councillors who represent the people of Sligo, then our efforts are at naught. Why would anyone continue?"
The couple said they would fight the issue "all the way". They could not continue to operate "if the estate is turned into a rat run" or if they are forced to embark on an expensive legal battle.
Mr Leonard said he acknowledged the work done at the estate since 2003 but he did not accept a public right of way would affect activities there. "It will not inhibit their ability to sell jams or wine," he said.
A number of entrances to the estate had been closed to the public and while Lissadell beach could still be accessed through an entrance owned by Coillte, people who had traditionally used other routes to the beach could no longer do so. He said it was wrong to assume that because the council had not taken charge of the roads that they were not public.
Mr Walsh and Ms Cassidy said it was "noteworthy" that this issue had first been raised in the lead-up to the last local election and was now resurfacing as another election approaches. "These people have had five years to bring an action but they have not done so." They said they were "very disappointed" with the vote and surprised they had received no notification from the council before or since the meeting, even though "this materially affects our rights".
The council must now issue public notices of its intention to amend the plan, and the public has six weeks to object or make submissions. The issue then goes back to elected members for a vote. Asked whether they would fight this move through the courts, the couple confirmed that they would "defend this unwarranted attack to the very end".
They believed those opposing their stance "do not represent the majority of the people of Sligo".
In the e-mail to elected members they said this would "lead only to protracted and expensive litigation, and waste money, energy and time, both on the part of the council, and of Lissadell, at a time when, quite simply, whatever money is available, we wish to plough into keeping Lissadell open, and keeping people employed".
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Gormley comes under fire as Poolbeg incinerator is approved
THE MINISTER for the Environment John Gormley has rejected Opposition claims that yesterday's decision to give the go-ahead for a controversial incinerator in his own Dublin constituency has highlighted the Green Party's "ineffectuality" in Government.
The proposed €250 million incinerator in Poolbeg, set to be one of the largest municipal waste incinerators in Europe, was yesterday granted an operating licence by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is located in Mr Gormley's own constituency of Dublin South East.
The Green Party leader has been one of the project's most vocal opponents over the past 10 years and yesterday's decision was viewed as politically awkward for him.
Dublin City Council will be allowed to burn 600,000 tonnes of waste annually. The licence also frees the council from having to pre-sort the waste using mechanical biological treatment (MBT), a waste management process favoured by the Green Party leader.
Mr Gormley has said that the use of MBT and other methods could reduce the volume of waste for incineration throughout the State to 600,000 tonnes per annum, a fraction of the proposed capacity of the eight incinerators envisaged by regional waste plans. It is equal to the total volume of waste Dublin City Council has committed to provide the Poolbeg incinerator each year.
The licence is subject to more than 216 conditions relating to the environmental management, operation, control and monitoring of the facility.
However, it is understood that despite the many conditions, some of which are likely to result in considerable extra costs, the council will be able to go ahead with the facility and expects to begin construction in the second half of next year. It will also need approval from the Commission for Energy Regulation.
Ruairí Quinn of Labour, also a TD in Dublin South East, called on the Minister to fund a judicial review of the decision and claimed he could have used his powers as Minister to stop the incinerator.
"This really is his last chance to act. If he doesn't, he will be to blame if this incinerator is built," he said.
Lucinda Creighton, the Fine Gael TD in the constituency, contended that Mr Gormley was a "do-nothing Minister" who had sat on his hands rather than intervening. Mr Gormley portrayed Opposition calls on him to intervene as "bogus" and "hypocritical". "That planning process had begun before I entered office. You have to go back many years before this process began," he said, adding that the legal framework forbade him as Minister to intervene.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The proposed €250 million incinerator in Poolbeg, set to be one of the largest municipal waste incinerators in Europe, was yesterday granted an operating licence by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is located in Mr Gormley's own constituency of Dublin South East.
The Green Party leader has been one of the project's most vocal opponents over the past 10 years and yesterday's decision was viewed as politically awkward for him.
Dublin City Council will be allowed to burn 600,000 tonnes of waste annually. The licence also frees the council from having to pre-sort the waste using mechanical biological treatment (MBT), a waste management process favoured by the Green Party leader.
Mr Gormley has said that the use of MBT and other methods could reduce the volume of waste for incineration throughout the State to 600,000 tonnes per annum, a fraction of the proposed capacity of the eight incinerators envisaged by regional waste plans. It is equal to the total volume of waste Dublin City Council has committed to provide the Poolbeg incinerator each year.
The licence is subject to more than 216 conditions relating to the environmental management, operation, control and monitoring of the facility.
However, it is understood that despite the many conditions, some of which are likely to result in considerable extra costs, the council will be able to go ahead with the facility and expects to begin construction in the second half of next year. It will also need approval from the Commission for Energy Regulation.
Ruairí Quinn of Labour, also a TD in Dublin South East, called on the Minister to fund a judicial review of the decision and claimed he could have used his powers as Minister to stop the incinerator.
"This really is his last chance to act. If he doesn't, he will be to blame if this incinerator is built," he said.
Lucinda Creighton, the Fine Gael TD in the constituency, contended that Mr Gormley was a "do-nothing Minister" who had sat on his hands rather than intervening. Mr Gormley portrayed Opposition calls on him to intervene as "bogus" and "hypocritical". "That planning process had begun before I entered office. You have to go back many years before this process began," he said, adding that the legal framework forbade him as Minister to intervene.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Council's 12-year battle to build plant in Poolbeg
FIRST proposed more than a decade ago in 1996, it's been a long-running battle for Dublin City Council to get its incinerator built on the Poolbeg Peninsula in the heart of the city.
First proposed in the Dublin Regional Waste Management Strategy, incineration became council policy after being adopted by members in 1997 and since then officials have gone through two lengthy public hearings -- one concerned with planning, and the other with the environmental effects of the plant -- before one of the final hurdles was crossed yesterday.
In granting permission, the Environmental Protection Agency has allowed the council enter the final stage of delivering the plant, estimated to cost €266m.
There are still two more licences to be secured -- one from Eirgrid which will allow the council export electricity to the national grid, and the second from the Commission from Energy Regulation which must issue "authorisation to construct".
But the battle is not yet over, if Environment Minister John Gormley has his way.
Yesterday he said that a review of best practice in handling waste -- which will be completed by next summer -- could lead to changes in how local authorities dispose of their rubbish and which could make the incinerator a white elephant.
He has a number of proposals which could see waste not going for incineration.
The best way to dispose of waste is outlined in the 'waste hierarchy'. At the top of the pile is prevention.
At the bottom is sending waste to landfill. Incineration -- or waste-to-energy which burns waste to produce electricity -- is preferable to landfilling.
But Mr Gormley wants waste to go through a process called mechanical and biological treatment -- which is higher up the waste hierarchy than incineration -- which would see black bin household waste separated into recyclable components and the rest composted where methane is produced, and from which electricity can be produced.
Mr Gormley is also considering placing a cap on the amount of waste that can be sent for incineration, and is looking at introducing a levy on incineration -- where waste companies would be obliged to pay to burn rubbish.
The waste review will not be completed until the summer and the city council is unlikely to begin construction works before then.
In just six months, the whole waste landscape may have changed and the incinerator could be put on the back burner.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
First proposed in the Dublin Regional Waste Management Strategy, incineration became council policy after being adopted by members in 1997 and since then officials have gone through two lengthy public hearings -- one concerned with planning, and the other with the environmental effects of the plant -- before one of the final hurdles was crossed yesterday.
In granting permission, the Environmental Protection Agency has allowed the council enter the final stage of delivering the plant, estimated to cost €266m.
There are still two more licences to be secured -- one from Eirgrid which will allow the council export electricity to the national grid, and the second from the Commission from Energy Regulation which must issue "authorisation to construct".
But the battle is not yet over, if Environment Minister John Gormley has his way.
Yesterday he said that a review of best practice in handling waste -- which will be completed by next summer -- could lead to changes in how local authorities dispose of their rubbish and which could make the incinerator a white elephant.
He has a number of proposals which could see waste not going for incineration.
The best way to dispose of waste is outlined in the 'waste hierarchy'. At the top of the pile is prevention.
At the bottom is sending waste to landfill. Incineration -- or waste-to-energy which burns waste to produce electricity -- is preferable to landfilling.
But Mr Gormley wants waste to go through a process called mechanical and biological treatment -- which is higher up the waste hierarchy than incineration -- which would see black bin household waste separated into recyclable components and the rest composted where methane is produced, and from which electricity can be produced.
Mr Gormley is also considering placing a cap on the amount of waste that can be sent for incineration, and is looking at introducing a levy on incineration -- where waste companies would be obliged to pay to burn rubbish.
The waste review will not be completed until the summer and the city council is unlikely to begin construction works before then.
In just six months, the whole waste landscape may have changed and the incinerator could be put on the back burner.
Paul Melia
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Gormley vows to halt €266m incinerator as licence granted
ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley yesterday vowed to stop the controversial Poolbeg incinerator from going ahead despite the granting of a licence for the massive plant in the heart of his constituency.
Mr Gormley, who has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the waste-to-energy plant in the heart of Dublin city, said he was considering introducing new regulations which would stop local authorities from burning waste and which could see a cap being placed on the amount of rubbish being disposed of.
Yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency issued a waste licence for the €266m plant which will incinerate 600,000 tonnes of household waste a year, generating enough electricity to power 50,000 homes.
Waste
The licence provides for the operation of an incinerator to burn non-hazardous waste and to recover energy in the form of steam and electricity for export to the national grid. It will be the second incinerator approved.
The first is under construction in Co Meath, and is expected to be operational by 2011.
In a statement, the EPA said it was "satisfied" that the plant would not endanger human health or harm the environment -- issues that led to over 2,500 local residents objecting to the plant.
But Damien Cassidy, from the Ringsend and Irishtown Environmental Group, said people were in shock at the decision.
"I am in shock. The fear and disbelief of people is tangible," he said.
"They've applied for this massive incinerator in the middle of a housing estate. We seem to be faced with a steamroller which is hell bent on getting home. I cannot understand why the minister, from our constituency, claimed he was precluded from stopping them granting a licence. I don't buy that. Mr Gormley must look at his position."
Dublin City Council said the licence conditions would be examined but that work on the plant would not start "for some time". The council has guaranteed the operator that 300,000 tonnes of waste will be burnt each year, or it will pay a financial penalty.
Yesterday Mr Gormley said that as minister, he was precluded from any involvement in the planning process but that the decision to issue the licence was not unexpected. His personal view had not changed.
But he said he would consider introducing a cap on the amount of waste that could be incinerated after a review of waste policy is completed next summer.
He might also introduce a levy on waste going to incineration plants, and could issue a directive to local authorities restricting the amount of waste sent to the plant.
Green Party member and Dublin City councillor Bronwen Maher was first to comment on the situation by releasing a statement warning about the health impact of the incinerator.
Unable
A Green Party spokesman denied that there was any "disconnect" between Mr Gormley and Ms Maher.
Opposition parties also attacked Mr Gormley for claiming that he was still opposed to the incinerator, but was now unable to act as Environment Minister.
Fine Gael Dublin South East TD Lucinda Creighton said that Mr Gormley had purported to be vehemently opposed to the incinerator right up to last year's General Election.
