Environment

ENVIRONMENTAL campaigners from across the country ramped up their campaign against plans for a €450 million data centre in Ennis this week by handing in an appeal to An Bord Pleanála. Futureproof Clare’s appeal against the 10-year planning permission recently granted to Art Data Centres Ltd was submitted with the support of Ecojustice Ireland, Extinction Rebellion, and Friends of the Irish Environment. Air quality issues, water consumption, poor public consultation, public health impacts and climate and biodiversity impacts have been cited in Futureproof Clare’s opposition. Futureproof Clare together with Ecojustice Ireland are challenging the decision to grant permission on the following grounds: failure to adhere to Irish Statutory requirements, failure to have regard to relevant considerations, and failure to adhere to international and EU environmental law. Declan Owens, lawyer and chairperson of Ecojustice Ireland claimed that the site of the planned data centre would be “transformed into a further blight on the landscape” if the development goes ahead. The appeal …

AN Bord Pleanála has given Rusal Aughinish Alumina Limited (AAL) the green light for controversial expansion plans despite trenchant opposition from environmental groups. This decision will allow the Russian-owned company to carry out a major expansion of its Bauxite Residue Disposal Area (BRDA), extending the life of the plant for an extra nine years up to 2039. The company was given permission last year to begin rock-blasting for the next 10 years to a depth of 8.5m on its site following a review of its licence by the EPA. It will enable the company to deposit an extra eight million m3 of bauxite residue in total at its plant. Futureproof Clare, local farmers and Environmental Trust Ireland were among the groups to object to the granting of planning permission. Documents submitted to An Bord Pleanála by Town Planning Consultants Tom Phillips and Associates outlined the plant would cease operations in 2030 “based on current production levels” of 1.9 million tonnes …

FURTHER objections have been made to a controversial wind turbine in Parteen, for which the developer is seeking retention. The structure, which was the subject of an enforcement notice shortly after it was erected last year, remains in place, with the Council, having received Further Information (FI) on the application, expected to make a decision in the coming weeks. In response to a series of planning queries, agents for the applicant, Seamus Madden, recently provided an assurance that the turbine has never been operational. The company also supplied technical reports on predicted shadow flicker and noise, asserting that the turbine will operate in compliance with wind energy guidelines. Locals have not been reassured, however. Mirroring the public concern, reflected in more than 100 submissions on the retention application, lodged in March, the FI documentation has generated further opposition. In recent days, a raft of objections have been made. The newly-formed ‘100 Metres Tall Group’ have employed expert planner, John Bird, …

Clare Library Service has announced it has Home Energy Saving Kits available to borrow in a number of libraries from this Monday, September 5. The Home Energy Saving Kit is the “ultimate toolkit that helps save energy at home”, according to the livrary service. It contains five easy-to-use tools and six practical exercises, that will allow a person to get a better understanding of the energy usage in their home, problem areas that may need attention and ways to improve energy efficiency. Energy bills can be reduced by up to 20% by implementing easy energy saving measures and could also improve the comfort of the home and helping contribute to a better environment at the same time. The tools in the kit are easy to use, they provide an interactive and tangible way to introduce the concept of energy usage into the home and a perfect way to get the whole family involved. The Home Energy Saving Kit was designed …

DISCARDED cigarette butts, food-related waste and extensive dog fouling has been reported from Lahinch in a survey by Irish Business Against Litter (IBAL) of beaches and harbours. The popular resort slipped to ‘moderately littered’ in the report, as did Doolin Pier and Harbour. On the plus side, Mountshannon was again found to be ‘Clean to European Norms’. Overall, litter levels are on the rise, with only 8 of 33 areas surveyed receiving the ‘Clean’ designation. Alongside its impact on tourism and recreation, IBAL is warning that coastal litter has grave implications for the future of our planet. The An Taisce report for Lahinch stated: “There was plenty of dog fouling signage, some attached to railings and rocks, some imprinted on the ground and an audio message – and yet dog fouling prevailed. “Cigarette butts were also obvious, particularly around the drains. Other litter items included plastic bottles, fast-food wrappers and sweet papers; marine related items included fishing lines / nets …

GREEN Senator Róisín Garvey has called on Clare County Council to “do better” in terms of using funds allocated for cycling and walking infrastructure. The Inagh woman highlighted figures released by the National Transport Authority (NTA) showing that 81.3% of funds allocated to Clare under the Active Travel Fund were not spent last year. “In Clare our local authority was allocated €5,986,000 for walking and cycling projects in the Clare County for the year 2021,” Senator Garvey, Green Party Spokesperson for Rural Development and Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said. “However, according to figures released by the NTA, only €1,113,509 of this was spent. We need to do better for our community. It is understandable that the significant increase in funding since 2019 requires increased capacity, and there have been many additional challenges for our local authority during Covid. However, funding has also been provided for a new Travel Officer role, dedicated to local walking and cycling projects and we need …

CLIMATE Actions Now has announced a series of free concerts in Clare to showcase Irish, African and British artists. The first one will be on Friday, August 26, at Teach Ceoil in Ennistymon, from 2.30-5pm, while there will be a second at the same venue from 8pm to 10.30pm. Then on Sunday, August 28 there will be another at Moy Community Hall starting at 8pm. The line-up will include the Davies Brothers from Kilshanny, Violveine from Corofin and Moy, Planxty Óg from Ennis, Niall Morrissey from New Quay, Ronan Lewis from Moy, Mohamed Adam who is relocating to Lahinch from Dublin and Tinta Tribe from South Africa and Mozambique. These acts will be showcasing new works and their existing repertoire before bringing their show to the Climate Actions Now stage at The Electric Picnic in Laois in early September. Robert Stephenson CAN Founder/ CEO said, “We are delighted to present this exciting innovative project with the support of Clare Arts …

THE predicted noise levels for a controversial wind turbine in Parteen are below the maximum recommended day and night time levels set out in the 2006 Wind Energy guidelines, according to new planning documents. An Enforcement Notice issued by Clare County Council on March 8, 2021 requested Limerick Blow Moulding to decommission and remove a wind turbine erected near the factory on or before Thursday, April 8, 2021 following an alleged breach of a planning permission condition. However, this wind turbine, which has attracted numerous planning objections from residents, two Clare deputies Cathal Crowe and Violet-Anne Wynne and Senator Timmy Dooley, is still in situ albeit not operational. The company recently applied for retention permission for a revised site boundary and revised position of a single 800 KW wind turbine, 73 metres high to hub height, as granted under previous planning permissions at Gortatogher, Parteen. Employing 70 people, with more than half living in Parteen, Clonlara and Killaloe, Limerick Blow …