An amendment to a county development plan posed a serious threat to protected wildlife areas and infringed European law, a leading environmental group has claimed.
An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland, criticised the proposed change to the Wicklow County Council Development Plan. It urged the council to reject the proposed Variation 6.12 - today is the final day for submissions from the public.
This variation removes the prohibition on guesthouse and hotel/country house development in all "landscape zones". Previously, such developments had not been permitted in outstanding natural beauty zones, special amenity zones and coastal zones.
Because these zones include areas designated under the Habitats Directive as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and under the EU Birds Directive as Special Protection Areas (SPAs), the variation is an infringement of these directives, An Taisce claimed in a statement.
A judgment against Ireland on the Habitats Directive is expected from the European Court next month. If the amendment is approved, An Taisce said it would request the European Commission to examine it in the light of the protection provided by the directive. The variation would also contravene the purpose of the national designation Natural Heritage Area (NHA) under the Wildlife Act, according to An Taisce.
The proposed variation, it claimed, would contribute to the increasing trend for scattered one-off developments in the countryside which are blighting the landscape. This is against national policy as expressed in the 1997 Department of the Environment document Sustainable Development: A Strategy for Ireland.
An Taisce urged elected members of Wicklow County Council to reject the proposed amendment.