AN Bord Pleanála (ABP) has been commended by the West Cork-based environmental charity Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) for refusing a planning proposal for a whiskey warehouse on a wetland near Leap.
However, FIE expressed disappointment that the decision failed to explicitly address the crucial issue of wetland protection and the impact on biodiversity, adding that it missed ‘a vital opportunity to set a precedent’ for future planning decisions.
ABP did not accept its own inspector’s report, that deemed the location acceptable.
Instead, the board cited several other reasons for refusal: the scale of the development, the lack of local usage, and the unzoned and unserviced nature of the land, as well as the inadequate road network.
This decision ignored the findings of the local authority’s ecology officer, who pointed to the ‘primary issue of the potential for the proposed development to give rise to negative effects on wetlands’.
Ireland is the worst in the world for wetland depreciation over the past three centuries, it said.
By failing to cite the wetlands as a reason for refusal, the planning appeals board missed an opportunity to establish a precedent that would help control inappropriate development on similar wetland sites.
The significance of this issue cannot be overstated, especially given the crucial discussions about land use and rewetting, which are vital for achieving Ireland’s climate action objectives and aligning with the EU green deal, said the FIE.
‘Compliance with the EU habitats directive, the national biodiversity action plan, the Planning and Development Act 2000, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands mandates that Ireland proactively address this matter in its planning and development strategies. It is imperative that we act now to safeguard our environment for future generations,’ said the FIE.
‘Comprehensive and clear reasons for decisions are a primary requirement for administrative decision-making. Anything less undermines public trust and the integrity of the planning process, and will lead to more administrative burdens on local authorities and the planning appeals board,’ said FIE director Tony Lowes.
