Latest news with #SpecialAreaofConservation
Irish Independent
27-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
‘Hardship' for West Cork communities over protected nature sites
Much of the West Cork coastline has been designated as a Natura 2000 site, either as a Special Protection Area (SPA) or a Special Area of Conservation (SAC). Those designations are now causing hardship for local people and in some cases preventing much-needed development and infrastructure projects, West Cork Councillors say. At this week's meeting of Cork County Council, Councillors Finbarr Harrington and John Michael Foley called on the Council to write to the government to seek permission from the European Union to carry out an urgent review of Cork's designated Natura 2000 sites. 'In my own West Cork, working harbours, piers and slips were taken into SACs and these are causing unbelievable amounts of difficulties for ourselves as a local authority to do repairs to these piers because we must carry out all kinds of EIAs [Environmental Impact Assessment] before we get to do it,' Cllr Harrington said. 'In relation to rural planning, where you have young couples that are just applying for planning permission for a normal family home to live in it, our planners are obliged to notify them that they're building in an SAC or an SPA or an NHA [Natural Heritage Area] and they must go off and do EIAs, which is costing them thousands and thousands of euros,' he added. Cllr Harrington cited the Garnish slipway at the tip of the Beara Peninsula, which is used by recreational sailors, fishermen and the Coast Guard. Sand builds up at the tip of the slipway over the winter but because it's in the Kenmare SAC, ministerial permission has to be sought to remove the sand. Many of the designations were mapped decades ago and have not kept pace with updated ecological knowledge or with the practical realities faced by rural communities, according to Cllr Foley. 'Right now in County Cork, homeowners struggle to get planning permission for modest homes. Farmers are restricted in their ability to work their land. Local councils find critical infrastructure projects delayed or blocked entirely in many coastal areas. Renewable energy and rural development projects, crucial for meeting Ireland and Europe's climate goals, are held back,' he said. 'We're not asking to dismantle conservation efforts, but we need to be able to complete coastal erosion problems where farms are falling into the sea, roads are falling into the sea. We need to be able to work on things, we need to be able to work on essential works like working harbours. We're not asking for a dismantling of the SECs, they're great, but we are asking for a common-sense approach where we can work,' said Cllr Foley. The Council agreed to write to the government to ask for a review of the Natura 2000 mapping.
ITV News
23-06-2025
- General
- ITV News
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water fined for £250,000 sewage pollution
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water have been fined £250,000 for multiple cases of sewage pollution on the Gwent Levels and another on a tributary of the Afon Llwyd. Natural Resources Wales took enforcement action after a broken sewer line discharged raw sewage into a reen and salt marsh near Magor, Monmouthshire between 24th January 2023 and 11th January 2024 The area of salt marsh falls within the several protected sites - a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), RAMSAR and Special Protection Area (SPA). Officers from Natural Resources Wales were first called to the site, near the sea wall at Magor, on January 24 2023. A section of the south east coast sewer line was found to have ruptured, discharging sewage into an area known as 'back ditch". Although repairs were made to pipe, NRW officers were called to further incidents at the site in March and May 2023, and also on January 2024. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water was been fined £90,000 for the the Gwent levels incidents, and a further £160,000 for an incident on a tributary of the Afon Llwyd at Herberts Wood, Pontnewynydd. In the latter incident, in February 2023, the source was a spillage from a foul sewer chamber. An NRW spokesperson said the sewage was visible over ground and throughout approximately 400m of the tributary. At Newport Magistrates Court, the company was also ordered to pay costs and a surcharge of £18,320.77. 'For over a year, our officers recorded a pattern of recurring sewage pollution incidents in the same area, impacting a highly protected habitat which is rich in plants and wildlife, including Saltmarsh" said John Rock, NRW Operations Manager for South Wast Wales 'Time and again we were assured that the necessary repairs had been made, yet the pollution persisted. 'As well as causing considerable harm to the local environment, we found Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water's response to the incidents to be inadequate. Communication was at times poor, and there were unnecessary delays to their incident response procedures such as pumping and tankering away the pollution, which could have lessened the impact. A spokesperson for Welsh Water said it "pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity" "At Herberts Wood, Pontypool, the incident occurred because of the damage to our sewer pipe caused by root ingress. "We manage a vast sewage network that spans over 36,000km of sewers and regrettably unexpected issues such as this can arise and it's not possible to foresee theme all. The repair was hindered as we had to work around a vast wooded area and the need to preserve the trees. This meant the sewer had to be diverted, prolonging the incident." "The second issue was on the South East Coastal Sewer. We have been experiencing repeat issues with this sewer in recent years with the only viable solution being to replace it." "However, the estimated cost of £80 million has meant that it has not previously been possible to complete the work within our maintenance budget." "We have now, with support of NRW, secured permission from Ofwat to raise funds to address the issue."