Labour Dublin South East TD Ruairi Quinn said that Mr Gormley now had a last chance to act. "John Gormley needs to show his green credentials and fund a judicial review on behalf of the local community in the High Court," he said.
Paul Melia and Michael Brennan
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Mr Gormley, who has repeatedly expressed his opposition to the waste-to-energy plant in the heart of Dublin city, said he was considering introducing new regulations which would stop local authorities from burning waste and which could see a cap being placed on the amount of rubbish being disposed of.
Yesterday the Environmental Protection Agency issued a waste licence for the €266m plant which will incinerate 600,000 tonnes of household waste a year, generating enough electricity to power 50,000 homes.
Waste
The licence provides for the operation of an incinerator to burn non-hazardous waste and to recover energy in the form of steam and electricity for export to the national grid. It will be the second incinerator approved.
The first is under construction in Co Meath, and is expected to be operational by 2011.
In a statement, the EPA said it was "satisfied" that the plant would not endanger human health or harm the environment -- issues that led to over 2,500 local residents objecting to the plant.
But Damien Cassidy, from the Ringsend and Irishtown Environmental Group, said people were in shock at the decision.
"I am in shock. The fear and disbelief of people is tangible," he said.
"They've applied for this massive incinerator in the middle of a housing estate. We seem to be faced with a steamroller which is hell bent on getting home. I cannot understand why the minister, from our constituency, claimed he was precluded from stopping them granting a licence. I don't buy that. Mr Gormley must look at his position."
Dublin City Council said the licence conditions would be examined but that work on the plant would not start "for some time". The council has guaranteed the operator that 300,000 tonnes of waste will be burnt each year, or it will pay a financial penalty.
Yesterday Mr Gormley said that as minister, he was precluded from any involvement in the planning process but that the decision to issue the licence was not unexpected. His personal view had not changed.
But he said he would consider introducing a cap on the amount of waste that could be incinerated after a review of waste policy is completed next summer.
He might also introduce a levy on waste going to incineration plants, and could issue a directive to local authorities restricting the amount of waste sent to the plant.
Green Party member and Dublin City councillor Bronwen Maher was first to comment on the situation by releasing a statement warning about the health impact of the incinerator.
Unable
A Green Party spokesman denied that there was any "disconnect" between Mr Gormley and Ms Maher.
Opposition parties also attacked Mr Gormley for claiming that he was still opposed to the incinerator, but was now unable to act as Environment Minister.
Fine Gael Dublin South East TD Lucinda Creighton said that Mr Gormley had purported to be vehemently opposed to the incinerator right up to last year's General Election.
Labour Dublin South East TD Ruairi Quinn said that Mr Gormley now had a last chance to act. "John Gormley needs to show his green credentials and fund a judicial review on behalf of the local community in the High Court," he said.
Paul Melia and Michael Brennan
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Bid to preserve local bog sinks city bypass plan
A long-awaited bypass planned for Galway city will be set back for years after Bord Pleanala only granted permission for a portion of the route.
In a split decision yesterday, the board gave permission for part of the road leading from the entrance to the city coming from Dublin to the main Clifden road via a bridge spanning the River Corrib, but refused permission for the remainder of the scheme to Barna.
An Bord Pleanala decided that the construction of an 8km section of the 21km road would cause too much destruction to a local bog, and refused permission.
Planners will now have to go back to the drawing board and find a new route for the troubled 8km section.
"We'll have to look at what our options are going to be," Galway County Council senior engineer Jack Eising said last night. "We've got approval for a good part of the scheme and will seek funding.
"It runs through a bog which is a natural heritage area and where Slender Cotton Grass grows, which is protected. There would be other route alignments but they would have impacts on housing.
"That section (which is approved) on it's own still has merit. We'll take the part that's granted," he added.
Planners proposed building a 21km dual carriageway linking the existing R336 at New Village, west of Barna, to the proposed N6 Dublin to Ballinasloe dual carriageway, north west of Oranmore. The plan included construction of a new bridge over the River Corrib, north of Menlo Castle.
Impact
While the green light was given to the development from Garraun to Gortacleva, planning officials refused to grant permission for the bypass from Gortacleva to An Baile Nua, including the Western Distributor connection, as it would cut through Thonabrucky Bog.
Local Fianna Fail TD Frank Fahey, who has been a long-time supporter of the bypass, slammed the board's decision saying it was "crazy" considering that most of the objectors were not even living in the city.
"The main objectors at the An Bord Pleanala oral hearing are not even resident in the city, yet their actions will result in seriously negative implications for people travelling into the city every day," he said.
"Of course I have shared some of the concerns expressed about the ecological impact that this bypass will have on certain areas, but I am more concerned about the residents of the city and the impact this will have on them, not to mention the economic toll it will take on the city," he added.
Paul Melia and Marie Madde
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
In a split decision yesterday, the board gave permission for part of the road leading from the entrance to the city coming from Dublin to the main Clifden road via a bridge spanning the River Corrib, but refused permission for the remainder of the scheme to Barna.
An Bord Pleanala decided that the construction of an 8km section of the 21km road would cause too much destruction to a local bog, and refused permission.
Planners will now have to go back to the drawing board and find a new route for the troubled 8km section.
"We'll have to look at what our options are going to be," Galway County Council senior engineer Jack Eising said last night. "We've got approval for a good part of the scheme and will seek funding.
"It runs through a bog which is a natural heritage area and where Slender Cotton Grass grows, which is protected. There would be other route alignments but they would have impacts on housing.
"That section (which is approved) on it's own still has merit. We'll take the part that's granted," he added.
Planners proposed building a 21km dual carriageway linking the existing R336 at New Village, west of Barna, to the proposed N6 Dublin to Ballinasloe dual carriageway, north west of Oranmore. The plan included construction of a new bridge over the River Corrib, north of Menlo Castle.
Impact
While the green light was given to the development from Garraun to Gortacleva, planning officials refused to grant permission for the bypass from Gortacleva to An Baile Nua, including the Western Distributor connection, as it would cut through Thonabrucky Bog.
Local Fianna Fail TD Frank Fahey, who has been a long-time supporter of the bypass, slammed the board's decision saying it was "crazy" considering that most of the objectors were not even living in the city.
"The main objectors at the An Bord Pleanala oral hearing are not even resident in the city, yet their actions will result in seriously negative implications for people travelling into the city every day," he said.
"Of course I have shared some of the concerns expressed about the ecological impact that this bypass will have on certain areas, but I am more concerned about the residents of the city and the impact this will have on them, not to mention the economic toll it will take on the city," he added.
Paul Melia and Marie Madde
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Councillor censured for striking deal with developer
AN Independent Killarney councillor has been censured under the ethics in public office legislation after striking a deal with a local developer on condition that he withdrew an appeal to An Bord Pleanála.
However, an investigation found Cllr Donal Grady had no personal gain in the matter.
His activities were probed by Killarney Town Council manager John Breen and Killarney mayor Patrick O’Donoghue who is himself facing charges in the circuit criminal court under the ethics legislation.
The manager and mayor presented their investigation report to the council, on Monday night. The report was “noted” without any discussion taking place.
On November 14, 2006, Cllr Grady wrote to the council saying he had come to an agreement with Park Partnership Developers who would provide €20,000 for extra safety work at a junction in Pinewood Estate, Killarney.
He pointed out the payment was on condition that he withdrew his appeal to a commercial development being carried by the developers.
However, the council later refused to accept a cheque from the developers because of ethical concerns and referred the matter to its ethics officer, Brian Looney.
Denis Murphy and Mark Corkery, directors of Park Partnership, were among a number of people interviewed during the subsequent ethics investigation. Both directors said they did not feel pressurised to make a payment and saw it as a goodwill gesture to local residents.
In their investigation, Mr Breen and Mayor O’Donoghue found no evidence of personal gain to Cllr Grady.
But, they said his conduct was in breach of Section 168 of the Local Government Act 2001 and found Cllr Grady “seriously compromised” standards set down in the code of conduct.
Yesterday, Cllr Grady claimed it was ‘not a fair report’ and said he would be consulting his solicitor. He also claimed he was not advised by any official to seek advice in relation to ethics, but went to the council of his own accord.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
However, an investigation found Cllr Donal Grady had no personal gain in the matter.
His activities were probed by Killarney Town Council manager John Breen and Killarney mayor Patrick O’Donoghue who is himself facing charges in the circuit criminal court under the ethics legislation.
The manager and mayor presented their investigation report to the council, on Monday night. The report was “noted” without any discussion taking place.
On November 14, 2006, Cllr Grady wrote to the council saying he had come to an agreement with Park Partnership Developers who would provide €20,000 for extra safety work at a junction in Pinewood Estate, Killarney.
He pointed out the payment was on condition that he withdrew his appeal to a commercial development being carried by the developers.
However, the council later refused to accept a cheque from the developers because of ethical concerns and referred the matter to its ethics officer, Brian Looney.
Denis Murphy and Mark Corkery, directors of Park Partnership, were among a number of people interviewed during the subsequent ethics investigation. Both directors said they did not feel pressurised to make a payment and saw it as a goodwill gesture to local residents.
In their investigation, Mr Breen and Mayor O’Donoghue found no evidence of personal gain to Cllr Grady.
But, they said his conduct was in breach of Section 168 of the Local Government Act 2001 and found Cllr Grady “seriously compromised” standards set down in the code of conduct.
Yesterday, Cllr Grady claimed it was ‘not a fair report’ and said he would be consulting his solicitor. He also claimed he was not advised by any official to seek advice in relation to ethics, but went to the council of his own accord.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Plans for ‘Utopian’ eco-village near Clonakilty unveiled by council
PLANS for one of the first eco-villages of its type in the country have been unveiled by Cork County Council.
The “Utopian” development, which will cost €20 million, is to be built on a greenfield site at Darrara, 5.6km south-east of Clonakilty.
Surrounded by woodland, the development will consist of 77 affordable houses of different sizes, 15 social houses — some of which will be set aside for the elderly — and 12 serviced sites.
In addition, the council intend to provide a multi-use games area, a community centre, creche, local shops and a laundry service.
The plans also include community gardens, allotments, beehives, an orchard and woodland walks.
Council officials said they hoped to have the project ready for tender next year and to complete construction within a further two years.
All the houses will have ultra high A3 energy efficient rating.
They will each have solar heating panels, high levels of insulation and will be heated from a central wood pellet burning boiler.
It is estimated that annual fuel costs will be about 50% of normal homes. The 14 hectares of land earmarked for the development was given to the council by the State, and it has been decided to retain as much of the surrounding woodland as possible.
Consultants employed to design the concept said the woods will create a micro climate which will reduce wind chill on the houses.
County councillors have complimented the planners.
Cllr John Collins (FG) said he was delighted to see all modern technologies being brought together for the project. “I hope the building industry in general will take examples from this,” he said.
Cllr Donal O’Rourke (FF) described the project as highly innovative and pointed out that the local authority had done a huge amount of environmental rehabilitation in the Clonakilty area.
Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) said he viewed it as a very exciting project, but Cllr Maura Cal McCarthy (FG) was not impressed.
“While I admire the beautiful presentation I don’t support this. Where is the cost of all this going to come from with all the cutbacks?” she asked.
She also criticised the use of bio-treatment reed beds which will be used to break down sewerage coming from the houses.
“The reed bed is just a cesspit. With higher rainfall predicted in the years ahead what will become of the reed beds then?” Cllr McCarthy questioned.
