Tag Archives: North/South Interconnector

INTERCONNECTOR DAY34

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GOVERNMENT CHIEF WHIP IN SCATHING ATTACK ON EIRGRID INTERCONNECTOR APPLICATION

Regina Doherty TD brands pylons plan “an absolute disgrace”

DAY THIRTY-FOUR

This section concerned issues raised by landowners and groups from Co. Monaghan, Cavan and Meath

REGINA DOHERTY TD, Meath East and government Chief Whip, told the Bord Pleanála oral hearing in Carrickmacross that EirGrid’s planning application for the high voltage North/South electricity interconnector was “an absolute disgrace”. She told presiding inspector Breda Gannon there was a technical, financial and information deficit in the details provided to the Board. She requested that EirGrid should be asked to address and fix the deficit and then come back and have another debate about the plan.

EirGrid is proposing to erect 399 pylons along a 137km route from an existing substation at Woodland near Batterstown in Co. Meath through part of Co. Cavan and into Co. Monaghan near Lough Egish. The line would cross the border at Lemgare near Clontibret, extend into Co. Armagh and to a new substation at Turleenan near the Moy in Co. Tyrone.

Ms Doherty said the first public consultation regarding the original proposal was in 2007 and EirGrid had had several years to prepare a new application (submitted in June 2015). It was an inadequate application for the people of Meath, Cavan and Monaghan to defend and oppose the case. Although she acknowledged the need for security of electricity supply, the overhead lines and pylons proposed were not the appropriate technology.

She highlighted the fact that EirGrid had made over fifty changes to proposed access routes or minor map modifications during the course of the ten-week hearing. She believed this showed a lack of courtesy and respect both for the people affected and for Bord Pleanála. Details of the proposed changes had only been put on the EirGrid website last week. Some of the maps they were using were ten years or more out of date and did not show new housing development.

She claimed the environmental impact statement was completely inadequate for a planning application of this size. There was also inadequate communication about EirGrid’s intentions. EirGrid said they wanted the most technically advanced and most robust solution for the transmission line. From the beginning they insisted there were absolutely no other options than an overhead line, but now they were accepting that undergrounding was technically feasible.

Ms Doherty said the company had to show why other than overhead options were technically inferior and take into account the effects on land valuation and the impact on flora and fauna. The only thing they heard from EirGrid was that “we know best; the people know nothing”. There had never been a fully costed underground route either acknowledged or entertained. This was a huge flaw. EirGrid’s unwillingness on this was a disservice and an injustice to the people who would be affected. The financial and emotional costs had not been weighed up.

The Meath East TD said she was pleading with the inspectors to get an explanation why. We are arguing in the dark, she said, about the technical and financial perspective. She was asking EirGrid to go back to the drawing board and come back with what they should have done in the first place. EirGrid should put the options forward and allow a reasonable and informed debate and they should listen to the very real concerns raised by people at the hearing.

AIDAN GEOGHEGAN, EirGrid Project Manager, explained the company’s approach to the application. He said a high voltage DC underground option had greater complexity and brought greater risks. It would not do the job as well as an overhead route and was not in line with best international practice. He put the extra cost involved at €670 million.

Dr GEORGE EOGHAN from Nobber, Co. Meath, an internationally acclaimed archaeologist who excavated the passage tomb at Knowth said it would be horrifying to put a series of pylons and power lines near the historic Bronze Age site at Teltown (Tealtainn), a key cultural area. The former UCD Professor said he could not undertstand the proposal as he thought the Irish people had a greater respect for our national monuments. What was proposed amounted to a criminal action, he claimed.

He said Teltown should be left in its rural setting and kept as it is. The unspoilt rural landscape must be preserved for present and future generations. Dr Eoghan called for the EirGrid application to be rejected.

DECLAN MOORE, consultant archaeologist for EirGrid, said earlier in the hearing in the Teltown area, no known archaeological monuments would be directly, physically impacted upon by the proposed development. Because of its high archaeological potential and as previously unrecorded archaeological remains could be found during the construction of the towers, mitigation measures were recommended.

