Residents barking up wrong tree on kennel

RESIDENTS on a Shannon Airport flight path have discovered they were barking up the wrong tree when they objected to planned new dog kennels.

Noise from aircraft landing and taking off at all hours was one thing, they said.

But enough was enough, they claimed after objecting to greyhounds’ noise at a local kennel.

The residents lodged an objection with Clare Co Council about the breeding kennels located at Culleen, Newmarket on Fergus, because of the barking hounds.

But, to their dismay, the local authority dismissed the objections.

An Bord Pleanála has now also upheld the council decision. It found a lot of the noise problems in the area emanated from aircraft flying in and out of Shannon at unsocial hours.

The board ruled greyhound breeder Leo McNulty can keep up to 22 greyhounds.

Some of the kennels are for breeding bitches and others are located in dog runs.

He was, however, refused permission to built a greyhound rehabilitation unit at the site which would have included 20 further kennels.

Local residents had appealed planning permission by Clare Co Council to An Bord Pleanála.

One of their grounds for appeal was the noise of barking dogs which comes from the kennels.

An inspector from An Bord Pleanála, recommending the upholding of the council’s decision stated: “It may be noted also that aircraft noise is recognised as contributing towards the existing noise environment.

“The sites of both the applicant (Mr McNulty) and appellants (objectors) are proximate to and in a flight path to/from Shannon Airport. Aircraft noise is different to dog barking, notwithstanding that certain aircraft noise occurs at unsocial hours.

“In my view, any disturbance, or other reaction, to aircraft noise locally could only be exacerbated by, or in contrast with, pack dog barking, rather than there being any masking effect.

“On balance I consider the submissions on file to be inconclusive on the credibility of the noise assessment undertaken.”

As there was no final report on noise assessment in the area, the inspector said the council were correct in refusing further developments at the site for 20 rehabilitation kennels pending a satisfactory noise report.

The inspector added: “Monitoring of noise should be formally established in the environs of the site, so as to assist in the regulation and control of development and to establish baseline information in the event of future proposal for extension or modification of the development over time.”

He said that Mr McNulty and the council will have to agree on a mechanism for on-going monitoring of noise at the development.

The finding of these surveys, he added, should be made available for public scrutiny.

Mr McNulty has agreed to erect further screening measures at his property to reduce barking noise.