Despite that Cllr Christopher O’Sullivan (FF) said “I’d love a house down there, it sounds like Utopia.”
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The “Utopian” development, which will cost €20 million, is to be built on a greenfield site at Darrara, 5.6km south-east of Clonakilty.
Surrounded by woodland, the development will consist of 77 affordable houses of different sizes, 15 social houses — some of which will be set aside for the elderly — and 12 serviced sites.
In addition, the council intend to provide a multi-use games area, a community centre, creche, local shops and a laundry service.
The plans also include community gardens, allotments, beehives, an orchard and woodland walks.
Council officials said they hoped to have the project ready for tender next year and to complete construction within a further two years.
All the houses will have ultra high A3 energy efficient rating.
They will each have solar heating panels, high levels of insulation and will be heated from a central wood pellet burning boiler.
It is estimated that annual fuel costs will be about 50% of normal homes. The 14 hectares of land earmarked for the development was given to the council by the State, and it has been decided to retain as much of the surrounding woodland as possible.
Consultants employed to design the concept said the woods will create a micro climate which will reduce wind chill on the houses.
County councillors have complimented the planners.
Cllr John Collins (FG) said he was delighted to see all modern technologies being brought together for the project. “I hope the building industry in general will take examples from this,” he said.
Cllr Donal O’Rourke (FF) described the project as highly innovative and pointed out that the local authority had done a huge amount of environmental rehabilitation in the Clonakilty area.
Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) said he viewed it as a very exciting project, but Cllr Maura Cal McCarthy (FG) was not impressed.
“While I admire the beautiful presentation I don’t support this. Where is the cost of all this going to come from with all the cutbacks?” she asked.
She also criticised the use of bio-treatment reed beds which will be used to break down sewerage coming from the houses.
“The reed bed is just a cesspit. With higher rainfall predicted in the years ahead what will become of the reed beds then?” Cllr McCarthy questioned.
Despite that Cllr Christopher O’Sullivan (FF) said “I’d love a house down there, it sounds like Utopia.”
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Pipeline wayleaves agreed with landowners, hearing told
WAYLEAVES have been agreed with most of 72 landowners along the route of a 25km gas pipeline that will link a new gas terminal, in Tarbert, Co Kerry, with the national gas grid, near Foynes, Co Limerick, an oral planning hearing has been told.
Land acquisition orders are being sought for five to six properties along the route, it was also disclosed at the An Bord Pleanála hearing, in Listowel.
The proposed pipeline, from the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, will cross 20 roads, three rivers, 11 streams, farmland and forestry.
After construction, a permanent “easement” of 14 metres will be required within which Shannon LNG — the company behind the €500 million project — will have rights to access the pipeline. Both the terminal and pipeline are considered strategic infrastructure which means they do not have to go through local authorities for planning and are considered directly by An Bord Pleanála.
A number of questions raised by the main objector, Safety Before LNG, were yesterday ruled out of order by the planning inspector presiding at the hearing, Anne Marie O’Connor, as having been dealt with at an earlier hearing.
The chosen route of the pipeline is overland along the southern side of the Shannon Estuary, so as to avoid interference with the ecologically important estuary, a special protected area and a candidate Special Area of Conservation, according to Shannon LNG, a subsidiary of the US Hess Corporation. Two possible routes, which would involve crossing the estuary, were looked at, but the line across land was also the cheapest of the three routes considered, the company said.
Questioned about soil disturbance on peaty areas during the laying of the pipeline, geologist John Redding, for Shannon LNG, said he had been involved in assessing other routes across peat including the Mayo-Galway gas pipeline. He said he was confident the pipeline would not produce instability.
Johnny McElligott, of the Safety Before LNG group, claimed there was no plan for the evacuation of people in the area in the event of an emergency occurring.
Mr McElligott also called for an assessment of risks of a gas spill on water from a moving vessel in the estuary. The hearing continues.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Land acquisition orders are being sought for five to six properties along the route, it was also disclosed at the An Bord Pleanála hearing, in Listowel.
The proposed pipeline, from the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, will cross 20 roads, three rivers, 11 streams, farmland and forestry.
After construction, a permanent “easement” of 14 metres will be required within which Shannon LNG — the company behind the €500 million project — will have rights to access the pipeline. Both the terminal and pipeline are considered strategic infrastructure which means they do not have to go through local authorities for planning and are considered directly by An Bord Pleanála.
A number of questions raised by the main objector, Safety Before LNG, were yesterday ruled out of order by the planning inspector presiding at the hearing, Anne Marie O’Connor, as having been dealt with at an earlier hearing.
The chosen route of the pipeline is overland along the southern side of the Shannon Estuary, so as to avoid interference with the ecologically important estuary, a special protected area and a candidate Special Area of Conservation, according to Shannon LNG, a subsidiary of the US Hess Corporation. Two possible routes, which would involve crossing the estuary, were looked at, but the line across land was also the cheapest of the three routes considered, the company said.
Questioned about soil disturbance on peaty areas during the laying of the pipeline, geologist John Redding, for Shannon LNG, said he had been involved in assessing other routes across peat including the Mayo-Galway gas pipeline. He said he was confident the pipeline would not produce instability.
Johnny McElligott, of the Safety Before LNG group, claimed there was no plan for the evacuation of people in the area in the event of an emergency occurring.
Mr McElligott also called for an assessment of risks of a gas spill on water from a moving vessel in the estuary. The hearing continues.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Gormley in bid to stymie Poolbeg incinerator plan
PLANS to build one of Europe’s largest incinerators descended into farce after a state agency granted it a licence to operate while the Environment Minister threatened regulations to make sure it could not.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday granted an operating licence to the planned Poolbeg incinerator in Dublin Bay, which will burn 600,000 tonnes of domestic and commercial waste each year in a plant three times larger than the next biggest facility licensed in the country.
The decision came despite opposition from Environment Minister and TD for the area John Gormley, who warned it would be “unwise” for the project to proceed as he was conducting a review intended to reduce the amount of waste designated for incineration, effectively making the Poolbeg plant unviable.
Mr Gormley cannot directly interfere with the EPA and admitted he could have legal difficulties trying to stop the Poolbeg operation, but under plans to force more recycling, he calculated there would be only 600,000 tonnes of waste left for incineration in the entire country — not enough for the competing demands of the incinerators planned or already under construction.
“If they go ahead and they decide to forget about those issues, I think it would be unwise because obviously that affects the way that this plant will operate,” he said.
The project, which has been mired in controversy over health and environmental concerns for a decade, is the brainchild of Dublin city council, who intend handing over its running to private waste management firm Covanta Energy.
Dublin City Council indicated yesterday there would be no rush to build the facility.
Residents fighting the incinerator warned their support would not be bought by promises of “community gain” and that they were not interested in more talks with the council.
Meanwhile, Damien Cassidy of the Ringsend and Irishtown Environmental group, called on Mr Gormley to either find a way to stop the incinerator or stand down as minister.
All sides have a two-month period in which to apply to the high court for a judicial review.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday granted an operating licence to the planned Poolbeg incinerator in Dublin Bay, which will burn 600,000 tonnes of domestic and commercial waste each year in a plant three times larger than the next biggest facility licensed in the country.
The decision came despite opposition from Environment Minister and TD for the area John Gormley, who warned it would be “unwise” for the project to proceed as he was conducting a review intended to reduce the amount of waste designated for incineration, effectively making the Poolbeg plant unviable.
Mr Gormley cannot directly interfere with the EPA and admitted he could have legal difficulties trying to stop the Poolbeg operation, but under plans to force more recycling, he calculated there would be only 600,000 tonnes of waste left for incineration in the entire country — not enough for the competing demands of the incinerators planned or already under construction.
“If they go ahead and they decide to forget about those issues, I think it would be unwise because obviously that affects the way that this plant will operate,” he said.
The project, which has been mired in controversy over health and environmental concerns for a decade, is the brainchild of Dublin city council, who intend handing over its running to private waste management firm Covanta Energy.
Dublin City Council indicated yesterday there would be no rush to build the facility.
Residents fighting the incinerator warned their support would not be bought by promises of “community gain” and that they were not interested in more talks with the council.
Meanwhile, Damien Cassidy of the Ringsend and Irishtown Environmental group, called on Mr Gormley to either find a way to stop the incinerator or stand down as minister.
All sides have a two-month period in which to apply to the high court for a judicial review.
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Tuesday, 2 December 2008
Planning denied for wind turbines
An Bord Pleanala has refused planning permission for a cluster of three wind turbines on the northern edge of the Nephin Beg range of mountains in Co Mayo for scenic reasons.
According to the planning authority, the visual impact of the turbines would be "dramatic".
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
According to the planning authority, the visual impact of the turbines would be "dramatic".
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Road will help to redevelop Kilkenny city, hearing told
A NEW central access road proposed for Kilkenny city which incorporates a cable-stayed bridge across the river Nore would unlock considerable city-centre redevelopment potential, including that of the former Smithwicks brewery site, a Bord Pleanála oral hearing into the scheme was told yesterday.
The scheme, which is being opposed by An Taisce and the Heritage Council among others, contains two distinct sections, an east-west link incorporating the new bridge over the Nore to the Castlecomer road and a north-south link connecting the city's western environs to the Freshford road.
The scheme is being promoted jointly by Kilkenny Borough and Kilkenny County councils.
Speaking at the opening of the planning hearing in the city yesterday, Michael Grace, a chartered town planner for the local authorities, said the aim of the road was not to aid through traffic in Kilkenny city, but to "unblock" congestion and ease traffic volumes on the city's two existing bridges.
It would, he said, provide for the redevelopment of key sites in the city-centre, such as the brewery, Bateman Quay and the mart site, which would prevent the development of "out-of-town" retail centres and the consequent potential loss of business to Carlow and Waterford.
The road would also make provision for planned residential development on the west side of the city while at the same time easing access to the city-centre health facilities and hospitals.
He told the hearing that the local authorities were very conscious of Kilkenny's many historic buildings and its medieval character. He said they were also conscious of Kilkenny's important and thriving retail centre. It was, he said, a "living city" with all the "expectations" of retail, health and educational facilities.
Mr Grace said that the status and maintenance of Kilkenny as a living city in tandem with its heritage had been recognised by the achievement of the Academy of Urbanism's Great Town Award.
"Kilkenny has only two bridges, excluding the new bridge on the ring road, which are John's Bridge and Green Bridge, and the narrow streets of the city are impacted by traffic congestion, reducing the amenity currently enjoyed by pedestrians" he told planning inspector Danny O'Connor.
Mr Grace said that the new bridge would be an aesthetic addition to the city, providing for "partial pedestrianisation" of John's Street and High Street. It would also make a local bus-based public transport system possible.
Among those listed as observers at the hearing are Diageo, owner of the Smithwicks brewery; the National Parks and Wildlife Service; the Construction Industry Federation; the Department of the Environment and local residents and a number of archaeologists and conservationists. An environmentalist, Peter Sweetman, told the inquiry that its work might be academic, as Ireland had recently been found to be in breach of EU rules on environmental impact assessments. He said that this scheme fell into that category.
The hearing was also addressed by Michael Starrett, chief executive of the Heritage Council. Mr Starrett said there were "characteristics that set Kilkenny apart and have been the foundation of the city's social, economic and environmental success to date".