The magnitude of the impact of the proposed development on the setting of Rath Dhu, the fort thought to be the centre for the ancient Teltown funeral games, was considered to be minor with the overall significance of the impact on the setting of the monument deemed to be slight.

Although the proposed power lines were almost 700m from Teltown church, a number of the towers associated with the development would be visible as it passed to the east. The magnitude of the impact of the proposed development was found to be substantial. The overall significance of the impact on the setting of Teltown church was found to be moderate negative.

EirGrid is suggesting that a licensed archaeologist supervises any excavations in advance of the construction of towers, thereby ensuring the early identification of archaeological deposits and minimal loss to the archaeological record. The National Monuments Service of the DAHG and the National Museum of Ireland would be consulted immediately should archaeology be discovered. An archaeologist would also monitor site access and construction works.

OLD MINE WORKINGS HIGHLIGHTED

MAURICE MCADAM, Lisdrumgormley, posed a series of questions to EirGrid, in particular about old mine workings in the Clontibret area. He then introduced DR COLIN ANDREW, a geologist from Co. Meath and member of the NEPPC.

COLIN ANDREW reported as follows: the northernmost portion of the proposed overhead high voltage cable alignment between proposed pylons 102 and 117 transectED an area of extensive ancient and old mining activity, principally for lead. This activity dated from the medieval period but reached a maximum in the mid-19th century when a number of mines were active.

The mines were extensive although production was relatively limited due to the nature of the mineralisation forming rich pipes within the fault-vein structures. With respect to the proposed development many collapses into mine voids have been recorded over recent years both in the vicinity of known shafts and lateral workings but also in areas with no recorded mining activity. In this respect a number of proposed pylon placements are located in hazardous areas in close proximity to recent collapses. Dr Andrew said he believed the total absence of any assessment or even acknowledgement of these issues was a fundamental omission within the EIS.

Construction of such a development involves numerous access routes for vehicles up to 38 tonnes gross axle weight along tracks overlying open mine voids and the potential for danger to life and limb is paramount. The EIS is fundamentally deficient in not addressing such issues as not only access is compromised but the siting of a number of the proposed pylons has not been properly evaluated.

Evaluation should have comprised field examination of the sites, detailed mapping of the mine sites by an experienced industrial archaeologist and mining geologist followed by ground penetrating radar or similar geophysical technique to ascertain the presence of subjacent mine voids. In the view of Dr Andrew, without such the EIS remained fundamentally inadequate.

In similar terrains, in Cornwall, for example, many sudden collapses into old mine voids are commonplace and it is a normal requirement of planning from Cornwall County Council to have a full comprehensive search on mine records and ground survey completed as part of any planning application.

Location: The mines were mostly grouped round the village of Milltown, within the eastern border of Co. Monaghan, and several disused shafts bearing the names of separate townlands may occur on this long lode. The Tassan-Tonagh-Coolartragh lode is thus traceable for 3km and workings may be expected anywhere along this feature. GSI Memoir 58 (1914) notes that “…numerous small disused shafts and workings occur along the line of the lode between Tassan and Coolartragh”.

Several of the smaller ventures, not touched on here, are mentioned in Memoir 59, ‘pp. 28-9 (1877). The remains of ancient workings are seen at a point between the Lemgare and Annaglogh shafts. A ruined engine-house marks the site of a lode of galena (lead) said to range north and south, with an easterly hade, in Croaghan, south of Tassan Lough; and in Glare Oghill, at the edge of the map, nearly due west of Castleblayney, a similar lode was at one time worked. Some of the shafts here remain partly open. A lode of lead is reported to have been discovered in Grig, north-east of the last named townland, and to have been also struck near the railway bridge, south of this.

Details of individual mines: Coolartragh Mines (3)

History: According to the GSI 6” Sheet and MSS notes, about seven shafts were opened on the vein that traverses the townland from south to north. Griffith (1861, p. 150) is the authority for identifying Coolartragh as also being known as the Bond Mine. The UK Department of Trade & Industry and the BGS .possesses a plan, and a section down to 35 fathoms, showing four levels, dated 1892 (AM 2986).

