Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 9 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 3

Written Answers. - Special Areas of Conservation.

Joe Higgins

Ceist:

351 Mr. Higgins (Dublin West) asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the reason a report (details supplied) carried out under contract for Dúchas in January 1999 and brought to the attention of the director of Dúchas on 18 February 1999 was not included or referred to in the scientific statement of Dúchas provided to An Bord Pleanála on 24 March 1999 by Shannon Development or made available to the decision maker at the An Bórd Pleanála oral hearing in June of 1999 which representatives of Dúchas and the author of the report attended. [22526/99]

Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Miss de Valera)

The scientific statement provided by Dúchas, the heritage service of my Department, to An Bord Pleanála indicated the reasoning behind the proposal to designate the Carrowmore Dunes a special area of conservation – SAC – and the extent of this site. This statement did not encompass the area adjacent to this site.

The report the Deputy refers to, prepared for Dúchas, recommended an extension to the boundary of the proposed SAC. Dúchas did not accept the recommendation of this report as it was inconsistent with the criteria it uses to propose SAC sites for Vertigo angustir. Sites are proposed for this species only where listed habitats, meeting the criteria of the Habitats Directive, are also present. Sites to be proposed in accordance with these criteria will fully meet Ireland's obligations, under the Habitats Directive, in respect of Vertigo angustior. In the case of the Whitestrand-Carrowmore Marsh, Doonbeg, proposed natural heritage area, these criteria are met only within the smaller area put forward as the Carrowmore dunes candidate SAC.

There was no obligation to provide this report to An Bord Pleanála as the determination as to what land will be proposed for designation as an SAC is not a matter in which An Bord Pleanála has a role. I understand that the report made available to An Bord Pleanála by the developers, together with the environmental impact assessment, provided it with sufficient data in relation to habitats and species, in the area of the development, to assess the application from an environmental point of view.