He said the scheme was based on out-of-date traffic management thinking and on "road engineering solutions dating from the late 1970s" in an attempt to resolve economic, social and environmental issues which the city now faced.
"Times have moved on significantly in the intervening period. Across Europe, approaches to how the management of such issues in our medieval towns and cities are dealt with have been imaginative and realistic and cost-effective," he added.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The scheme, which is being opposed by An Taisce and the Heritage Council among others, contains two distinct sections, an east-west link incorporating the new bridge over the Nore to the Castlecomer road and a north-south link connecting the city's western environs to the Freshford road.
The scheme is being promoted jointly by Kilkenny Borough and Kilkenny County councils.
Speaking at the opening of the planning hearing in the city yesterday, Michael Grace, a chartered town planner for the local authorities, said the aim of the road was not to aid through traffic in Kilkenny city, but to "unblock" congestion and ease traffic volumes on the city's two existing bridges.
It would, he said, provide for the redevelopment of key sites in the city-centre, such as the brewery, Bateman Quay and the mart site, which would prevent the development of "out-of-town" retail centres and the consequent potential loss of business to Carlow and Waterford.
The road would also make provision for planned residential development on the west side of the city while at the same time easing access to the city-centre health facilities and hospitals.
He told the hearing that the local authorities were very conscious of Kilkenny's many historic buildings and its medieval character. He said they were also conscious of Kilkenny's important and thriving retail centre. It was, he said, a "living city" with all the "expectations" of retail, health and educational facilities.
Mr Grace said that the status and maintenance of Kilkenny as a living city in tandem with its heritage had been recognised by the achievement of the Academy of Urbanism's Great Town Award.
"Kilkenny has only two bridges, excluding the new bridge on the ring road, which are John's Bridge and Green Bridge, and the narrow streets of the city are impacted by traffic congestion, reducing the amenity currently enjoyed by pedestrians" he told planning inspector Danny O'Connor.
Mr Grace said that the new bridge would be an aesthetic addition to the city, providing for "partial pedestrianisation" of John's Street and High Street. It would also make a local bus-based public transport system possible.
Among those listed as observers at the hearing are Diageo, owner of the Smithwicks brewery; the National Parks and Wildlife Service; the Construction Industry Federation; the Department of the Environment and local residents and a number of archaeologists and conservationists. An environmentalist, Peter Sweetman, told the inquiry that its work might be academic, as Ireland had recently been found to be in breach of EU rules on environmental impact assessments. He said that this scheme fell into that category.
The hearing was also addressed by Michael Starrett, chief executive of the Heritage Council. Mr Starrett said there were "characteristics that set Kilkenny apart and have been the foundation of the city's social, economic and environmental success to date".
He said the scheme was based on out-of-date traffic management thinking and on "road engineering solutions dating from the late 1970s" in an attempt to resolve economic, social and environmental issues which the city now faced.
"Times have moved on significantly in the intervening period. Across Europe, approaches to how the management of such issues in our medieval towns and cities are dealt with have been imaginative and realistic and cost-effective," he added.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Ballsbridge house decision challenged
DEVELOPER DEREK Quinlan has brought a legal action to overturn a decision by An Bord Pleanála that a house on Ailesbury Road, Dublin, which was bought by him for €8.5 million may only be used as an embassy.
Mr Justice Peter Kelly admitted the action to the Commercial Court yesterday and listed it for hearing on February 17th. The case relates to 43 Ailesbury Road, a protected structure used as an embassy since 1964. It has served as the Mexican embassy and the German embassy.
Mr Quinlan bought the house in October 2007 and within days applied for permission for refurbishment and extension of the existing offices in the premises.
His applications sought approval for, among other matters, removal of a brick pergola at the rear of the property and of gates at the side; construction of a single-storey extension at the rear; replacement of all facing bricks on front and side elevations and reslating of the roof using existing slates and matching replacements.
Mr Quinlan said the acquisition of the property cost him €8.5 million, plus €765,000 in stamp duty. The estimated costs of the works for which planning permission was sought was a further €1.67 million, excluding the cost of furniture and fittings. In an affidavit, he said he had intended to use the premises as offices and the premises represented "a very significant investment" by him.
On January 16th, Dublin City Council indicated it would grant permission on certain conditions, including that the entire premises "shall be solely for use as an embassy". Its reason for that condition was "to control development, to protect the amenities of this residential conservation area as zoned in the current development plan and to facilitate the zoning objectives of that plan".
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Mr Justice Peter Kelly admitted the action to the Commercial Court yesterday and listed it for hearing on February 17th. The case relates to 43 Ailesbury Road, a protected structure used as an embassy since 1964. It has served as the Mexican embassy and the German embassy.
Mr Quinlan bought the house in October 2007 and within days applied for permission for refurbishment and extension of the existing offices in the premises.
His applications sought approval for, among other matters, removal of a brick pergola at the rear of the property and of gates at the side; construction of a single-storey extension at the rear; replacement of all facing bricks on front and side elevations and reslating of the roof using existing slates and matching replacements.
Mr Quinlan said the acquisition of the property cost him €8.5 million, plus €765,000 in stamp duty. The estimated costs of the works for which planning permission was sought was a further €1.67 million, excluding the cost of furniture and fittings. In an affidavit, he said he had intended to use the premises as offices and the premises represented "a very significant investment" by him.
On January 16th, Dublin City Council indicated it would grant permission on certain conditions, including that the entire premises "shall be solely for use as an embassy". Its reason for that condition was "to control development, to protect the amenities of this residential conservation area as zoned in the current development plan and to facilitate the zoning objectives of that plan".
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
An Bord Pleanála fails to halt Poolbeg court action
AN BORD Pleanála has lost its High Court bid to prevent local resident groups opposed to the proposed Poolbeg waste incinerator in Dublin pursuing court claims.
The groups claim they are entitled to an independent review of how An Bord Pleanála addressed issues relating to an environmental impact statement (EIS)for the development.
Mr Justice Peter Charleton said the action by the residents would be effectively dead if the court granted the board's application to strike out the claims relating to the EIS issues.
The claims include that the statement prepared by Dublin City Council concerning the incinerator was inadequate and should have been rejected by An Bord Pleanála.
The Combined Residents Against Incineration initiated High Court proceedings earlier this year challenging the manner in which the permission was given for the development. A central issue in their case is that they are entitled to challenge the substantive legality of a Bord Pleanála decision in a review procedure which accords with council directive 85/337/EC.
However, they claim that, in breach of article 10 of the directive, the State has failed to provide such a review procedure. They say the issues which they want reviewed, in accordance with article 10, are whether the environmental impact statement by Dublin City Council was inadequate and ought to have been rejected by An Bord Pleanála. They claim it was flawed and should have been rejected.
An Bord Pleanála brought its preliminary application yesterday to strike out part of the statement of claim relating to the issues which the residents want reviewed. Mr Justice Charleton said he did not believe it would be right to strike out the EIS aspect of the statement of claim as to do so would mean the entire claim would be effectively dead.
He would distribute the full written text of his ruling at a later date to the parties involved.
The relevant paragraph 11 of the statement of claim alleges the EIS prepared by Dublin City Council was inadequate.
It claims An Bord Pleanála ought to have rejected the EIS as it failed to adequately assess the direct and indirect effects of the proposed development on the environment. It also alleges the statement failed to describe the full direct and indirect effect of all emissions associated with the operation of the incinerator.
It is alleged An Bord Pleanála wrongly concluded the development would not be prejudicial to public health and would not adversely affect the integrity of any designated site of ecological importance in the vicinity.
Earlier, Emily Egan, for An Bord Pleanála, argued that the residents group was not entitled to challenge the legality of Bord Pleanála's decision. Garrett Simons SC, for the State, submitted that the residents had failed to issue their judicial review proceedings within the required time limit. However, barrister Colm Mac Eochaidh said an additional nine days allowing for holidays, and other factors, brought the case within the eight weeks time limit.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The groups claim they are entitled to an independent review of how An Bord Pleanála addressed issues relating to an environmental impact statement (EIS)for the development.
Mr Justice Peter Charleton said the action by the residents would be effectively dead if the court granted the board's application to strike out the claims relating to the EIS issues.
The claims include that the statement prepared by Dublin City Council concerning the incinerator was inadequate and should have been rejected by An Bord Pleanála.
The Combined Residents Against Incineration initiated High Court proceedings earlier this year challenging the manner in which the permission was given for the development. A central issue in their case is that they are entitled to challenge the substantive legality of a Bord Pleanála decision in a review procedure which accords with council directive 85/337/EC.
However, they claim that, in breach of article 10 of the directive, the State has failed to provide such a review procedure. They say the issues which they want reviewed, in accordance with article 10, are whether the environmental impact statement by Dublin City Council was inadequate and ought to have been rejected by An Bord Pleanála. They claim it was flawed and should have been rejected.
An Bord Pleanála brought its preliminary application yesterday to strike out part of the statement of claim relating to the issues which the residents want reviewed. Mr Justice Charleton said he did not believe it would be right to strike out the EIS aspect of the statement of claim as to do so would mean the entire claim would be effectively dead.
He would distribute the full written text of his ruling at a later date to the parties involved.
The relevant paragraph 11 of the statement of claim alleges the EIS prepared by Dublin City Council was inadequate.
It claims An Bord Pleanála ought to have rejected the EIS as it failed to adequately assess the direct and indirect effects of the proposed development on the environment. It also alleges the statement failed to describe the full direct and indirect effect of all emissions associated with the operation of the incinerator.
It is alleged An Bord Pleanála wrongly concluded the development would not be prejudicial to public health and would not adversely affect the integrity of any designated site of ecological importance in the vicinity.
Earlier, Emily Egan, for An Bord Pleanála, argued that the residents group was not entitled to challenge the legality of Bord Pleanála's decision. Garrett Simons SC, for the State, submitted that the residents had failed to issue their judicial review proceedings within the required time limit. However, barrister Colm Mac Eochaidh said an additional nine days allowing for holidays, and other factors, brought the case within the eight weeks time limit.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Major library extension at NUI Maynooth
A MAJOR library extension at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, was announced yesterday by Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe.
On a visit to the campus, Mr O'Keeffe announced approval had been granted for an extension that would enlarge the library by more than 6,000sq m to give a total area of 10,000sq m.
The project will be funded under the National Development Plan 2007-2013, and college authorities plan to begin building next year. The Department of Education said it was unable to release the costs for the extension as it would compromise the tendering process.
Mr O'Keeffe said the extension would give the university badly-needed space and provide job opportunities in construction. He noted that the university had undergone steady enrolment growth, with 6,000 undergraduate students and 1,000 postgraduate students now attending.
The new facility will have reader stations with IT infrastructure that will facilitate the use of PC clusters and individual laptops. This will enable the university to offer services complementing national strategies for the IT sector, the Minister said, noting that NUI Maynooth had developed strong links with Intel in Leixlip.
This year the university and Intel agreed to deliver a masters of engineering programme for Intel engineers. "This is the first formal accreditation link-up between the two parties, and it places NUI Maynooth at the forefront of university-industry collaboration in Europe," said Mr O'Keeffe.
"The partnership between NUI Maynooth and Intel symbolises the transformation that has taken place in the decade since the university established its own unique identity since separating from St Patrick's college. It is ironic that, with the advent of the digital age, many thought that libraries would become obsolete. Conversely, new technologies and the internet have made them even more relevant as information hubs today."
