The final stretch of the Corrib gas pipe gets planning permission 14 years after the discovery off the Belmullet coast
An Bord PleanΡla Planning Inspector Mr Martin Nolan, pictured here at an oral hearing into the project has recommended that an 28.5 million ‘community gain investment fund’ be paid over five years by Shell and partners, which will be held in trust by Mayo County Council.
Planning board grants permission for final part of Corrib route
Áine RyanPERMISSION for the last section of the Corrib gas pipeline has been finally granted, 14 years after the discovery of the gas field, 80km off the coast of north-west Mayo.
In a 689-page report, former Kerry County Manager and An Bord PleanΡla (ABP) Inspector, Martin Nolan granted the permission last week, subject to 58 conditions.
This third route, proposed by Shell, includes a 4.9km tunnel under Sruwaddacon estuary – a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) – and obviates the need to pass by houses in Rossport.
Planning appeals board, Inspector Martin Nolan said this option was the ‘most suitable, the shortest and the most obvious route for the development’. He also said the transparency and clarity of Shell’s latest application gave ‘confidence that the safety of the public is fully protected’.
“There is good clarity and transparency available now on the site, the proposed development itself, on the impacts of the scheme, on the safety implications of the scheme,” he said.
“This clarity provides confidence in the decision recommended and provides confidence that the safety of the public is fully protected and that the public will not be put at risk by the proposed development,” Mr Nolan continued.
He also observed that the proposed modifications would have a ‘remarkably light impact on the pristine environment of the area’.
An earlier application by Shell was rejected by An Bord PleanΡla in November 2009, after almost half of the route was deemed unacceptable on safety grounds, due to proximity to housing.
Submissions were made, both in support of and against the latest application, at the resumed oral hearing, held last Summer in Belmullet.
Observers included local community groups and individuals, two parish priests, a retired Educational Psychologist with the Department of Education, Pollathomas National School, local business owners, as well as An Taisce, Mayo County Council and the Department of the Environment.
Regarding the development potential, Mr Nolan said: “ Corrib will, I have no doubt, provide impetus for future expansion of the natural gas network in Ireland and I expect it will provide impetus for additional exploration off the coast.”
He also said it will ‘provide opportunity for Mayo in particular to develop a new energy producing centre’.
However, he observed that it was important to engage with the local community in order to ensure ‘the benefits of the scheme are developed and harnessed locally’.
He recommended that an €8.5 million community gain investment fund, to be held in trust by Mayo County Council, be paid over a five-year period.
ConditionsIF all the permissions are secured, the building of the tunnel is expected to take up to 24 months, with a daily 24-hour operation in place.
The conditions for the 8.3km route, from the landfall at Glengad to the refinery at Bellanaboy also include extra security at the Glengad valve installation, the preparation of an emergency response plan, and the establishment of a project monitoring committee by Mayo County Council. It would include four representatives from the Kilcommon parish, as well as representatives from the Inland Fisheries Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Department of Energy, the EPA and Bord na Móna.
Mr Nolan charged Mayo County Council with monitoring the board’s conditions while Shell must maintain a ‘complaints register’ in the Belmullet office. He also imposed traffic management conditions and ordered the engagement of a Traffic Warden to ensure the safety of school children during the construction phase.
WelcomeWELCOMING ABP’S ruling, Shell E&P Ireland’s Managing Director, Terry Nolan said last week that the permission was good news for Mayo and Ireland.
“We hope that An Bord Pleanala’s thorough examination of our application and subsequent endorsement of it will allow people to feel their concerns have been fully addressed,” Terry Nolan said.
“We are committed to working positively with the local community throughout the construction period and thereafter. Today’s positive decision means the Corrib Gas Partners can focus on completing this strategically important project and deliver the gas to Ireland. At peak production, Corrib will supply up to 60pc of Ireland’s natural gas needs and will play an important role in Ireland’s energy security,”he continued.
The Erris Local Contractors’ Association (ELCA), a group of seven local businesses who have worked on the project, also welcomed the decision.
In a statement they said: “We would like to compliment the board and its inspector for the commitment, transparency and outright professionalism afforded to all who participated in the process at any stage.”
It continued: “We wholeheartedly endorse this decision, as it will have a positive impact, not only on the entire community of Erris but on the country. It will provide continued inward investment and sustained employment, both directly as part of the construction and future operation of the project and indirectly through the positive economic ripples it will create in the community and among local businesses.”
The group is led by contractors and business men, Cathal Shevlin, TJ Lennon, Pat Cowman, TJ Carey, Brendan Hegarty, PJ Barrett and Sean Keane.
The Pro-Gas Mayo groups also welcomed the decision. It stated: “As democrats, we hope all right-thinking people will abide by the decision and bring this long-running saga to an end. We also note with approval the financial conditions, which will greatly benefit the local area.”
Legal actionRESPONDING, An Taisce said ABP’s decision was ‘fundamentally flawed on a number of grounds’.
The Chairman, Charles Stanley-Smith said in a statement: “In many decisions in the past An Bord PleanΡla has been a shining beacon. However. this latest decision represents a further nail in the coffin of proper regulation in Ireland. It highlights that poor planning, which was at the heart of Ireland’s banking failure and consequent economic collapse, continues to be a major issue. An Bord PleanΡla is the independent body appointed to decide on major planning matters. An Taisce believes that in this decision, the Board has failed to properly take account of the legislative requirements of the Habitats, Birds and Environmental Impact Assessment Directives and An Taisce detailed such issues in its substantial submissions made to the Board. This grant of approval flies in the face of a number of European Court of Justice Rulings and indeed sets the Board up as contending it has more insight into the law than the Supreme Court of Ireland, on matters such as the integrity of Natura 2000 sites.”
He also noted that the implications of this decision had major connotations ‘for the status of implementation of European Directives in Ireland, particularly the Habitat’s Directive’.
“The Board has effectively called into question the competence of the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the designation of Natura 2000 sites throughout the state with this decision,” Mr Stanley-Smith added.
Speaking to The Mayo News yesterday, Vincent McGrath, the Chairman of Pobal Chill ChomΡin confirmed his group may also consider legal action.
“We expect to hold a meeting later this week to consider the details of the ruling and to consider our options. There is a seven-week window now for us to take a legal route,” Mr McGrath said.
Protest to escalatePROTEST group, Shell to Sea has vowed to ‘continue and escalate’ its campaign against the onshore refining of the Corrib gas.
Spokesman, Terence Conway said last week: “An Bord PleanΡla commented in their report that this decision would benefit the people of Mayo and Ireland. However, the only people to benefit from this decision will be the shareholders of Shell, Statoil and Vermillion. The Government’s own estimates are that there is at least €600 billion worth of oil and gas off Ireland’s coast, but it seems hell-bent on ensuring none of the benefits go the Irish people.”
He continued: “An Bord PleanΡla recommends that Shell create an €8.5 million community fund. The board still seems to think our community can be bribed into accepting a project that places us in danger. This bribery fund would also be fully tax deductible for Shell under Ireland’s current oil and gas exploration licensing terms.”
