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| Bay saga nears endgame |
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| Thursday, 09 October 2008 | |
 OBJECTORS to a proposal to infill 52 acres of Dublin Bay have only a few weeks to make submissions to An Bord Pleanala as the controversy enters its final stage. The Dublin Bay Watch group is working to a tight deadline as they have only until October 28 to lodge their objections. Dublin Port Company is hoping to reclaim land from the sea around Clontarf and have made an application for the third time, having failed in 1999 and again in 2002 with similar plans. Under the new fast-track Strategic Infrastructure Act, the company is permitted to bypass the local authority and apply directly to An Bord Pleanala for permission. Angry local residents believe this has allowed the company to bypass normal democratic planning procedures. Clontarf resident Justin O’Flaherty has been involved in the campaign to “save” Dublin Bay for over nine years. He said they needed support and funding now more than ever before as they approached the final weeks before a decision is made. “This has been a long fight and the upcoming An Bord Pleanala decision could be the final battle,” Mr O’Flaherty told Northside People. “We are quite confident as we have done a lot of work over the years but we have to make sure everything is entirely correct in our submission. “As far as we are concerned there has to be another answer to the situation at Dublin Port rather than expansion into the bay. “I think there is plenty of room for growth from within Dublin Port, as there is already sufficient space in the area.” Mr O’Flaherty added: “The Minister for the Environment, John Gormley, has announced a proposal for a new Special Protection Area (SPA) for the area. “An SPA is a designation under the European Union directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. “This would provide much deeper protection for the area and protect it from developments like this one.” Lifelong community activist and former politician, Seán Dublin Bay Loftus, is urging members of the public to contact their councillors, TDs and Minister for the Environment about the issue. “So far over 4,000 people have supported objections to these plans,” Mr Loftus told Northside People. “We are not prepared to let Dublin Bay go; it’s time to send a strong message to the Government about this issue.” Mr Loftus is urging groups of people to join together to register their objection and write letters to representatives. “This is not Holland,” he added. “There is plenty of land available for development elsewhere. Dublin Bay does not need to be filled in.” Dublin Bay Watch is trying to raise e30,000 to fund its campaign against the proposed development and is hoping that concerned locals will donate to the fund. They hope to use the money to fund the planning expert, senior counsel, ornithologist, engineers and others who have been assisting in their campaign. Meanwhile, Dublin North Central TD Finian McGrath (Ind) said the future of the bay is included in his deal with the Taoiseach. Deputy McGrath said he is offering his full support to Sean Loftus and the campaign to save the bay. When contacted by Northside People, a spokesperson for Dublin Port Company said it did not wish to comment on the proposal before the An Bord Pleanala hearing. However, the company has urged members of the public to attend the public showing of their plans, which will be held at various locations around the port, including O’Connell’s GAA Club in Clontarf. For further details of the Dublin Bay proposal, visit www.dublingateway.ie
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Developed by Kevin Flynn