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
On a visit to the campus, Mr O'Keeffe announced approval had been granted for an extension that would enlarge the library by more than 6,000sq m to give a total area of 10,000sq m.
The project will be funded under the National Development Plan 2007-2013, and college authorities plan to begin building next year. The Department of Education said it was unable to release the costs for the extension as it would compromise the tendering process.
Mr O'Keeffe said the extension would give the university badly-needed space and provide job opportunities in construction. He noted that the university had undergone steady enrolment growth, with 6,000 undergraduate students and 1,000 postgraduate students now attending.
The new facility will have reader stations with IT infrastructure that will facilitate the use of PC clusters and individual laptops. This will enable the university to offer services complementing national strategies for the IT sector, the Minister said, noting that NUI Maynooth had developed strong links with Intel in Leixlip.
This year the university and Intel agreed to deliver a masters of engineering programme for Intel engineers. "This is the first formal accreditation link-up between the two parties, and it places NUI Maynooth at the forefront of university-industry collaboration in Europe," said Mr O'Keeffe.
"The partnership between NUI Maynooth and Intel symbolises the transformation that has taken place in the decade since the university established its own unique identity since separating from St Patrick's college. It is ironic that, with the advent of the digital age, many thought that libraries would become obsolete. Conversely, new technologies and the internet have made them even more relevant as information hubs today."
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
New case against Dartmouth park owner taken by council
DUBLIN CITY Council is taking new legal proceedings against Athlone businessman Noel O'Gara over his management of the park at the centre of Dartmouth Square in Dublin 6.
The council is taking Mr O'Gara to the District Court next month for failing to remove tents from the park. It was previously successful in securing an injunction against Mr O'Gara over caravans on the site. Mr O'Gara bought the park in 2005 for about €10,000 from PJ Darley, whose ancestors built the square in the 1880s.
An Bord Pleanála had approved the council's compulsory purchase order for the land in 2006. However, the council allowed the order to lapse last June.
In a statement at the time, the council said it had decided not to proceed with the compulsory purchase process because of the possibility that it would have to pay a "substantial and financially prohibitive award" to Mr O'Gara.
However, local Labour councillor Oisín Quinn said the land was worth very little because the council had placed a tree preservation order on the park and had included it as part of an architectural conservation area. Mr O'Gara owed the council about €20,000 in court costs, he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The council is taking Mr O'Gara to the District Court next month for failing to remove tents from the park. It was previously successful in securing an injunction against Mr O'Gara over caravans on the site. Mr O'Gara bought the park in 2005 for about €10,000 from PJ Darley, whose ancestors built the square in the 1880s.
An Bord Pleanála had approved the council's compulsory purchase order for the land in 2006. However, the council allowed the order to lapse last June.
In a statement at the time, the council said it had decided not to proceed with the compulsory purchase process because of the possibility that it would have to pay a "substantial and financially prohibitive award" to Mr O'Gara.
However, local Labour councillor Oisín Quinn said the land was worth very little because the council had placed a tree preservation order on the park and had included it as part of an architectural conservation area. Mr O'Gara owed the council about €20,000 in court costs, he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
€95 million to regenerate three major inner city flat complexes
DUBLIN CITY Council is to spend €95 million to regenerate three major inner city flat complexes which were to have been rebuilt by developer Bernard McNamara under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.
City councillors were last night told the PPP process was "no longer viable" for the regeneration of the dilapidated social housing complexes because of the economic downturn and the council would have to use its own resources to house the residents.
The council has already lost €5 million following the collapse earlier this year of the agreement with Mr McNamara to build developments of social affordable and private housing on five council owned sites.
The five developments were at Dominick Street and Seán McDermott Street in the north inner city, O'Devaney Gardens, and Infirmary Road near the Phoenix Park and St Michael's Estate in the south inner city.
The council will now press ahead with building social and affordable units at three of the sites: St Michael's Estate at a cost of €36 million, O'Devaney Gardens at €32 million and Dominick Street at €27 million.
The smaller plots of land at Infirmary Road and Seán McDermott Street are not existing social housing complexes with residents needing re-housing and their development will be considered at a later date, assistant city manager Ciarán McNamara said.
The council is to spend €8.5 million next year to start the regeneration of the three estates. Work will begin on 137 social and affordable houses for St Michael's Estate, where planning permission has already been obtained, in 2010.
The council will then design 80 social apartments for Dominick Street and an initial 70 social and affordable homes for O'Devaney Gardens, where a total of 200 homes will eventually be built. It will then apply to An Bord Pleanála for permission for both developments. However, building work will not begin until 2011.
The new plans have emerged from a special housing taskforce established following the collapse of the agreement with Mr McNamara.
The council had in recent months been in negotiation with Boston firm Corcoran Jennison, the bidder that originally lost out to Mr McNamara.
However, Ciarán McNamara said last night legal advice was that Corcoran Jennison's plans could not proceed under the original procurement process for the PPPs. Re-housing the existing residents was a matter of urgency, but he said private investment, for both commercial uses and private housing would be part of each site at a later date.
"While Dublin City Council continues to be open to considering other alternative solutions to deliver the regeneration of all three projects, we are not willing to wait around. Our tenants are our priority and we have to begin to address their needs," he said.
Dublin soccer club, St Patrick's Athletic, is also understood to be interested in becoming involved in developing St Michael's Estate. Mr McNamara said the club would have to approach the council with a proposal which would be put before city councillors if they were interested in the development.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Eibhlin Byrne said the new proposals were an important step forward.
Sinn Féin councillor Christy Burke said the council had worked "pretty fast" to come up with a new plan. "I hope these proposals can inject some hope into these three areas," he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
City councillors were last night told the PPP process was "no longer viable" for the regeneration of the dilapidated social housing complexes because of the economic downturn and the council would have to use its own resources to house the residents.
The council has already lost €5 million following the collapse earlier this year of the agreement with Mr McNamara to build developments of social affordable and private housing on five council owned sites.
The five developments were at Dominick Street and Seán McDermott Street in the north inner city, O'Devaney Gardens, and Infirmary Road near the Phoenix Park and St Michael's Estate in the south inner city.
The council will now press ahead with building social and affordable units at three of the sites: St Michael's Estate at a cost of €36 million, O'Devaney Gardens at €32 million and Dominick Street at €27 million.
The smaller plots of land at Infirmary Road and Seán McDermott Street are not existing social housing complexes with residents needing re-housing and their development will be considered at a later date, assistant city manager Ciarán McNamara said.
The council is to spend €8.5 million next year to start the regeneration of the three estates. Work will begin on 137 social and affordable houses for St Michael's Estate, where planning permission has already been obtained, in 2010.
The council will then design 80 social apartments for Dominick Street and an initial 70 social and affordable homes for O'Devaney Gardens, where a total of 200 homes will eventually be built. It will then apply to An Bord Pleanála for permission for both developments. However, building work will not begin until 2011.
The new plans have emerged from a special housing taskforce established following the collapse of the agreement with Mr McNamara.
The council had in recent months been in negotiation with Boston firm Corcoran Jennison, the bidder that originally lost out to Mr McNamara.
However, Ciarán McNamara said last night legal advice was that Corcoran Jennison's plans could not proceed under the original procurement process for the PPPs. Re-housing the existing residents was a matter of urgency, but he said private investment, for both commercial uses and private housing would be part of each site at a later date.
"While Dublin City Council continues to be open to considering other alternative solutions to deliver the regeneration of all three projects, we are not willing to wait around. Our tenants are our priority and we have to begin to address their needs," he said.
Dublin soccer club, St Patrick's Athletic, is also understood to be interested in becoming involved in developing St Michael's Estate. Mr McNamara said the club would have to approach the council with a proposal which would be put before city councillors if they were interested in the development.
Lord Mayor of Dublin Eibhlin Byrne said the new proposals were an important step forward.
Sinn Féin councillor Christy Burke said the council had worked "pretty fast" to come up with a new plan. "I hope these proposals can inject some hope into these three areas," he said.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Gormley says 'hands tied' over Poolbeg incinerator
The Minister for the Environment has greeted the decision to grant an incinerator plant licence at Poolbeg by stating he was personally opposed to incineration but was legally forbidden to intervene.
The Dublin 4 incinerator will be the first of its kind in the capital and one of the biggest such facilities in Europe, burning up to 600,000 tonnes of waste every year.
More than 216 conditions are included in the terms of the licence, relating to the environmental management, operation, control and monitoring of the proposed facility.
Noting planning permission was already granted for this facility, John Gormley said he was, as Minister precluded from any involvement in the process. He said the EPA decision was not unexpected as in November last year it had issued a draft license for the scheme.
“My personal position as a local resident and public representative in regard to incineration generally, and this facility in particular, is well known and has not changed,” said Mr Gormley, who lives in nearby Ringsend.
“As Minister, I work within a legal framework put in place by the Oireachtas which forbids my intervention in the physical planning and environmental licensing regimes. Prior to my appointment as Minister for the Environment, as local TD I made an oral submission to An Bord Pleanála opposing the proposed incinerator.
“There are no effective provisions within current waste management law or policy which would enable me, as Minister, to intervene directly in a PPP project which began more than a decade ago, and where tenders were approved two years before I took office,” he said.
Mr Gormley added he was instead focusing on a “fundamental review” of waste management policy to ensure a shift away from incineration. That review should finish in 2009, he added.
The Minister said he was also assessing a policy to restrict local authorities from directing waste to incinerators or landfill, and whether caps should be placed on levels of waste being incinerated. Mr Gormley said he also hoped to present proposals on a waste levy “in the near future”.
But Fine Gael Dublin South East TD Lucinda Creighton urged Mr Gormley to intervene over the licence award.
“This is a bizarre decision from an organisation that is supposed to protect our environment. The Poolbeg incinerator will be built on a site that is designated as an environmental protection area by the EU,” she said.
“The only option now, besides an astronomically expensive trip to the High Court, is for Minister Gormley to stop this project going ahead. According to Ms Creighton, the Minister “purported to be vehemently opposed to the incinerator in 2007 right up to general election but has now “sat on his hands”.
In a statement, former Labour leader Ruairí Quinn and local party politicians called on the Minister to fund a judicial review of the decision.
“John Gormley needs to show his Green credentials and fund a judicial review on behalf of the local community in the High Court. He could have used his powers as a Minister to put a stop to the incinerator. This really is his last chance to act. If he doesn’t, he will be to blame if this incinerator is built,” the Labour statement said.
Labour also raised doubts over Dublin’s ability to provide the 600,000 tonnes of waste a year for the plant as agreed under the licence. “There are serious concerns that the city will be unable to provide this much waste. If it can’t, all taxpayers will have to pay the owners of the incinerator. This is madness.”
Green Party Cllr Bronwen Maher said. “There are real concerns over the impact this incinerator will have on the health of the local population. Air quality levels in the area will deteriorate with the amount of traffic going to and from the incinerator plant.
“Furthermore, in the Green Party submission to the oral hearing on the waste licence it was shown that there will not be enough residual waste for this incinerator.”
Sinn Féin Cllr Daithí Doolan labelled the granting of a licence a “travesty” that would not be accepted by the local community. He called on Mr Gormley to consider his cabinet position as a result of the decision.
