County councillors in Mayo are to make a last-ditch attempt to persuade government planners that their new county plan - which allows for one-off housing - should not be reversed.The councillors will present the case for their plan at a joint Oireachtas committee meeting on Tuesday.The county development plan received the unanimous backing of the 31 councillors earlier this year. However, in July, environment minister John Gormley issued a directive to the council to ‘‘prioritise and develop residentially zoned lands in the Castlebar-Ballina hub over other locations in the county’’.He said the council should ‘‘apply the appropriate planning policies . . . on sustainable rural housing, by reverting to the reasonable and pragmatic settlement policies in the draft development...
AN BORD Pleanála has reversed a decision by Mayo County Council by refusing planning permission for a combined heat and power (CHP) plant which would have seen an investment of €200 million in north Mayo and created 300 jobs.Mayo Power had planned to build a 100mw mixed-fuel plant on the former Asahi site near Killala in north Mayo.The predominant fuel for the project was to be biomass supported by locally sourced peat. Together they would produce lower CO2 emissions than a modern gas-fired power station.An Bord Pleanála said it was rejecting the project as it "would be contrary to the national policy to reduce power generation from peat as a source of fuel".In a statement yesterday, Mayo Power said: "No relevant Government authority had ever, at any stage of the planning process,...
MEMBERS OF Mayo County Council are prepared to take legal action to prevent Minister for the Environment John Gormley from dismantling their new county development plan.The Minister is unhappy with the council’s decision to ignore the advice of his department by allowing greater flexibility for single-house developments in rural communities deemed to be under urban influence.The Fine Gael whip on the authority, Cllr Paddy McGuinness, described the Minister’s intervention as very frustrating as he declined requests to meet the elected members during the consultation process this year.“I felt a great sense of satisfaction when the new plan was adopted in May because I knew it was very significant in addressing problems being experienced in our rural communities.“Now I feel my...
MAYO COUNTY Council's decision to grant planning permission for a 100 megawatt peat-and-mixed-fuel power plant at the former Asahi chemicals site near Killala has been questioned by Bord Pleanála.The appeals board has requested the developers to justify the proposed use of 400,000 tons of peat annually given that the "proposal might be contrary to national policy to reduce power generation from peat as a fuel source".In a request for further information on the project, the board asked the developers - Mayo Power Ltd - to "consider and advise whether the proposed development can be operated using biomass and coal as fuel sources only".The company is headed by former Mayo Fine Gael TD and senator Myles Staunton, who owns it jointly with a US-UK consortium, Rockland Holdings, led by Gerald...
MAYO County Council's last ditch effort to create a County Development Plan designed to halt rural decline could be shelved by the Department of the Environment.At a special meeting last Tuesday, Director of Services Joe Loftus told the authority that the five-year plan must comply with regional, national and local levels, the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) and Government policy'.But councillors voted in favour of adopting amendments to enable the increase of one-off houses in rural areas even though the move does not toe the line with the sustainable housing policy, regional planning guidelines or the NSS.The amendments were originally added in spite of strong opposition from the authority's legal advisor Michael Browne and senior planner lain Douglas.The adoption now leaves the door...
A POSSIBLE standoff between the Environment Minister and Mayo councillors could be averted. Minister John Gormley has said he is not likely to impose a veto on planning proposals contained in the redrafted County Development Plan.County councillors have proposed a series of bold new measures designed to revitalise rural Mayo, by easing restrictions on oneoff housing in the countryside. The plan risks going against a number of government policies, including the National Spatial Strategy. Minister Gormley has already made a comprehensive submission on the document and anticipates a debate with Mayo County Council."I would only come in as a last resort. I would hope we can have a fruitful dialogue, that we can look at the issues and have a comprehensive analysis of what is required."...
MAYO councillors are confident that their bid to overhaul planning rules in rural Mayo will stand up to scrutiny from the Minister for the Environment.The draft county development plan, which recently went on public display, is the subject of a number of submissions, including one from Minister John Gormley.The Department of the Environment confirmed to the Western People that the minister has written to Mayo County Council about the draft which proposes to relax the rules for one-off rural housing. It's under-stood that concerns have been raised about the loosening of rural planning controls.In the face of this possible challenge, councillors say they have been motivated by the need to revitalise rural Mayo, and not by any desire to rezone land for the benefit of individual owners or...
AN OUTSPOKEN County Councillor has thrown down the gauntlet to the Environment Minister, challenging him to make himself the sole arbiter on planning decisions in Ireland.Cllr Paddy McGuinness said Minister John Gormley should stop "conning" people into believing members have any say in local planning policy. The Fine Gael whip was reacting to news that the Environment Minister is to tighten up on planning rules, making it even more difficult to secure permission for one-off houses.Cllr McGuinness, who has been instrumental in drawing up a radical new development plan for Mayo, said the current system was something of a "sham", if the minister could reduce the role of elected representatives in the process.If emerged at the end of last month that Minster Gormley intends to issue new...
