Docks project to bid for ‘fast-tracking’

Date Published: 02-May-2013

BY ENDA CUNNINGHAM

A planning application for the redevelopment of Galway Port will be sent to An Bord Pleanála next month to decide if it can be assessed under European ‘fast-tracking’ legislation.

It will be the first application in the country to be considered under IROPI (Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest) legislation, which overrides existing planning regulations in Ireland, and has previously been successful for port developments in Europe.

Galway Harbour Company Chief Executive Eamon Bradshaw told the Galway City Tribune this week that a ‘Natura Impact Statement’ – required because of the ecological impact the plans will have on mammals, birds and the sea bed – has been completed, and a full application will be sent to An Bord Pleanála by the end of June.

“You have to go through a whole series of tests to identify and assess the impact it will have, and we are saying that it will have an impact.

“The full plan will go to An Bord Pleanála (ABP), and they will decide whether it can proceed under IROPI. They will refer it to the Environment Minister, and he will consult with various statutory bodies such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of Transport, and the EC,” said Mr Bradshaw.

The ‘fast tracking’ could be approved if the Harbour Company can prove the new port will be of huge economic benefit to the region and the country as a whole.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.