No development on Blackwater if pearl measures not reversed

The new government will have to try and negotiate a deal with the European Commission to reverse conservation measures for the freshwater pearl mussel, otherwise large swathes of land along the River Blackwater in Co Cork will see little or no new development into the future.

The warning came after Cork County Council was forced to refuse permission for a near 100-house project in Mallow because of its proximity to the river.