Éamon Ó Cuív warns environmental rules block Ghanamara projects
Éamon Ó Cuív warned that environmental rules and their implementation are preventing basic infrastructural and economic projects in Ghanamara and asked the government to set up a review. He listed specific refused or delayed projects and urged clarity on whether the problems require action at European level or changes to national implementation.
Examples cited
He described a series of refusals and delays over the years, naming the Galway bypass, the planning refusal for the road from Ma'am Cross to Clifton, massive delays on the road from Ma'am Cross to Uchderaard, the refusal of Park Noumara (a development by Udaraas de Gaeltachta), and a recent court case in relation to Rósavíl.
Call for a review
He asked the government to consider establishing a review to examine why so many public infrastructural projects in Ghanamara fail on environmental grounds and how the balance between environmental protection and regional economic development can be improved.
European rules versus national implementation
He argued that European environmental rules were unlikely intended to strangle a region economically or socially and posed the question of whether the issue should be raised at European level for reform or whether it stems from how rules are being implemented at national level.
Government reaction and follow-up
Referencing an intervention from Deputy O'Keeve, the Taoiseach acknowledged the broader point about keeping regulations and directives under review. The Taoiseach said he would take the suggestion away and come back directly, noting concern about unintended consequences in places such as Loch Funchenau.
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Thaiseach, over the years we have had the refusal of the Galway bypass, the refusal of the planning for the road from Ma'am Cross to Clifton, massive delays in the road from Ma'am Cross to Uchderaard, the refusal of Park Noumara, which was a development by Udaraas de Gaeltachta, and recently the court case in relation to Rósavíl. What's beginning to become evident is that it's becoming nearly impossible to get any basic infrastructural or economic projects through in Ghanamara. Now I have no doubt that when Europe brought in environmental rules, they never meant to strangle any region economically or socially. So what I'm asking is this, would the government consider setting up a review as to why so many infrastructural projects, public ones in Ghanamara seem to fail on environmental grounds, and how we can tweak it to get a better balance and do the review, and then if the issue comes up in Europe, deal with it in Europe, if it's a national issue that we can deal with, deal with it here, but we cannot go on forever living in a region that is bereft of adequate infrastructure and economic development. Thanks to Deputy O'Keeve, you'll understand why I don't want to comment on any specific case, but let me take the broader point you make, which I think is a fair one, about constantly keeping under review the impact of regulations and directives, which of course we're a part of the decision-making around the European table. And to ask the question that you very fairly ask, is it a matter that we need to speak up at a European level in terms of a need for reform, or is it actually how we're implementing it at a national level? And I've seen a number of examples, I'm very concerned about the situation in Loch Funchenau as one example, where I don't, I think there's certainly unintended consequences, if I can put it politely like that. So let me take your suggestion away and come back to you directly.
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