WITH just days to go before final submissions can be made about Amazon’s application for a licence to carry out site investigations for a proposed subsea fibre optic cable from Long Strand to the US, locals are being urged to attend a public meeting at 7pm at the Celtic Ross Hotel on Thursday, February 6th.
The meeting has been convened by the local group Castlefreke – Our Woods Our Walks (Cowow) to discuss the impact the site investigation might have in what is a special area of conservation (sac).
Cowow have expressed concerns because Rosscarbery Bay not only has five beaches, it also has two unusual and environmentally important coastal lagoons, Lough Rahavarrig and Kilkeran Lake.
A spokesperson for the organisation also pointed out: ‘The dunes on Long Strand are the longest fixed dunes on the southern coast.’
The meeting will be co-hosted by Cowow, SD Cllr Isobel Towse and newly-appointed biodiversity minister Christopher O’Sullivan (FF).
Cllr Towse, who met with Amazon last week, said that they told her plans in the Castlefreke area are ‘unlikely’ to affect the sac, and indicated that the company are ‘highly unlikely to consider Long Strand as a possible site going forward’.
The final date for the receipt of written submissions to the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority is 5.30pm on Tuesday February 11th next.
Emails quoting the following reference: MUL230031 can be sent to [email protected].
Amazon MCS Ireland Ltd submitted their application on June 6th 2024, and if planning permission is granted work on the cable is not expected to start until 2027.
