Residents near the Hill of Doon on the north-west shore of Lough Corrib have sent a petition to Galway County Council over an unauthorised development which they say has "defaced" the landmark. The construction of an octagonal chalet, a road and destruction of trees on the site of the holy well, is being done without planning permission.
Mr Tom Kavanagh, the local authority secretary, has confirmed that an unauthorised development has taken place, and that inspections have been carried out. Galway County Council has taken "appropriate action", he says, and it is understood that an enforcement and warning notice has been served on the relevant party under the planning Acts. Efforts by The Irish Times to contact the developer were not successful. In spite of the so-called "retention culture", whereby permission is sought to retain buildings after construction, Galway County Council has acted in the past. Recently, a mooring area and slipway built without permission on the lake shores at Gortnashingaun were dismantled, after an enforcement and warning notice was served.
However, Mr Joe Pilkington, a local artist and actor, has lost faith in the planning system. "How can you replace oak woods?" he asks. "Who is going to replant the trees?" Describing as "sacrilege" the damage done to the Hill of Doon, he says the Corrib shoreline is constantly under threat from indiscriminate development. Acres are being lost each year, due to "unnecessary and unpardonable" planning approvals, he says.