Dublin City Council, noting the decision, said the 216 individual licence conditions would be examined with the service provider, and that work on the plant would not start for “some time”.
The council said it would study community issues raised by the project and would arrange on open day in the local community on the January 17th, 2009.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The Dublin 4 incinerator will be the first of its kind in the capital and one of the biggest such facilities in Europe, burning up to 600,000 tonnes of waste every year.
More than 216 conditions are included in the terms of the licence, relating to the environmental management, operation, control and monitoring of the proposed facility.
Noting planning permission was already granted for this facility, John Gormley said he was, as Minister precluded from any involvement in the process. He said the EPA decision was not unexpected as in November last year it had issued a draft license for the scheme.
“My personal position as a local resident and public representative in regard to incineration generally, and this facility in particular, is well known and has not changed,” said Mr Gormley, who lives in nearby Ringsend.
“As Minister, I work within a legal framework put in place by the Oireachtas which forbids my intervention in the physical planning and environmental licensing regimes. Prior to my appointment as Minister for the Environment, as local TD I made an oral submission to An Bord Pleanála opposing the proposed incinerator.
“There are no effective provisions within current waste management law or policy which would enable me, as Minister, to intervene directly in a PPP project which began more than a decade ago, and where tenders were approved two years before I took office,” he said.
Mr Gormley added he was instead focusing on a “fundamental review” of waste management policy to ensure a shift away from incineration. That review should finish in 2009, he added.
The Minister said he was also assessing a policy to restrict local authorities from directing waste to incinerators or landfill, and whether caps should be placed on levels of waste being incinerated. Mr Gormley said he also hoped to present proposals on a waste levy “in the near future”.
But Fine Gael Dublin South East TD Lucinda Creighton urged Mr Gormley to intervene over the licence award.
“This is a bizarre decision from an organisation that is supposed to protect our environment. The Poolbeg incinerator will be built on a site that is designated as an environmental protection area by the EU,” she said.
“The only option now, besides an astronomically expensive trip to the High Court, is for Minister Gormley to stop this project going ahead. According to Ms Creighton, the Minister “purported to be vehemently opposed to the incinerator in 2007 right up to general election but has now “sat on his hands”.
In a statement, former Labour leader Ruairí Quinn and local party politicians called on the Minister to fund a judicial review of the decision.
“John Gormley needs to show his Green credentials and fund a judicial review on behalf of the local community in the High Court. He could have used his powers as a Minister to put a stop to the incinerator. This really is his last chance to act. If he doesn’t, he will be to blame if this incinerator is built,” the Labour statement said.
Labour also raised doubts over Dublin’s ability to provide the 600,000 tonnes of waste a year for the plant as agreed under the licence. “There are serious concerns that the city will be unable to provide this much waste. If it can’t, all taxpayers will have to pay the owners of the incinerator. This is madness.”
Green Party Cllr Bronwen Maher said. “There are real concerns over the impact this incinerator will have on the health of the local population. Air quality levels in the area will deteriorate with the amount of traffic going to and from the incinerator plant.
“Furthermore, in the Green Party submission to the oral hearing on the waste licence it was shown that there will not be enough residual waste for this incinerator.”
Sinn Féin Cllr Daithí Doolan labelled the granting of a licence a “travesty” that would not be accepted by the local community. He called on Mr Gormley to consider his cabinet position as a result of the decision.
Dublin City Council, noting the decision, said the 216 individual licence conditions would be examined with the service provider, and that work on the plant would not start for “some time”.
The council said it would study community issues raised by the project and would arrange on open day in the local community on the January 17th, 2009.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Licence for a waste incinerator at Poolbeg has been granted
A licence for a waste incinerator at Poolbeg has been granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today.
The agency gave permission to Dublin City Council for the non-hazardous waste plant in Dublin Bay.
Under the licence, the incinerator is to burn the waste and to recover energy in the form of steam and electricity for export to the national grid, and for the transfer of heat to a municipal district-heating scheme, once this has been set up.
The incinerator will be the first of its kind in Dublin and one of the biggest such facilities in Europe, burning up to 600,000 tonnes of waste every year.
More than 216 conditions are included in the terms of the licence, relating to the environmental management, operation, control and monitoring of the proposed facility.
“The EPA is satisfied that operation of the facility, in accordance with the conditions of the licence, will not endanger human health or harm the environment in the vicinity of the facility or over a wider area,” said an EPA spokesman.
The agency said the licence had been strengthened to take account of concerns expressed at an oral hearing held in Dublin last April. It added the licence conditions meet the highest standards set by the EU Incineration of Waste Directive.
Dublin City Council will be responsible for managing the facility, while the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement will monitor the licence through environmental audits, unannounced site visits and checks on emissions.
A two-month period during which a judicial review can be sought has now begun.
Yesterday, An Bord Pleanála lost its High Court bid to prevent local resident groups opposed to the proposed Poolbeg waste incinerator in Dublin pursuing court claims.
The groups claim they are entitled to an independent review of how An Bord Pleanála addressed issues relating to an environmental impact statement for the development.
The EPA received the licence application on July 10th, 2006, and 14 valid objections were submitted. A 10-day oral hearing in April heard 45 presentations from all parties.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The agency gave permission to Dublin City Council for the non-hazardous waste plant in Dublin Bay.
Under the licence, the incinerator is to burn the waste and to recover energy in the form of steam and electricity for export to the national grid, and for the transfer of heat to a municipal district-heating scheme, once this has been set up.
The incinerator will be the first of its kind in Dublin and one of the biggest such facilities in Europe, burning up to 600,000 tonnes of waste every year.
More than 216 conditions are included in the terms of the licence, relating to the environmental management, operation, control and monitoring of the proposed facility.
“The EPA is satisfied that operation of the facility, in accordance with the conditions of the licence, will not endanger human health or harm the environment in the vicinity of the facility or over a wider area,” said an EPA spokesman.
The agency said the licence had been strengthened to take account of concerns expressed at an oral hearing held in Dublin last April. It added the licence conditions meet the highest standards set by the EU Incineration of Waste Directive.
Dublin City Council will be responsible for managing the facility, while the EPA’s Office of Environmental Enforcement will monitor the licence through environmental audits, unannounced site visits and checks on emissions.
A two-month period during which a judicial review can be sought has now begun.
Yesterday, An Bord Pleanála lost its High Court bid to prevent local resident groups opposed to the proposed Poolbeg waste incinerator in Dublin pursuing court claims.
The groups claim they are entitled to an independent review of how An Bord Pleanála addressed issues relating to an environmental impact statement for the development.
The EPA received the licence application on July 10th, 2006, and 14 valid objections were submitted. A 10-day oral hearing in April heard 45 presentations from all parties.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Monday, 1 December 2008
Sean Dunne denies reckless D4 spending spree
DEVELOPER Sean Dunne has denied that spending an unprecedented €600m on property in Dublin 4 was "reckless".
The multi-millionaire builder paid €370m for the Jurys and Berkeley Court hotel sites and €200m for the AIB head office building nearby, as well as other properties in the area.
At over €50m an acre, his outlay for the 4.85 acre hotel site was the highest price paid for a property in the country three years ago.
He has yet to secure the planning permission he wants for his €1bn Ballsbridge development.
But Mr Dunne, who is currently helping build houses for the Niall Mellon Township Trust in South Africa, yesterday claimed his investment was "prudent".
He argued it made solid banking sense as his company put €200m of its own money into the purchase price of the properties.
"I would say neither of the purchases that I have made in Ballsbridge were reckless borrowing or reckless banking from the simple point of view, and I will tell people because they have such a interest in it, we put up €200m of our own money in equity and shareholders' money," he said.
He said any banker looking at a deal where a developer or entrepreneur was putting up between 35pc and 40pc of their own money would consider it acceptable.
"That is normally considered good banking in any jurisdiction," he said.
Although he accepted property prices had gone down, he did not believe they would plummet to the extent that the property would be worth less than he paid in five years time.
The Carlow-born developer said that the valuation of the land had doubled in the 12 months after he bought it for roughly €67m an acre, to €120m an acre.
"I considered that I was lucky," he said.
"I was first in. If land doubles and is back 40pc or 50pc, it is still back at the purchase price I paid for our land," he said.
Frightened
He said he was not at all frightened by the fact that the Jones Lang LaSalle index showed investment property prices were down between 25pc to 30pc since last year.
"If we, as a company, which we don't intend to do, were to stop paying interest to our bankers for the next five years we wouldn't be back at the price that we bought the properties at five years from now, and probably longer," he told the Marian Finucane show yesterday.
"It's business," he said. "It's big money. It's prudent and good business from our perspective".
He rejected the views of economists who believed spending on prime Dublin property was out of control at the time.
"When did economists become experts?" he asked.
"I'm standing on a place (building site) that is the university of life, where people learn from a very young age to put two and two together and get four."
Mr Dunne also denied he had influenced any governments, despite his strong links with Fianna Fail. "I was a friend of our former Taoiseach and remain so," he said.
"I didn't write or ever dictate Fianna Fail policy.
"I mean, I tried hard enough over a couple of pints to get Bertie to change stamp duty and everyone knows stamp duty wasn't for changing."
Meanwhile, one of the country's wealthiest property developers Paddy Kelly has admitted that he owes a bank hundreds of millions of euro but is still "full of joy". He said: "What tends to happen as these booms go on, is you tend to take on more and more debt."
Anne-Marie Walsh
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
The multi-millionaire builder paid €370m for the Jurys and Berkeley Court hotel sites and €200m for the AIB head office building nearby, as well as other properties in the area.
At over €50m an acre, his outlay for the 4.85 acre hotel site was the highest price paid for a property in the country three years ago.
He has yet to secure the planning permission he wants for his €1bn Ballsbridge development.
But Mr Dunne, who is currently helping build houses for the Niall Mellon Township Trust in South Africa, yesterday claimed his investment was "prudent".
He argued it made solid banking sense as his company put €200m of its own money into the purchase price of the properties.
"I would say neither of the purchases that I have made in Ballsbridge were reckless borrowing or reckless banking from the simple point of view, and I will tell people because they have such a interest in it, we put up €200m of our own money in equity and shareholders' money," he said.
He said any banker looking at a deal where a developer or entrepreneur was putting up between 35pc and 40pc of their own money would consider it acceptable.
"That is normally considered good banking in any jurisdiction," he said.
Although he accepted property prices had gone down, he did not believe they would plummet to the extent that the property would be worth less than he paid in five years time.
The Carlow-born developer said that the valuation of the land had doubled in the 12 months after he bought it for roughly €67m an acre, to €120m an acre.
"I considered that I was lucky," he said.
"I was first in. If land doubles and is back 40pc or 50pc, it is still back at the purchase price I paid for our land," he said.
Frightened
He said he was not at all frightened by the fact that the Jones Lang LaSalle index showed investment property prices were down between 25pc to 30pc since last year.
"If we, as a company, which we don't intend to do, were to stop paying interest to our bankers for the next five years we wouldn't be back at the price that we bought the properties at five years from now, and probably longer," he told the Marian Finucane show yesterday.
"It's business," he said. "It's big money. It's prudent and good business from our perspective".
He rejected the views of economists who believed spending on prime Dublin property was out of control at the time.
"When did economists become experts?" he asked.
"I'm standing on a place (building site) that is the university of life, where people learn from a very young age to put two and two together and get four."
