Dublin Port Company has applied for permission under section 10 of the Foreshore Act, 1933, as amended, to have 21 hectares of privately-owned foreshore in Dublin port reclaimed for port purposes.
The publication of the EIS and the public consultation process were advertised in the Irish Independent and The Irish Times on 1 October and copies of the EIS and other associated documents necessary for the public consultation process were made available for public consultation for the statutory period of one month at both the port company's offices and Store Street Garda station.
The port company has advised me that, following publication of the notice in the newspapers on 1 October and, having regard to the relatively small attendance at the exhibition in the port offices of the public consultation documents, public representatives for the area, both at national and local level, known residents associations in the area and other known interested parties, such as Birdwatch Ireland, were written to and invited to attend. The company advises that the response was mixed, with some attending and having fruitful discussions, some sending apologies and some ignoring the invitation. I would accept this as evidence that the company has complied with its statutory duty in relation to public consultation. A further consultation period is not, therefore, called for.
A total of 428 submissions were made to me in relation to the proposed reclamation. The vast bulk of these were from individual residents or family groups with Clontarf addresses while two were from community action groups – the Clontarf Residents Association and the East Wall Community Development Council. The submissions were under 14 broad headings.
