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  • DCCG Submissions on Sligo Airport Extension
  • 223 Objections Received to Sligo Airport’s Proposal to Build Runway on Dorrin’s Strand
  • Closing Date for Objections to Airport Extension is 11th September,2008
  • New Application by Sligo Airport Company
  • DCCG Chairperson interview with Ocean FM
  • Sligo Airport to withdraw planning application to build on Dorrins Strand.
  • Walk to Coney Island in Pictures - 25th November 2007
  • Live Music Gig in Kellys Strandhill on 22nd February
  • Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Meets DCCG
  • TV footage of Walk to Coney Island

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DCCG Submissions on Sligo Airport Extension

Posted on September 24, 2008 | Filed Under Planning 

You can download the submissions which were made by DCCG to the proposed extension of Sligo Airport runway onto Dorrins Strand:

• Preliminary Submission (16th August 2008)
  
• Main Submission (10th September 2008)
  

223 Objections Received to Sligo Airport’s Proposal to Build Runway on Dorrin’s Strand

Posted on September 15, 2008 | Filed Under Press Releases 

In March 2007 Sligo Co Co received over 70 objections to Sligo Airport’s proposal to build a runway on the scenic and environmentally sensitive Dorrins Strand. Last Thursday (11 Sept 08) over 3 times the number of objections ( 223) were submitted in response to their recent application.

Sligo Airport Company withdrew their initial application and submitted a revised one in an effort to overcome concerns raised, by the Council’s Planning Department, about many elements of the proposed project.

Dorrins & Cummeen Strand Conservation Group (DCCG), local residents, visitors from all over Ireland and the UK, shellfish farmers as well as NGOs such as Birdwatch Ireland and Keep Ireland Open have all exercised their right to object to the destruction of Dorrins Strand. The Department of Agriculture – Coastal Zone and Marine Division (CZMD) made a submission in which they raised several concerns about the development and described the Environmental Impact Statement as “incomplete” in certain ways.

Chairman and Spokesman for the DCCG, John MacDermott said

“We are pleased with this growing support from the local and wider community. It is an endorsement for our highlighting the inherent dangers in a development of this scale on a public beach. We put the increase in opposition down to two things- (a) a greater awareness of the extent of the devastation that would be caused to this unique environment protected under local, national and EU law and (b) the fact that while all small airports are under severe economic pressures their application gave no evidence that Sligo airport will be able to overcome these difficulties and continue to operate into the future.

Sligo Airport did not establish any connection between having, or not having, this extension and the survival of the airport. Many people wanted to be assured that if they gave up their beach they would at least have an airport.”

DCCG are now calling on political representatives to take heed of the groundswell of public opinion on this subject. It is time for politicians to show political courage and leadership and draw up an integrated transportation policy and plan for Sligo and its environs and show what role air travel would play in such a plan.

Such a plan will have to take into account the new realities in our lives today with the need for sustainability and viability, the need to respect our environment, wildlife and our aquaculture industries.

We also ask the Planners in Sligo County Council to heed the many objections made in writing and reject this application.

Closing Date for Objections to Airport Extension is 11th September,2008

Posted on September 4, 2008 | Filed Under Environment, Planning 

Interested parties should note that the closing date for submissions (objections) to the proposed extension of Sligo Airport runway onto Dorrins Strand in Strandhill, is 5pm on 11th September 2008.

If you are concerned about this issue, then you must make your concerns known to Sligo County Council by making a submission to the council that will arrive in planning offices before this date.

To assist you in this process, we have prepared 2 templates for download.

• A listing of possible reasons people might find to object to the Airport Runway extension & associated works (Download Issues Template)
• A general template letter of what a letter of objection might look like (Download Letter Template)

Please feel free to use this as a guide for formulating your own objection and add any additional comments or objections that are not listed in the attached documents. Your submission is not valid unless it is accompanied by €20 fee. Please feel free to forward these details to friends who may be interested in this issue (but were unaware that a new application was in play) and who may wish to object.

