Councillor claims zoning is ‘for birds, not people’
Fianna Fáil Cllr PJ Kelly was responding to planners stating that areas zoned for housing in the draft west Clare Local Area Plan should not proceed due to the negative impacts on EU protected birds in the area.
The council is currently accepting public submissions on the draft plan and in a report on how the zonings will impact on designated EU protected sites, the planners express concerns on multiple sites zoned by councillors for housing.
In one instance, the councillors have moved to zone a housing cluster at Islandavanna.
The planners state that the site is directly adjacent to large expanses of salt marshes and mudflats, which are EU protected habitats and are also of critical importance at this location for the large numbers of Wintering wildfowl and waders they support.
The planning report states: “The zoning at this location is likely to give rise to large scale disturbance of birds, which would have a significant negative impact on the favourable conservation status of the site.”
The planners state that due to the disturbance of wildfowl and waders, along with flood risk, the Habitats Directive assessment requires that the housing cluster not be included in the plan.
In a separate housing zoning proposed at Killadysert, the planners state that the zoning of lands at this location is likely to give disturbance of birds and will significantly reduce the capacity for providing an acceptable buffer between the village and the Special Protection Area (SPA) for birds at this location.
The report states: “As such, the Habitats Directive Assessment requires that this land is not zoned.”
The planners are also recommending that lands zoned for housing at Labasheeda not proceed as the Habitats Directive Assessment requires that the land is not zoned for development in the plan.
However, Mr Kelly said yesterday that it is time that councillors made a challenge over the plan.
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