This article is from page 10 of the 2006-10-03 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 10 JPG
THE proposed €10 million Shannon Explosives factory proposed for Cahercon, Kildysart, will result in a €30 million spend through capital and operational costs over the first 20 years of its operation.
That is according to the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project re-lodged with Clare County Council.
The revised plan was initially lodged with the council in August but was invalidated due to a technicality and has now been re-lodged and deemed a valid application.
According to the EIS, “The net present value over 20 years of all income injections arising from capital and recurrent expenditures associated with the proposed development ranges from €27.4 million to €29.5 million.
“As a result of the increased expenditure within the local area arising from increased income, it is likely that existing retail and service outlets in Kildysart will be commercially strengthened with a resultant underpinning of the social infrastructure of the settlement and the rural hinterland that it serves.”
The EIS states, “The overall residual impact of the scheme on the human environment is likely to be positive, due to the large benefits that will arise from the proposed development.”
It states that “in relation to tourism, the proposals to landscape the site proposed for development and its environs will make it a more attractive place of resort for residents of the local community as well as tourists and will enhance its fishing potential.
“It is the intention of the developer to construct and operate a safe, environment-compliant and visually pleasing facility, thereby minimising the adverse environmental, aesthetic and socio-economic impacts of the project.”
The EIS shows that no significant adverse affect on the environs should occur as a result of the proposed explosives manufacturing development.
The EIS states that the visual aspect of the plant will not be alien to the locality due to the other industrial developments already located in the area, such as Aughinish Alumina.
A decision is not due on the application until some time next year. A previous application for an explosives factory on the same site sparked a four-year long planning battle that led to An Bord Pleanala refusing planning permission in February 2003.
Without a sod being turned on the scheme, the Whelan Group has already spent almost €7 million on the project.
The factory has been opposed by local residents as well as environmental lobby, the Friends of the Irish Environment.