A company's plan for a "small scale" gold mine in Co Mayo is running into determined opposition from groups who fear the project would damage the landscape and environment.The controversy is shaping up into a repeat of the row which embroiled mining companies Glencar and Andaman Resources when they tried to exploit gold resources at Creggaunbaun, near Louisburgh, and Croagh Patrick in the early 1990s."Mayo's Gold Limited", a subsidiary of Aurum Explorations, is seeking the go-ahead for what the company describes as a "tourist gold mine" at Creggaunbaun which would primarily be involved in the manufacture of jewellery.Mining would be carried out in an environmentally sensitive process similar to "keyhole surgery" the company promises, and Croagh Patrick would be out of bounds for the...
THERE was a large turnout for last Wednesday night's public meeting to discuss the Draft Wind Energy Strategy which forms part of the draft Mayo County Development Plan.The meeting, chaired by Councillor Michelle Mulherin, heard from representatives of the Mayo Wind Energy Agency, Surface Power, Kilalla Community Wind Farm, the Irish Wind Energy Association and Eirgrid who all gave there opinion on the current state of wind energy in Ireland and in Mayo in particular.However there was no representative from the Dublinbased officials that drafted the current plan.The large audience asked why no one was present to explain their decision to exclude half the county from putting up any new wind farms. Cllr Mulherin and her fellow Cllr Eddie Staunton claimed that the senior planner had agreed...
Mayo County Council is to begin the process of developing a strategic development zone (SDZ) around the Ireland West airport at Knock.Local councillors have been asking council officials what can be done to prevent An Bord Pleanála refusing developments around the airport such as one by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. In June the board refused planning permission for the decentralised department office to be built on a site beside Knock airport.The chief planning officer for Mayo County Council, Ian Douglas, has advised that "to avoid appeals of development to An Bord Pleanála, the most appropriate mechanism under the Planning and Development Acts 2000-2006 is the establishment of a strategic development zone".Mayo County Council is to begin the process of...
Residents feel that they cannot lodge a planning objection to any ‘Council sponsored' projects without facing ‘punishment' down the road. Hence, they contact groups and agencies from outside the county to submit objections on their behalf. This is the feedback from quite a number of people to an article published in last week's Mayo Echo, in which Ballina Councillor Michelle Mulherin questioned the motivation behind the latest objection to An Bord Pleanala regarding the Ballina Pedestrian Bridge project by Peter Sweetman.One elderly Ballina businesswoman explained it well, "Over the years, it has become common knowledge that if you cause trouble with the council, they will cause trouble with you. You will have difficulty getting planning permission, you mightn't get commercial...
Mayo County Council has initiated legal action against the Rossport solidarity camp which was established over two years ago to support opponents of the Corrib gas project.An interim order against several named members of the camp was obtained by the local authority on Friday night under section 160 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, on the basis that the camp is "unauthorised".A Mayo County Council spokesman said the action was being taken after a "number" of complaints had been received, including one from the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).The spokesman said the NPWS was concerned about the impact of the camp on the sensitive dune system at Glengad.In Castlebar Circuit Court this morning Judge Harvey Kenny said the Court will make a decision next week on an...
Bord Gáis have unveiled the Gaswest Project - a €40 million, three-year development project for the West of Ireland, making natural gas available to eleven towns along the Mayo-Galway Transmission Pipeline.Representatives of Bord Gáis Networks met with Mayo County Council to outline the first phase of the construction programme for the Gaswest Project, which will see work commence in Castlebar and Westport next month.Bord Gáis expects to have the first gas in Castlebar by December 2007 and in Westport by March 2008. Connections will then be rolled-out during the following months. Work in Headford and Craughwell in Co Galway will commence in August 2007 with gas available to these towns in 2008.The remaining seven towns of Athenry and Tuam in Co Galway - and Ballina, Ballyhaunis,...
GALWAY'S water crisis could be solved if permission was granted for a controversial sludge processing plant in north Mayo, it has been claimed.Michael Murphy of Glancre Teoranta, whose plans to develop the plant at Geesala have been rejected by Mayo County Council, says his plant could still ensure clean water for the entire west of Irelandif approval was granted. Sludge cake is the non-hazardous organic by-product of wastewater treatment.Mayo County Council has already refused planning permission for the sludge processing plant, which would have thermally dried the sludge and converted it into a dried, granulated material which could be used as fuel to produce energy.Mr Murphy admits that it will take a change of legislation for the plant to get the go-ahead because permission was...
