Connacht Tribune
Islanders welcome decision to reject glamping plans
Residents on Inishbofin have welcomed the refusal of planning permission for an upmarket camping site on the island – planners have ruled that it would have an adverse impact on wildlife habitats in the area.
It was proposed to develop 14 glamping pods, which would have the capacity to accommodate around 100 visitors at any one time, at Knock, Inishbofin.
The plan was to provide the glamping pods, a reception area, a toilet block and a wastewater treatment system at a location close to Drumhach Beach.
But the plans attracted a total of 37 objections, mainly from residents both on and off the island, on the grounds that it would have a negative impact on wildlife, particularly the Corncrake, as well as it being unsightly at this particular location.
Inishbofin Tourism Committee, An Taisce and a number of island accommodation providers were also among the objectors.
And there were suggestion that the proposed glamping development at Knock, Inishbofin, would attract a certain element that would dissuade the more traditional visitor from coming to the island.
The applicants, Bofin Glamping Limited, stated that they wanted to provide “a unique holiday or short-stay” experience for visitors by providing a high standard of accommodation.
They stated that they are fully aware of the sensitivity of the landscape on ‘Bofin and wish to make as little impact as possible on the environment.
According to their submission, the pods are portable timber-framed accommodation to domestic house standards with insulation that keeps them warm in any conditions.
Bofin Glamping Limited was established earlier this year by Paddy Mullin and John Adams who work for the locally run ferry service Island Discovery. Paddy is a crewman and relief skipper while John also runs The Harbour Shop on the island.
However, Galway County Council ruled that the site for the glamping pods was protected under the EU Habitats Directive. The development, they said, would result in the permanent loss of the Machair wildlife habitat.
The planning authority were also not satisfied that the safe disposal of domestic effluent can be achieved on site and this would pose an unacceptable risk to surface waters and the flora and fauna of the area.
It was also stated that the development would be incapable of satisfactorily assimilating into this rural landscape and would have a detrimental effect on this coastal setting.
In their submission, Inishbofin Tourism Committee say that the application listed only five accommodation providers on the island when, in fact, there are 263 existing beds available for tourist purposes.
“A plan that tries to prove demand for accommodation on the island while at the same time does not even include over half the beds in the whole tourism sector, is a plan not worth considering due to this serious misrepresentation of the facts”.
They went on to say that it would ruin this very scenic part of the island and would have a negative impact on Drumhach Beach – a Green Coast Award recipient.
“The constant pollution, noise, movement, lighting and general activity from this amount of people would be devastating for the area”, the tourism group contended.
The decision is likely to be appealed to An Bord Pleanala.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
