Friends' Work

// Sligo Airport - High Court quashes permission for runway extension

In a great victory for local activists the High Court has quashed Sligo County Council's grant of planning permission for a runway extension at Sligo Airport. Sligo County Council's grant of planning permission would have allowed the building of a platform almost 300 metres long projecting into two areas protected under EU law fopr birds and habitats. Following a judicial review brought by two local individuals, (and supported by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government) Mr. Justice McKechnie rightly quashed Sligo County Council's poor decision.

Between the need to reduce - rather than increase - air travel and the pressing need to conserve biodiversity, this decision is most welcome.

PRESS RELEASE
FRIENDS OF THE IRISH ENVIRONMENT

4 June 2010

Sligo Airport - High Court quashes permission for runway extension that would damage protected nature conservation areas

The environmental lobby group Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) welcomed today's decision of the High Court to quash Sligo County Council's grant of planning permission for a runway extension at Sligo Airport.

In August 2009 the Council granted permission to allow the airport to extend its runway by building a platform - 285m long by 160m wide - directly onto Dorrins Strand, an area of outstanding natural beauty which contains two EU protected areas: one for birds and one for threatened habitats. Following a judicial review brought by two local individuals, and supported by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, today Mr. Justice McKechnie rightly quashed Sligo County Council's poor decision.

'This is a great victory for local activists,' commented a spokesman for FIE, 'and the Department of the Environment is to be commended for supporting their cause. If the airport company insists on revisiting its plans rather than giving up altogether, it must now go back to the drawing board and start again. It should properly consider less damaging alternatives, including the zero sum option: don't build a runway extension at all! There were no reasons of overriding public interest for proceeding with this project, and the airport company's plans to compensate for the damage they would cause were totally insufficient.

The runway extension, which was to have been financed with EUR 8.5 million of public money, is believed to be increasingly under threat from cuts in public spending. The Bord Snip Nua report recommended discontinuing subsidies for regional airports and significantly reducing capital grants to such airports, which would impact directly on Sligo Airport's plans.

'Between the need to reduce - rather than increase - air travel and the pressing need to conserve biodiversity, this decision is to be welcomed for many reasons,' commented FIE. 'First yesterday's Galway bypass decision and now this: we hope local authorities will now start to wake up to their environmental obligations.'

Credit: spokesman
Verification and comment: Tony Lowes / 087 2176316 / 027 74771