RESIDENTS OF a south Mayo village have lodged an extensive submission with Mayo County Council against the retention of a stone quarry in the region.The Residents and Landowners Committee of Creevagh, Cong have lodged objections against a planning application for the retention of existing quarry facilities at a site known locally as Creevagh North.The application, which was lodged by Mr Gerry Varley, is for the retention of the existing quarry facility, access road and exit onto the Creevagh Road. Furthermore, the application also includes the blasting and crushing of rock on an area of three hectares, along with an application for all auxiliary site works.Residents of the scenic south Mayo village have lodged a lengthy submission with the local planning authority objecting to the quarry...
FOR more than a decade, the people of the South Mayo village of Crossboyne have been patiently awaiting connection to the sewerage scheme that has long been promised. However, as yet, not one household in the village has been connected, despite the fact that Crossboyne is the location for the Claremorris Treatment Plant.This week, Fine Gael’s General Election Candidate John O’Mahony is raising the issue on behalf of the people of Crossboyne, as they have been waiting for their connection for far too long.According to Mr O’Mahony, it is not good enough that the people of Crossboyne are being treated in this way. "The Community Council have been campaigning to be connected to the Claremorris scheme for the past 10years, but to no avail. The Treatment Plant for Claremorris is situated...
Mr. Dick Roche T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, turned the sod at the site of the new visitor centre for Ballycroy National Park, County Mayo.Ballycroy National Park was established in 1998 and consists of almost 12,000 hectares of some of the most important blanket bog in Europe. The Owenduff area in the Nephin Mountains, in particular, is a wild and remote area of blanket bog, cliffs and river habitats containing many rare species of plants.The area is also important as a roosting, feeding and breeding site for certain migratory bird species - including the Greenland White-Fronted Goose. The Golden Eagle - which has been reintroduced to Ireland from Glenveagh National Park in County Donegal - has also been spotted in the National Park in Ballycroy.The...
Anna-Marie Flynn writing in the Western People during the week noted how the final report on the Pullathomas Landslides has been submitted to Mayo County Council, drawing a curtain on the 2003 disaster, which left North Mayo in a state of shock.February 16th will see a community draw a line under the events of September 2003 as Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Eamon ” Cuív will officiate at the rededication of the local graveyard and unveil a commemorative plaque.More than three years after the landslide at Dooncarton Hill, the re-instatement works have been completed, ensuring the risk of future occurrences has been brought to a minimum.Cathaoirleach of Mayo County Council, Gerry Coyle, was one of the first at the scene on the night of September 19th 2003. Speaking...
The Irish Times writes that Shell E&P Ireland has rejected claims that it allowed five Rossport men to languish in prison for several weeks in 2005 after the company had agreed to cease work on its controversial onshore gas pipeline pending the outcome of a safety review by the Minister for the Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.Counsel for Shell Patrick Hanratty told the High Court yesterday such a suggestion was "grossly unfair". Shell had nothing to do with the amount of time the men spent in prison or the fact they were there at all, he said.Mr Hanratty said the Minister had said that he was commissioning a safety review in July 2005, but Shell did not not know what form that report would take until the following September, when it applied to have the injunction lifted.He...
Dr Mark Garavan, a lecturer at GMIT in Castlebar, the spokesperson for the Shell to Sea group wrote this article for the Western People. The time has come for the people of Mayo to ask themselves what is going on with the Corrib Gas project, writes Dr Mark Garavan.FOR OVER six years the real issues regarding the Corrib gas project have been consistently obscured or deliberately ignored. The most recent obstacle being raised to prevent the issues being finally addressed is fatigue. We are told that the Corrib conflict has become boring, is repetitive and that it is time for everyone to move on. It is as if the unfortunate participants in this sorry saga are there to provide a spectacle of entertainment and that if there are no new plot twists they should pack up and go home.But what...
The Western People tells us that Phow plans for the construction of an 82-bedroom hotel in the North Mayo town of Killala have been given the go-ahead.Towers Hotel, which is part of a €30m development for Killala, is expected to open within the next 18 months after An Bord Pleanála gave the green light to the project at Townplots West in the North Mayo town.Crossmolina developer, Richard Coggins, secured planning from Mayo County Council in April of last year subject to lengthy conditions but Mary Kelly of Green-park, Killala brought the development before the planning appeals board, thus halting construction at the time.The board rejected its Inspector’s recommendation to deny permission, instead giving the go ahead for the two-storey hotel, which is set to provide 80 jobs.The 6,257...
Sunday Indo:LEADING members of the Shell to Sea campaign are ignoring a recent opinion poll which shows the majority of people in Mayo believe work on the controversial Mayo pipeline should continue.At a march in Dublin yesterday, Willie Corduff, one of the Rossport Five, said recent opinion polls were "wrong". "They were fiddled and doctored the wrong way to put it against us," said Mr Corduff.Yesterday, about 150 activists demonstrated at Shell HQ and outside the offices of Independent Newspapers in protest against a recent opinion poll for the Irish Independent and Prime Time, which found a majority of people believe the protesters are indulging in intimidation and are being manipulated from outside.Mr Corduff said the group would continue their protests but maintained they were not...