Press Release : Airport request meeting with DCCG
On Friday 9th March, the Dorrin’s & Cummeen Conservation Group (DCCG) were invited to meet with representatives of Sligo Airport and their consultants. Councillor Higgins, Chairman of the Board of Sligo Airport, billed this meeting as the start of a consultation process between Airport personnel and representatives of the local community.
The meeting started with the expert consultants to the Airport giving presentations on why the extension to the East Side was the only feasible option. It became clear that despite this meeting being a consultation process, the Airport were not in favour of changing their plans despite the opposition voiced in two recent public meetings in Strandhill and over 70 objections to Sligo County Council’s Planning Section. The airport also suggested that it would have to close if it did not extend the runway to the East.
A spokesperson for the Dorrin’s & Cummeen Conservation Group addressed the meeting and asked the Airport Company to withdraw the current application for planning permission. He said this would instill confidence in the consultation process between the Airport and the Strandhill community.
He also stated that the application for planning permission submitted by the Airport was comprehensively flawed. The vast majority of Strandhill residents are deeply concerned about building a runway extension on Dorrin’s Strand with the consequent damage to the ecology, wildlife, heritage, and access to recreational activities. Local residents also have grave concerns for the access road to Coney Island and the massive damage to the local fish farming industries by the proposal to divert the channel from its current course.
In response to the request to withdraw the planning application, Councillor Albert Higgins, Chairman of the Airport Company, stated that such a decision would need to be considered by the airport company and that he would bring this DCCG request to the board.
The DCCG concerns with the inadequacy of the Environmental Impact Statement were supported by the Sligo Co. Co. Planning Department who had written a lengthy letter to the Airport seeking further information on a wide range of issues concerning the application.