Woods at Burt

Sir, - In the final paragraph of Eileen Battersby's excellent profile of the chairman of An Taisce (The Irish Times, May 11th…

Sir, - In the final paragraph of Eileen Battersby's excellent profile of the chairman of An Taisce (The Irish Times, May 11th), Mr Smith is quoted as saying that there may be a committee of inquiry in the future asking who was responsible for allowing the degradation of the environment. Allowing is one thing. But even worse is the facilitation of developers who would degrade the environment.

Why has the International Fund for Ireland and INTERREG approved grants to a "heritage centre" in Burt which has a planning application lodged with Donegal County Council to build houses in one of the very few largely native woods on this island?

Will we have to wait for the inquiry for an answer to that one? -Yours, etc.,

Michael McGuire, Garvery, Burnfoot, Co Donegal.