Mr Dunne also denied he had influenced any governments, despite his strong links with Fianna Fail. "I was a friend of our former Taoiseach and remain so," he said.
"I didn't write or ever dictate Fianna Fail policy.
"I mean, I tried hard enough over a couple of pints to get Bertie to change stamp duty and everyone knows stamp duty wasn't for changing."
Meanwhile, one of the country's wealthiest property developers Paddy Kelly has admitted that he owes a bank hundreds of millions of euro but is still "full of joy". He said: "What tends to happen as these booms go on, is you tend to take on more and more debt."
Anne-Marie Walsh
Irish Examiner
www.buckplanning.ie
Ireland’s World Heritage - Review of Tentative List
Mr. John Gormley, T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has today (1 December 2008) initiated a review of Ireland’s Tentative List of potential sites for World Heritage Site nomination. He has established an Expert Advisory Group to carry out a review of the current Tentative List and to draw up a new draft list for submission to him in Spring 2009. The existing Tentative List dates back to 1992.
Ireland ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1991 and undertook the responsibility of protecting and conserving both national and international world heritage, of maintaining a Tentative List of potential sites for World Heritage Site nomination and nominating national heritage sites cultural, natural and mixed from this list to the World Heritage Committee for World Heritage Listing.
At the present time Ireland has two World Heritage Sites inscribed on the prestigious World Heritage List. Brú Na Bóinne in County Meath was inscribed in 1993 and Skellig Michael, County Kerry in 1996.
As part of the Tentative List public consultation process, interested parties and individuals are invited to request a copy of Tentative List and World Heritage Status - a guidance document which is available from the Department to enable them to make submissions on sites to be included on Ireland’s Tentative List of potential nominees as World Heritage Sites. The guidance document includes details on UNESCO World Heritage criteria, a definition of what constitutes Outstanding Universal Value in a World Heritage context, an explanation of authenticity, integrity and significance on a global basis. The guidance document and formal proposal forms are available from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (details supplied below) and are also downloadable from the World Heritage Section of the Department’s website on www.environ.ie.
Those making submissions are requested to take note, in particular, of the following:
in order for a site to be successfully inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List it must have unique Outstanding Universal Value and not just be of value in an Irish context; and
sites nominated for inclusion on the Tentative List should ideally be on the Record of Monuments and Places or on a local authority Record of Protected Structures or within a Special Area of Conservation or Special Protection Area etc.
Interested parties and individuals are invited to make written submissions, no later than Friday 30 January 2009. The Department is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information legislation and submissions received may have to be released into the public domain, should they later become the subject of a Freedom of Information Request. Submissions should only be made on the formal application form and may be returned by post or email to:
Heritage Policy and Architectural Protection Section,
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,
1, Ardcavan Business Park,
Ardcavan,
County Wexford.
Telephone :01-8883061
E-mail: worldheritagetentativelist@environ.ie
Additional information on the membership of the Expert Advisory Group, it’s terms of reference, the Tentative List Review Process, Ireland’s current Tentative List, UNESCO’s World Heritage Operational Guidelines and Criteria and Management Plans for the two current world heritage sites may be accessed in the World Heritage Section of the Department’s website
www.environ.ie. More detailed information on UNESCO World Heritage may be accessed on www.unesco.org.
For further details visit the website: http://www.environ.ie/en/Heritage/WorldHeritage/
Ireland ratified the World Heritage Convention in 1991 and undertook the responsibility of protecting and conserving both national and international world heritage, of maintaining a Tentative List of potential sites for World Heritage Site nomination and nominating national heritage sites cultural, natural and mixed from this list to the World Heritage Committee for World Heritage Listing.
At the present time Ireland has two World Heritage Sites inscribed on the prestigious World Heritage List. Brú Na Bóinne in County Meath was inscribed in 1993 and Skellig Michael, County Kerry in 1996.
As part of the Tentative List public consultation process, interested parties and individuals are invited to request a copy of Tentative List and World Heritage Status - a guidance document which is available from the Department to enable them to make submissions on sites to be included on Ireland’s Tentative List of potential nominees as World Heritage Sites. The guidance document includes details on UNESCO World Heritage criteria, a definition of what constitutes Outstanding Universal Value in a World Heritage context, an explanation of authenticity, integrity and significance on a global basis. The guidance document and formal proposal forms are available from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (details supplied below) and are also downloadable from the World Heritage Section of the Department’s website on www.environ.ie.
Those making submissions are requested to take note, in particular, of the following:
in order for a site to be successfully inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List it must have unique Outstanding Universal Value and not just be of value in an Irish context; and
sites nominated for inclusion on the Tentative List should ideally be on the Record of Monuments and Places or on a local authority Record of Protected Structures or within a Special Area of Conservation or Special Protection Area etc.
Interested parties and individuals are invited to make written submissions, no later than Friday 30 January 2009. The Department is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information legislation and submissions received may have to be released into the public domain, should they later become the subject of a Freedom of Information Request. Submissions should only be made on the formal application form and may be returned by post or email to:
Heritage Policy and Architectural Protection Section,
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government,
1, Ardcavan Business Park,
Ardcavan,
County Wexford.
Telephone :01-8883061
E-mail: worldheritagetentativelist@environ.ie
Additional information on the membership of the Expert Advisory Group, it’s terms of reference, the Tentative List Review Process, Ireland’s current Tentative List, UNESCO’s World Heritage Operational Guidelines and Criteria and Management Plans for the two current world heritage sites may be accessed in the World Heritage Section of the Department’s website
www.environ.ie. More detailed information on UNESCO World Heritage may be accessed on www.unesco.org.
For further details visit the website: http://www.environ.ie/en/Heritage/WorldHeritage/
Kerry pipeline oral hearing begins
AN ORAL hearing by An Bord Pleanála into the construction of a pipeline to connect the proposed liquefied natural gas terminal in Co Kerry to the national gas network near Foynes, Co Limerick, begins in Listowel today.
The hearing will take place at the Listowel Arms Hotel and is scheduled to last for up to nine days.
The €500 million terminal, the State's first, on a Shannon Development-owned land bank on the Shannon estuary, was granted permission in March. It too was the subject of an oral hearing.
The project is being built by Shannon LNG, a subsidiary of the US Hess corporation.
Both the terminal and the 25km pipeline have been deemed strategic infrastructure which means the planning applications can bypass the local authority and go directly to An Bord Pleanála.
However, both Kerry County Council and Limerick County Council have been asked to make submissions and they will be among at least 20 parties to address the hearing in Listowel.
The hearing will be addressed by the applicant as well as the Department of the Environment, local landowners and heritage and environmental organisations.
A planning condition states that the gas must be moved by pipeline, not road. An Bord Pleanála will also assess the compulsory purchase orders for land for the pipeline which went into public notice in August.
A local group called "Safety before LNG" is opposed to the terminal. Last week the group asked Kerry County Council for a formal declaration on whether splitting such a large project into separate parts invalidated the project as a whole. The proposed LNG terminal will be "the most sizeable hazard in Ireland, the impacts of which will be felt by many different interest groups beyond the local area," the group said.
The hearing will consider the environmental impact of the gas project, as well as assessing whether it conforms to proper planning and sustainable development guidelines.
The hearing is likely to discuss the selection of the pipeline route as well as the possibility of linking the pipeline to the Tarbert and Moneypoint power stations.
The Tarbert area of the Shannon estuary, in north Kerry, is destined to become an energy hub. Endesa, the Spanish energy giant has bought the former Tarbert ESB power station. Shannon LNG has an option to buy some 260 acres of Shannon Development owned land bank on the Tarbert area of the estuary for the terminal.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
The hearing will take place at the Listowel Arms Hotel and is scheduled to last for up to nine days.
The €500 million terminal, the State's first, on a Shannon Development-owned land bank on the Shannon estuary, was granted permission in March. It too was the subject of an oral hearing.
The project is being built by Shannon LNG, a subsidiary of the US Hess corporation.
Both the terminal and the 25km pipeline have been deemed strategic infrastructure which means the planning applications can bypass the local authority and go directly to An Bord Pleanála.
However, both Kerry County Council and Limerick County Council have been asked to make submissions and they will be among at least 20 parties to address the hearing in Listowel.
The hearing will be addressed by the applicant as well as the Department of the Environment, local landowners and heritage and environmental organisations.
A planning condition states that the gas must be moved by pipeline, not road. An Bord Pleanála will also assess the compulsory purchase orders for land for the pipeline which went into public notice in August.
A local group called "Safety before LNG" is opposed to the terminal. Last week the group asked Kerry County Council for a formal declaration on whether splitting such a large project into separate parts invalidated the project as a whole. The proposed LNG terminal will be "the most sizeable hazard in Ireland, the impacts of which will be felt by many different interest groups beyond the local area," the group said.
The hearing will consider the environmental impact of the gas project, as well as assessing whether it conforms to proper planning and sustainable development guidelines.
The hearing is likely to discuss the selection of the pipeline route as well as the possibility of linking the pipeline to the Tarbert and Moneypoint power stations.
The Tarbert area of the Shannon estuary, in north Kerry, is destined to become an energy hub. Endesa, the Spanish energy giant has bought the former Tarbert ESB power station. Shannon LNG has an option to buy some 260 acres of Shannon Development owned land bank on the Tarbert area of the estuary for the terminal.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Major road plan in Kilkenny criticised by the Heritage Council
PLANS FOR a major road in Kilkenny, with a new bridge across the River Nore, have been strongly criticised by the Heritage Council as an "inappropriate" intrusion into the setting of one of Ireland's most important medieval towns.
In advance of an An Bord Pleanála oral hearing on the "central access scheme", due to open today, the State agency with responsibility for heritage has called for the "poorly conceived" plan to be reconsidered in the light of current policies.
An Taisce has also written to Minister for the Environment John Gormley, urging him to strengthen the submission made by his department's heritage division, saying it did not "properly consider" the severance impact of the road scheme.
An Taisce said the submission by the heritage division in the department was "weak in its recommendations, making a minor design change in the proposed access ramp for the new bridge and a vague recommendation for a better integration of the road proposals with the surrounding built fabric" of Dean Street.
"We would recommend that the department reassess the sustainability of and justification for the proposal in the first instance, and address the wider severance impact on Kilkenny's urban environment", said An Taisce's heritage officer, Ian Lumley.
Much of the concern expressed by archaeologists and conservationists from Ireland and abroad is that the relationship between St Canice's Cathedral and the remainder of the city would be severed by the road and a high level cable-stayed bridge across the Nore.
This concern was echoed by the department's chief archaeologist, Brian Duffy, in a letter to the design team in July 2007, when he wrote that the proposed road - originally conceived in 1978 - would "cross through the heart of the historic city of Kilkenny".
"We object to the proposed scheme proceeding because of the severe impacts on the archaeology of one of Ireland's premier historic cities", Mr Duffy said
He added that the department was "surprised" that no alternatives had been put forward for consideration.
A spokesman said some changes had been made to the design of the road since then, but the department still believed there were "serious problems" with the scheme, both architectural and archaeological, and it would be making these points at the oral hearing.
In its 80-page submission to An Bord Pleanála, the Heritage Council warned that approval for the proposed central access route "would create an unwelcome legal precedent for similar developments within other Irish historic medieval towns and cities".