Again - you must be aware that if the submission is not received in council offices before 5.00pm on 11th September then it is invalid.

If you have questions or require any further information please send an email to dorrins@hotmail.com - and we will assist you with your submission.

New Application by Sligo Airport Company

Posted on August 23, 2008 | Filed Under Planning 

Sligo Airport have submitted a new planning application for the extension of the airport runway. All details can be found on Sligo County Council Website, File Number (Planning Application Number) 08/632

Full details - including submissions received - are best viewed using Internet Explorer. If you need help installing the plugin needed to view the documents, Strandhill Online have a good guide on viewing planning applications from Sligo County Council.

DCCG Chairperson interview with Ocean FM

Posted on June 20, 2008 | Filed Under Events, Media 

John McDermott was interviewed by OceanFM on 19th June ( thanks to the station for allowing us to use this audio on the site). The piece is approximately 17 minutes long.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Sligo Airport to withdraw planning application to build on Dorrins Strand.

Posted on June 16, 2008 | Filed Under Press Releases 

Planning consultants to Sligo Airport announced, at a meeting with Dorrins / Cummeen Strand Conservation Group, their intention to withdraw their present application to build a runway extension on Dorrins Strand. Their intention is to make a new application in due course.

Dorrins / Cummeen Strand Conservation Group are delighted with this news and now intend to campaign to have the plan to build on Dorrins Strand dropped.

It was the group’s view from the beginning that it was outrageous and unjust to propose to rob a community of its beach, its rights of way, its environmental heritage and its shellfish industry.  This could be justified only in the most exceptional circumstances or to meet essential needs of society and when there is no possible alternative course of action. This clearly is not the situation in this case.

We therefore call on the Airport board to lift this threat to the local community and make it clear they do not intend to apply for planning permission to build on Dorrins strand.

Never before in Ireland has anyone applied to build on a beach. Landlords of old and even the most gung-ho developers have viewed beaches as sacrosanct and belonging to the people.  Beaches must remain a step too far for developers. The rights of people to walk their beaches must remain.

Arising from the recent referendum everyone agrees that the ordinary people need to be listened to more carefully.  Let us hope that the lesson is learned and that the ordinary people in this case won’t be brought through a long and time consuming process in order to defend their rights.

Walk to Coney Island in Pictures - 25th November 2007

Posted on February 22, 2008 | Filed Under Events, Media, Pictures 

We put our pictures from the day into a short movie slide show.

Live Music Gig in Kellys Strandhill on 22nd February

Posted on February 18, 2008 | Filed Under Events 

Featuring Rick Epping, Gerry Harrington, Gregory Daly, Ray Coen, Francis Lenehan & The Shelley River Band, Felip Carbonell & Anna Houston, The Ice Buddies, John Lenehan.

Tickets available at Kellys Bar Pub (086-80300334) or ring Noel (087-7489384). Doors open at 9.30pm.

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Meets DCCG

Posted on February 15, 2008 | Filed Under Environment, Events 

A Delegation from the  Dorrins and Cummeen Strand Conservation Group
have met with Mr John Gormley, TD and Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local
Government.  The meeting took place on Monday evening 11th February
while Minister Gormley was visiting the area.

During the meeting the DCCG delegation outlined in detail to the Minister their concerns for the conservation of Dorrins and Cummeen Strand arising out of the threat posed by the proposal to build an extension to the runway of Sligo Airport on the public beach at
Dorrins Strand.

Minister Gormley engaged constructively with the delegation, asking many pertinent questions demonstrating a clear understanding of the special status of this environmentally sensitive area.

At the end of the meeting the DCCG delegation were pleased with the Minister’s response and are confident that Minister goes away with a clear understanding of the issues and the threat to local environment posed by the Airport project.

We would like to acknowledge local Green Party representative Mr Brian Scanlon who organised the meeting with Minister Gormley for us.

TV footage of Walk to Coney Island

Posted on January 18, 2008 | Filed Under Events, Media 

The walk to Coney Island in November 2007 was very successful. TG4 covered the event and aired this piece later that evening in their News roundup.

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