An Bord Pleanala Update

Posted on October 13, 2009 | Filed Under Environment, Legal, Planning

By now you may know that we have appealed to Bord Pleanala against the decision of Sligo Co Co to permit the building of an airport runway extension on Dorrins Strand

We are one of six appeals to An Bord Pleanala.  Other persons / bodies who have submitted an appeal against Sligo Airport’s plan include:

1) Department of Environment,  Heritage and Local Government, 2) Birdwatch Ireland, 3) An Taisce , 4) Coney Island Shellfish Ltd and 5) Mr Nicholas Prins.

A number of “observations” have also been submitted to Bord Pleanala

We have asked for an oral hearing.  An oral hearing can be granted at the discretion of An Bord Pleanala.

Your help at any of the fundraising efforts would be greatly appreciated.  Funds are important in this case as we want to employ the best experts we can to present our case.

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Interesting Developments at Knock Airport

Posted on August 28, 2009 | Filed Under Environment, Planning

We see in today’s Irish Times that the new landing system installed at Knock Airport has proved highly successful. Since its installation last April no flight has been diverted because of fog.

The new landing system together with other safety improvements were installed at a cost of €3.6 million.

“Scheduled flights from Ireland West (Knock Airport) now serve Dublin and Cork, as well as nine destinations in the UK, including London Gatwick, Stansted and Luton. A scheduled service also serves Alicante in Spain.

Charter services on the airport website include 10 locations from Portugal to eastern Europe.”

Clearly Knock has firmly established itself as The Regional Airport for the West, Northwest as well as part of the midlands and seems to be doing an excellent job.

Do we still think there is a need for two regional airports side by side? Is there a need for Sligo Airport to destroy Dorrins Strand? Is there a need to spend €10.0 million of taxpayer’s money on an airport that by virtue of its location will never become a sustainable piece of infrastructure?

We have to take care of our environment. It is long past time that the people in charge of our public finances took stock of the infrastructural needs in this region and began to target public spending more effectively and stop the profligate waste we saw during the Celtic Tiger years.

Contrary to some of the allegations made against our organisation, Dorrins and Cummeen Strand Group are very much in favour of economic development and we recognise the need for good infrastructure and its role in society. But it has to be sustainable development and infrastructure. Unlike some of the madness we have seen by unscrupulous developers in the last few years

Link to today’s Irish Times Article

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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:

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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.

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.

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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.

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Briefing Statement Provided to Sligo County Councillors on Sligo Airport Extension plans

Posted on October 5, 2007 | Filed Under Events, Planning

The following briefing statment was circulated to all of the Sligo County Councillors present at last nights meetings convened by Dorrins-Cummeen Conservation Group. Councillors present included Tony McLaughlin, Albert Higgins, Jim McGarry, Declan Bree and Imelda Henry.

Briefing Statement to Local Councillors (Oct. 4th 2007)

Introduction:
Sligo needs to develop its infrastructure in line with its designation as a Gateway City and its aspiration to achieve the objectives set out under that designation. Fundamental to the achievement of this objective is a coordinated and integrated approach to communication, transport, energy and industrial development. This presents a very exacting challenge to our leaders in public life. The current proposal to extend the runway at the airport in Strandhill falls short of this challenge on a number of fronts, but in particular in that it fails to provide the infrastructure that would allow the required level of opportunity to support future industrial expansion.

Issues:

  1. The proposal should be rejected by the planning authorities. The response of the consultants to the request for further information was to submit, not just additional information, but a substantially changed plan. Under planning laws, this should form the substance of a new planning application.
  2. The proposal provides only a stop-gap solution. Whereas the proposed extension would allow for the safe operation of the aircraft type currently in use, what if the regulations change, or the operator changes the aircraft type?
  3. The proposal does not allow for tourism expansion. If a tour operator wishes to bring tour groups to Sligo, this will only be economical if aircraft of 150 seat capacity and over can be used. This would require a runway of 2000 metres or more. Further destruction of this sensitive landscape would be required, to achieve this.
  4. The proposal represents unsustainable development environmentally, ecologically, commercially and economically. It is unsustainable to suggest sacrificing a precious beach of international ecological significance in favour of 259 metres of tarmac. It is unsustainable to suggest importing 286,000 cubic metres of quarried material as a foundation for 259 metres of tarmac. It is unsustainable to propose a plan which will eliminate a thriving export business in organic farmed clams, which provides valuable jobs and export revenue. It is unsustainable to propose spending such enormous quantities of public funds to such little effect, in an attempt to enable the airport to become commercially viable.
  5. The proposal is out of line with related infrastructural developments. The Inner Relief Road has provided a corridor, along which significant industrial development has already taken place, in line with development plans. The airport in Strandhill was never planned; it happened by accident, growing out of an aero club landing strip. Access to other transport infrastructure is a vitally important component in the development of air transport. Efforts to create a vibrant airport, capable of providing the scale of service required by a Gateway City, will always be hindered by the limitations outlined above.

In your position as an elected representative, we would request you to show vision and leadership and to represent our views to that effect in the council chamber.

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Meeting with County Councillors planned for Thursday, 4th October

Posted on October 3, 2007 | Filed Under Planning

Dorrins-Cummeen Conservation Group have invited Sligo County Councillors to attend a meeting in the Local National School on Thursday, 4th October at 8pm.

All are welcome.

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Plans for Sligo airport extension slammed

Posted on October 1, 2007 | Filed Under Media, Pictures, Planning

Six-One News on Friday 28th September had a piece from Eileen Magnier, North-West Correspondent, reporting on the disquiet of locals appalled by plans to expand the runway onto Dorrins Strand.

Click here to play video.

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