The submission, which includes a detailed analysis of the environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared for Kilkenny County Council, acknowledged the "positive track record" of the local authorities in managing and promoting Kilkenny's heritage.
However, it said this role "brings with it an added responsibility . . . to protect and sustain this essential resource for existing and future generations" by protecting the "strong underlying street pattern based on the remnants of medieval burgage plots".
The Heritage Council, which has been based in Kilkenny since 1995, recently moved its headquarters to the old Bishop's Palace, within the St. Canice's Cathedral precinct. Access to the precinct is via steps from Dean Street, which was widened in the 1980s.
The Heritage Council claimed that Kilkenny County Council "failed to adequately consider sustainable alternatives such as proper or increased public transport provision within the historic city" - such as occurs at Bath in England, which has bus services to its centre from three park-and-ride sites.
The Heritage Council also said the Kilkenny road scheme "is contrary to existing and emerging government travel and transportation policy" and "belongs to a former era", predating "numerous EU and national sustainable development strategies".
Referring to the proposed bridge, the council said its "very different design" could disrupt the settings of two historic bridges across the Nore and "detract from the simple, uncluttered composition of the landscape and townscape in this area".
It also complained that no details were given in the EIS on which protected views would be affected and how, and also that there was "no evidence (such as photomontages) to support the statement that the road will not impact on sensitive city skylines".
"The EIS, in the opinion of the Heritage Council, does not correctly nor adequately assess the significant impact of the proposal on the historic character of the city - a character that has served the city well, in terms of its social, economic and environmental needs.
"It is also the view of the Heritage Council . . . that the proposal is at odds with the historic grain and streetscape of Kilkenny, insofar as it will represent a dramatic change (with potential severance) to the historic 'axis' between the ancient castle and cathedral.
"Additionally, the opportunity to revitalise the setting of St Francis Abbey, which is enclosed and adjacent to the city walls and therefore part of a historic complex, after the Diageo brewery ceases to operate will ultimately be compromised by this development."
The submission cites An Bord Pleanála's decision in 2005 to refuse planning permission for an inner relief route in Athy, Co Kildare, as an "important precedent" - not least because the main reason was that it would "adversely affect the character of the town centre".
The Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr Pat Crotty (FG), said on RTÉ radio last week that the proposed central access route was necessary because "people have to get from A to B" and, if Kilkenny wasn't accessible to car-borne shoppers, "they'll go to Waterford or Carlow".
Asked about a letter in The Irish Times from 22 academics condemning the scheme, he said Kilkenny had won the Academy of Urbanism's Great Town award because "what we're proposing, what we're doing and what we've done to date is exactly what needs to be done . . ."
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
In advance of an An Bord Pleanála oral hearing on the "central access scheme", due to open today, the State agency with responsibility for heritage has called for the "poorly conceived" plan to be reconsidered in the light of current policies.
An Taisce has also written to Minister for the Environment John Gormley, urging him to strengthen the submission made by his department's heritage division, saying it did not "properly consider" the severance impact of the road scheme.
An Taisce said the submission by the heritage division in the department was "weak in its recommendations, making a minor design change in the proposed access ramp for the new bridge and a vague recommendation for a better integration of the road proposals with the surrounding built fabric" of Dean Street.
"We would recommend that the department reassess the sustainability of and justification for the proposal in the first instance, and address the wider severance impact on Kilkenny's urban environment", said An Taisce's heritage officer, Ian Lumley.
Much of the concern expressed by archaeologists and conservationists from Ireland and abroad is that the relationship between St Canice's Cathedral and the remainder of the city would be severed by the road and a high level cable-stayed bridge across the Nore.
This concern was echoed by the department's chief archaeologist, Brian Duffy, in a letter to the design team in July 2007, when he wrote that the proposed road - originally conceived in 1978 - would "cross through the heart of the historic city of Kilkenny".
"We object to the proposed scheme proceeding because of the severe impacts on the archaeology of one of Ireland's premier historic cities", Mr Duffy said
He added that the department was "surprised" that no alternatives had been put forward for consideration.
A spokesman said some changes had been made to the design of the road since then, but the department still believed there were "serious problems" with the scheme, both architectural and archaeological, and it would be making these points at the oral hearing.
In its 80-page submission to An Bord Pleanála, the Heritage Council warned that approval for the proposed central access route "would create an unwelcome legal precedent for similar developments within other Irish historic medieval towns and cities".
The submission, which includes a detailed analysis of the environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared for Kilkenny County Council, acknowledged the "positive track record" of the local authorities in managing and promoting Kilkenny's heritage.
However, it said this role "brings with it an added responsibility . . . to protect and sustain this essential resource for existing and future generations" by protecting the "strong underlying street pattern based on the remnants of medieval burgage plots".
The Heritage Council, which has been based in Kilkenny since 1995, recently moved its headquarters to the old Bishop's Palace, within the St. Canice's Cathedral precinct. Access to the precinct is via steps from Dean Street, which was widened in the 1980s.
The Heritage Council claimed that Kilkenny County Council "failed to adequately consider sustainable alternatives such as proper or increased public transport provision within the historic city" - such as occurs at Bath in England, which has bus services to its centre from three park-and-ride sites.
The Heritage Council also said the Kilkenny road scheme "is contrary to existing and emerging government travel and transportation policy" and "belongs to a former era", predating "numerous EU and national sustainable development strategies".
Referring to the proposed bridge, the council said its "very different design" could disrupt the settings of two historic bridges across the Nore and "detract from the simple, uncluttered composition of the landscape and townscape in this area".
It also complained that no details were given in the EIS on which protected views would be affected and how, and also that there was "no evidence (such as photomontages) to support the statement that the road will not impact on sensitive city skylines".
"The EIS, in the opinion of the Heritage Council, does not correctly nor adequately assess the significant impact of the proposal on the historic character of the city - a character that has served the city well, in terms of its social, economic and environmental needs.
"It is also the view of the Heritage Council . . . that the proposal is at odds with the historic grain and streetscape of Kilkenny, insofar as it will represent a dramatic change (with potential severance) to the historic 'axis' between the ancient castle and cathedral.
"Additionally, the opportunity to revitalise the setting of St Francis Abbey, which is enclosed and adjacent to the city walls and therefore part of a historic complex, after the Diageo brewery ceases to operate will ultimately be compromised by this development."
The submission cites An Bord Pleanála's decision in 2005 to refuse planning permission for an inner relief route in Athy, Co Kildare, as an "important precedent" - not least because the main reason was that it would "adversely affect the character of the town centre".
The Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr Pat Crotty (FG), said on RTÉ radio last week that the proposed central access route was necessary because "people have to get from A to B" and, if Kilkenny wasn't accessible to car-borne shoppers, "they'll go to Waterford or Carlow".
Asked about a letter in The Irish Times from 22 academics condemning the scheme, he said Kilkenny had won the Academy of Urbanism's Great Town award because "what we're proposing, what we're doing and what we've done to date is exactly what needs to be done . . ."
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Stadium plan for St Michael's Estate site in Inchicore
A LEADING Dublin soccer club is proposing to build a football stadium on the site of one of the collapsed public-private partnership schemes between Dublin City Council and developer Bernard McNamara.
St Patrick's Athletic has proposed building an 8,000-seat stadium, pool, community centre, library and about 50 houses on part of the St Michael's Estate site in Inchicore, The Irish Times has learned.
A housing task force set up by the council after the collapse of five PPP projects with Mr McNamara earlier this year is due to report back to councillors today.
The taskforce, which was briefed to look at alternative ways of regenerating St Michael's Estate, O'Devaney Gardens and Dominick Street, will outline the limited possibilities available to the council given current economic circumstances.
It is likely the council will suggest selling off parts of the individual sites for commercial development in order to fund the housing regeneration projects.
Assistant city manager Ciarán MacNamara says the task force has tried to stick to the "broad principles" previously agreed, "taking into account the changed economic climate". Despite the residential property slump, the council believes that, given the strategic location of the three sites, there is potential for a significant element of commercial development to part-fund new housing.
Mr MacNamara says the overall cost of €95 million can be met from annual capital allocations and release of equity from sites.
Following the collapse of the five PPP deals with Mr McNamara, the council began talks with US developer Corcoran Jennison, which was the underbidder in two of the contracts, for St Michael's Estate and Dominick Street.
It is understood that Corcoran Jennison is not interested in developing St Michael's Estate, leaving the proposal from St Patrick's Athletic as the only one at present. Although the club says it would follow best practice from the UK in integrating new stadiums into communities, the amount of housing in its proposal is much lower than proposed under the McNamara scheme. It plans to build extensive underground parking to address traffic issues.
Corcoran Jennison, which invited a delegation of councillors and officials to Boston to view its projects there, is interested in developing Dominick Street, near the city centre, and the new DIT campus in Grangegorman.
No alternative proposals have emerged as yet for the three other collapsed projects at O'Devaney Gardens, Infirmary Road and Seán MacDermott Street.
Residents of the affected areas plan to picket tonight's meeting in protest at the continuing uncertainty surround the regeneration, and their exclusion from the task force examining future options.
Since the projects collapsed, many St Michael's Estate and O'Devaney Gardens tenants have been rehoused, leading to fears locally that the sites could be sold for commercial development, with little or no social housing element.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
St Patrick's Athletic has proposed building an 8,000-seat stadium, pool, community centre, library and about 50 houses on part of the St Michael's Estate site in Inchicore, The Irish Times has learned.
A housing task force set up by the council after the collapse of five PPP projects with Mr McNamara earlier this year is due to report back to councillors today.
The taskforce, which was briefed to look at alternative ways of regenerating St Michael's Estate, O'Devaney Gardens and Dominick Street, will outline the limited possibilities available to the council given current economic circumstances.
It is likely the council will suggest selling off parts of the individual sites for commercial development in order to fund the housing regeneration projects.
Assistant city manager Ciarán MacNamara says the task force has tried to stick to the "broad principles" previously agreed, "taking into account the changed economic climate". Despite the residential property slump, the council believes that, given the strategic location of the three sites, there is potential for a significant element of commercial development to part-fund new housing.
Mr MacNamara says the overall cost of €95 million can be met from annual capital allocations and release of equity from sites.
Following the collapse of the five PPP deals with Mr McNamara, the council began talks with US developer Corcoran Jennison, which was the underbidder in two of the contracts, for St Michael's Estate and Dominick Street.
It is understood that Corcoran Jennison is not interested in developing St Michael's Estate, leaving the proposal from St Patrick's Athletic as the only one at present. Although the club says it would follow best practice from the UK in integrating new stadiums into communities, the amount of housing in its proposal is much lower than proposed under the McNamara scheme. It plans to build extensive underground parking to address traffic issues.
Corcoran Jennison, which invited a delegation of councillors and officials to Boston to view its projects there, is interested in developing Dominick Street, near the city centre, and the new DIT campus in Grangegorman.
No alternative proposals have emerged as yet for the three other collapsed projects at O'Devaney Gardens, Infirmary Road and Seán MacDermott Street.
Residents of the affected areas plan to picket tonight's meeting in protest at the continuing uncertainty surround the regeneration, and their exclusion from the task force examining future options.
Since the projects collapsed, many St Michael's Estate and O'Devaney Gardens tenants have been rehoused, leading to fears locally that the sites could be sold for commercial development, with little or no social housing element.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
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