News from down the country

national | environment | news report Monday September 21, 2009 14:39 by Contaminated Crow

Nine telemasts, 2 quarries, a pet crematorium, a deepwater port, turfcutting and an animal rights protest

Mayo County Council expects to refuse planning permission to Cairealacht Chill Bhride Teo for a sand and gravel quarry at Finney, Co. Mayo. (Connaught Telegraph 15/9/09, p. 3a).

SHAC activists are expected to protest on September 22nd at the Charles River Bio Laboratories operations at Carrentrilla, Ballina and at Glenamoy, plants that are known locally as the ‘rat factories’. (Mayo News 15/9/09, p. 9).

Nenagh Town Council has refused Keelgrove Construction Ltd. permission for a pet crematorium at Dublin Road, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. (Tipperary Star 17/9/09, p. 7).

Sligo County Council has refused Tetra Ireland planning permission to replace a telemast at Mountain Road, Tubbercurry, following opposition from local residents, 30 of whom signed a submission to the Council against the new mast. (Sligo Weekender 15/9/09, p. 5).

Mayo County Council has refused Hutchinson 3G permission for a 22-metre mast at Finshinaugh, Cross, Co. Mayo. (Western People 15/9/09, p. 6).

Around 100 local residents have signed a petition circulated by Ros Min Residents’ Association calling on Shannon Town Council to refuse permission to Meteor to erect a 30-metre telemast on the nearby St. Senan’s Rugby Crowd grounds. (Clare Champion 16/9/09, p. 17).

Local residents of Annascaul, Co. Kerry protested last Monday when work resumed on the erection of a Tetra telemast in their village, with
workers accompanied by private security personnel. On Wednesday Concerned Residents of Annascaul issued a statement condemning the resumption of work on the mast. Residents say they won’t give up the fight and while the mast may get erected ‘it won’t get switched on’. (Kerry’s Eye 17/9/09, pp. 1,22; Kerryman (sic) 16/9/09, p. 25.). Kerry County Council has refused permission to Hutchinson 3G for a mast at Coomasham, Glenbeigh (Kingdom 15/9/09, p. 18) while Tetra has appealed a refusal of permission for a mast at Crohane, Agahadoe, Co. Kerry to An Bord Pleanala. (Kingdom 15/9/09, p. 9).

Waterford County Council were criticised for allowing representatives of Hurtchinson 3G to address a council meeting on the National Broadband Scheme while a live application for a telemast at Ballinamult was before the council’s planning department. (Dungarvan Leader 18/9/09, pp.1,8).

The Eagle Hill Mast Committee, opposing a 36-metre mast at Ballinamult, is holding a public meeting at Touraneena Community Centre on Friday 25th September to discuss their next step. They also condemned the National Broadband Scheme as ‘merely a flag of convenience for telecommunications companies to do exactly as they please’. (Dungarvan Leader 18/9/09, 9).

A capacity crowd attended a meeting in Kilrossanty called by the Mahon Bridge Community protection group in opposition to a proposed Hutchinson 3G telemast. (Waterford News and Star 15/9/09, p. 10).

Local residents of Ramelton, Co. Donegal, expressed disappointment at a public meeting last Tuesday at the response of Tetra Ireland to local concerns over a proposed telemast near to schools in the village and are now considering removing children from school in protest. (Donegal Democrat 17/9/09, p. 5; Donegal news 18/9/09, p. 19).

An Taisce has condemned Drogheda Port Company for denying information to local people over a proposed deepwater port by publishing an important public notice in only one local paper and by making documentation available only in Drogheda Garda Station, ‘not the most accessible place to the vast population who may be impacted by this issue and may want to comment on it.’ They also condemned the documentationa s being ‘sketchy, insufficient and ignor[ing] large areas of national and international legislation.’ (Meath Chronicle 19/9/09, p.12).

Local residents expressed relief when the South East Sandpits quarry at Ballyconnigar Lower, Blackwater, Co. Wexford was finally closed after court proceedings were taken against the company responsible and its owner was threatened with jail. Residents had complained for ten years about the operation of the quarry. (Enniscorthy Echo 16/9/09, p. 16)

A bog cutter who stopped cutting turf in the Portumna area of Co. Galway in 2001 in response to new laws regarding raised bogs in Special Areas of Conservation has still not received the promised compensation of several thousand Euro promised by the Department of the Environment. A local Fine Gael councillor, who is campaigning on the man’s behalf, said bog-cutters should be wary of promises of lump-sum compensation from the Department in return for stopping cutting now. (Connacht Tribune 18/9/09, p. 2).