Safety zone could sink Port plans

Date Published: 12-Feb-2008

FEARS were expressed last night that two of the city’s biggest ever proposed developments could be jeopardised by new safety rules.

The €2 billion transformation of the Docks could be affected by regulations governing the distance that must be kept between the storage of hazardous material — such as the oil tanks at the Docks — and any new development, a meeting of Galway City Council was told.

And, City Manager Joe MacGrath confirmed to the Sentinel after the eeting that, unless the two existing oil depots are moved, any new plans for the revamp of Ceannt Station could potentially also be affected.

In December 2005, more than 2,000 people living near a fuel depot in the South East of England were evacuated from their homes when two blasts at Buncefield Oil Depot caused massive fires. At least 43 people were injured in the blaze, two seriously, and the incident caused chaos on the surrounding road network.

British authorities decided that the 250-metre development exclusion zone around tankers containing hazardous material should be extended to 400 metres.

In March 2007, the Irish equivalent, the Health …………..