This article is from page 18 of the 2013-10-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 18 JPG
CLARE County Council is working to remove a planning law which requires all building projects at Shannon Airport to be first lodged with an Bord Pleanála – no matter how small the project.
Under current planning legislation, the national planning authority must assess every development at the airport to see if it qualifies as a Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID).
However, as the vast majority of development are too small to gain SID status, this requirement is effec- tively slowing the planning process by adding an unnecessary layer.
“If somebody wants to build a chicken coop at Shannon Airport, it has to go to an Bord Pleanála first to be determined if it is strategic infrastructure,” said Director of Service for Clare County Council, Ger Dollard.
“In most cases they [an Bord Pleanála] say that it is not as SID and it reverts back to the normal planning process. What people would prefer is that development that are clearly not of strategic important should go into the normal planning process.
“By going to the board and then having to come back to Clare County Council actually lengthens the planning process. In fairness to them [an Bord Pleanála] they have agreed to deal with submission after 21 days and they have stuck to that so far.”
A review of this planning law was recommended in the report of the task force into the future of Shannon Airport.
Under the current law all airports with passengers great than two million people per year must submit every development to an Bord Pleanála. While Shannon Airport has just 1.4 million passengers last year, the national planning board have included them in the SID process as they deem that Shannon has the potential to exceed two million passengers per year.
“Our optimum goal would be that any development at Shannon Airport would not be seen as a SID and would come to us. That may not happen but I think that something could be done regarding the minor development,” continued Mr Dollard.
“We are working with the airport on a number of issues and I think that everyone is working very well together. There is a serious intent there collectively to get the airport to grow in tourism terms and economic terms and in any other way that we can. Everyone is really up for achieving that.”