THE SHANNON estuary will not be “frozen for development” if it becomes designated a special protection area for birds, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan said yesterday.
Mr Deenihan was moving to allay concerns raised by the MidWest Regional Authority that environmental restrictions would get priority over economic development if the designation went ahead.
The authority said the designation had “the potential to create a significant barrier to the harnessing of the full potential of the Shannon river”. The designation process is in the consultation phase, and submissions from the public may be made to Mr Deenihan’s department.
According to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the river Shannon and river Fergus estuaries area “is the most important coastal wetland site in the country and regularly supports in excess of 50,000 wintering waterfowl, a concentration easily of international importance”.
In an interview, Mr Deenihan said the local authorities in Clare, Limerick and Kerry “have absolutely nothing to fear from the designation”.
He said: “These designations are here to stay. What we have to do is to accept them and address them and ensure that they will not stop development.”
Mr Deenihan said the estuary had to be designated – “otherwise, we are going to be fined heavily as a country”. He added: “Already, the upper part of the estuary is a special protection area, and I’m not aware of any project that was stopped because of that.”
Mr Deenihan said there was no other option but to press ahead with the designation. “There is a European court judgment against us. We have no other option.”
The department confirmed yesterday it had to date received seven submissions. The closing date is September 7th.
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