Fears over mussel threat to County Development Plan in Cork

More than 12 months after a tiny creature caused mayhem for builders along the Blackwater Valley in Co Cork there is still no solution to marry the needs of protecting it with future development.

Shockwaves reverberated through County Hall in 2014 when councillors were told that parts of the County Development Plan would have to be put on hold in north Cork in particular, because of the presence of the freshwater pearl mussel.

EU directives state that rivers have to be cleaned up to protect the mussel. The purity of water is defined by the tiny, endangered creature. If rivers are contaminated by sewerage its breeding is affected.