Minister For Energy Pat Carey defends signing pipe consents for Corrib Gas

Minister For Energy Pat Carey has staunchly defended his decision to sign, on the day of the general election, key consents for the last section of the Corrib gas pipeline. He said the decision was part of an eight-month process and taken after very comprehensive assessment and legal advice, including from the Attorney General. He also said this was not the end of the process and the media and other critics should read the letter of consent and the conditions attached before casting judgment.

He said the conditions are very comprehensive and very strict. Mr Carey said the signing was just one more stage in a process and a judicial review was expected and that would deal with all the issues. He said the fact that it was not politically popular to make such a decision did not make it wrong. Mr Carey said the issue had been ongoing for eight months. His department said the applications were received on May 31st, 2010 from Shell EP Ireland Limited, acting on behalf of the Corrib gas partners. The assessment included two periods of public consultation and expert assessment.

Fine Gael energy spokesman Leo Varadkar said Mr Carey had contacted the party on Monday to inform it of his decision. Mr Varadkar said the signing “is largely a formality. It shouldn’t come as surprise and obviously there’s going to be a judicial review”. He added that “the State stands to gain at least 25 per cent of profits from Corrib and the sooner the gas is brought ashore, the sooner that money can be used to fund essential services”.

An Taisce has described as “very disappointing” the decision by the outgoing Minister to sign the consents. An Taisce chairman Charles Stanley-Smith said it was public knowledge that the environmental organisation was seeking a judicial review of the recent An Bord Pleanála decision to approve the new pipeline route, as it ran through a special area of conservation (see previous post). “This legal challenge relates to An Bord Pleanála specifically, as we believe it breaches several EU directives. However, it is very disappointing that the Department of Energy would sign off on this consent at this point,” Mr Stanley-Smith said.

The letter of consent and attached conditions can be read on the Department of Energy’s website http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/Natural/Petroleum+Affairs+Division/Corrib+Gas+Field+Development/

IROPI (Imperative Reasons for Overriding Public Interest) to be used to secure planning permissions.

In an interestisting article in this weeks Galway Advertiser it now seems that the IROPI precedent, recently set in Germany (see previous posts) is gathering momentum as a vehicle to secure permission for every contentious scheme around. This time it is seen as a possibility for use in the application for the proposed Galway City to Connemara road (repalcing the R336 coast road). The proposed road will pass through a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and through areas of the Gaelthacht where planning restrictions are in place in order to protect Irish speaking communities. However the most interesting part of the article consists of quotes from Fine Gael Councillor Sean Kyne. In welcoming the development he seems most  interested in the fact that the positioning of the new road would possibly free up lands previously frozen in planning terms on existing routes, allowing for the building of more one off houses in this beautiful area. It seems then, that the provision of one off houses for Connemama residents is seen as an imperative reason for overriding public interest. Read the full text of the article from Galway Advertiser below.

Deatails of proposed R336 available here:

http://www.galway.ie/en/Services/RoadsTransportation/RoadProjects/R336BearnatoScribviaRosAnMhil/

Report from Galway Harbour Development Plan Public Consultation.

Galway Harbour needs to be ‘future proofed’ so that it does not go into decline. That’s according to Galway Harbour Company CEO Eamon Bradshaw, who was speaking at the launch of a public consultation on the project . Mr Bradshaw said that the current port is outdated in that it is a gated port, which is only operational for four hours each day and left redundant for the remaining 20. He continued to say that the Port is not competitive as it cannot accommodate larger vessels and improved facilities are essential to increasing business.

Mr Bradshaw continued to explain that based on the experience of other ports, the first phase of the project would involve a substantial increase in staff, handling of goods worth up to €12 billion and cruiseliner traffic of up to 50 ships. He revealed that Harbour officials had been in constant contact with cruise liner companies, who were very interested in coming to a medieval city such as Galway, and added that the Galway Harbour Board was hoping to get planning permission for the Port plan by early next year and to start building by 2012.

An Taisce to Pursue a Judicial Review on the Corrib Pipeline Decision

An Taisce contends that the decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant permission to the latest Corrib gas pipeline application is fundamentally legally flawed on a number of grounds.  Chair of An Taisce Charles Stanley-Smith in commenting on the decision stated:

“In many decisions in the past An Bord Pleanála has been a shining beacon.  However this latest decision represents a further nail in the coffin of proper Regulation in Ireland.  It highlights that poor planning, which was at the heart of Ireland’s banking failure and consequent economic collapse, continues to be a major issue.  An Bord Pleanála is the independent body appointed to decide on major planning matters.  An Taisce believes that in this decision, the Board has failed to properly take account of the legislative requirements of the Habitats, Birds and Environmental Impact Assessment Directives and An Taisce detailed such issues in its substantial submissions made to the Board.  This grant of approval flies in the face of a number of European Court of Justice Rulings and indeed sets the Board up as contending it has more insight into the law than the Supreme Court of Ireland, on matters such as the integrity of Natura 2000 sites.”

An Bord Pleanála’s approval of Corrib pipeline legally flawed ?

An Taisce and the Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership, have both described An Bord Pleanála’s approval of Shell Ireland’s application for the revised pipeline route with 58 conditions as legally flawed. They base this opinion on the fact that the ruling by inspector Martin Nolan did not take into account EU directive requirements with regard to the pipeline’s route through a special area of conservation. The Department of the Environment has confirmed that it did not consult with the European Commission on the implications of granting planning permission in Sruwaddacon Bay, the protected area in question. With local community groups and residents vowing to take legal advice this long running saga may not be over yet!

Final Section of Corrib Gas Pipeline Approved by An Bord Pleanala

An Bord Pleanala has approved Shell E&P Ireland’s third proposed route for the final section of the Corrib gas pipeline with 58 conditions. This is the final section of the Corrib Gas pipeline and paves the way for the completion of the project.

Planning Application Lodged for Oranmore Train Station

Considering the media and political attention given to the Western rail corridor in recent years, it was with little fanfare that a planning aplication has been submitted for a new train station at Gurrane South between Oranmore and Roscam on the Dublin Galway line. Iarnród Éireann and Galway County Council have submitted a joint application for the long awaited new train station.

Galway Outer Bypass to bypass EU Habitats Directive?

The Galway City Outer Bypass is back in the news this week. A delegation from Galway led by Frank Fahy met with senior officials from the Environment Directorate General and the EU Environment Commissioner’s Chef De Cabinet, Kurt Vandenberghe, to discuss progression of the proposed bypass. Their main aim was to investigate the possibility of the Galway City Outer Bypass being justified for imperative reasons of overriding public interest, including those of a social or economic nature.