The Bond Mine operated by the Consolidated Mines of Bond, Lemgare and Lisdrumgormel (sic) Company of Liverpool under Captain John Skimming was reported in 1846 (Mining Journal) to have been developed at the 18, 25 and 30 fathom levels where the vein was large and productive with bunches of rich ore and that the vein had been explored for nearly “1 mile of length”

The engine shaft is said to have been vertical and cut the lode at 30 fathoms, and a large and valuable amount of ore is supposed to remain yet un-extracted. This lode is considered to be identical with the main Tassan Vein. It has an underlie to the east at 60o, and its course appears to have been proved beyond doubt both north and south of the main sinking. The matrix here is chiefly quartz, with some calcite; and a considerable quantity of sphalerite is said to occur along with the lead.

Tonagh Mine: History

Two small shafts were sunk close to the boundary of Coolartragh and Tonagh townlands. And some minor production ensued between 1859-61 when the vein showed a band of galena underlying to the east within a zone of brecciated slates above a footwall of Tertiary basalt. A landowner (Michael Hughes) proposed to dewater the shafts in Tonagh in 1953 but nothing came of this. No production is detailed.

Lemgare Mine: History

In the townland of Lemgare an adit and three shafts along a strike length of 50 fathoms (95m) were sunk to a depth of 18 fathoms (35m) below adit on a nearly vertical vein by the Consolidated Mines of Bond, Lemgare and Lisdrumgormel (sic) Company of Liverpool under Captain John Skimming commencing in July 1846. The vein is supposed to be the same as that at Annaglogh, located approximately 1km to the SSE, which are marked on the MS. 6″ map of the Geological Survey. Griffith (1861, p. 150) gives Lemgare as a worked mine. Mem. 59, p. 28, regards it as on the continuation of the Annaglogh lode.

The Lemgare vein has been profitably worked at Annaglogh. It hades easterly at around 75o, and is joined from the north by another, also hading easterly at around 60o. A shaft at the junction reached rich ore at 17 fathoms (~30m). The lode is supposed to be thrown northwards by a cross-course about 1.2m wide which exists as indicated on the map, as all trace of it is lost farther to the east, it is believed to have been proved 150m farther north.

Lemgare Mine was re-opened by Billiton NV in the early 1950’s as part of prospecting activities. The adit extended along an unmineralized fault zone for approximately 110m, being connected to surface by a short (4m) ventilation shaft near the portal. Upon entering sandstone wall-rocks the fault became mineralized and some stoping was seen to surface (20m) near the end of the drive which extended but was inaccessible but almost certainly extends below two surface shaft collapse located above. An inclined shaft or winze to indeterminate depth (presumably to 18 fathoms (~35m) was also located along the course of the adit with a 10cm rib of galena on the fault plane.

Annaglogh Mine: History

This mine is known to have been in production in 1852 and features in the list of mines between 1860-65 when it was being worked by the Consolidated Mines of Bond, Lemgare and Lisdrumgormel (sic) Company of Liverpool under Captain John Skimming. During this period approximately 300-400 tonnes of ore was reported as being raised annually. The 1870 MSS 6″ map of the Geological Survey gives details of four shafts one of which was sunk as much as 40 fathoms (~75m) on the vein, and a pumping engine house. The sites of several of these, along with the base of the engine house and its associated chimney are still visible. The only output from Annaglogh is recorded in 1852 when 310 tons of lead was produced and “some lead sold” in 1853.

Tassan mine: History

This was probably the most important mine of the district. The townland adjoins that of Tonagh on the south, and the vein is the same as that which passes northward into Coolartragh. The mine was commenced in the late 1840’s by Joseph Backhouse as the Tassan Mining Company 1844-56, but the most significant period of working was by the Castleblayney Mining Company from 1856-61 and from 1862-5; but it seems to have been closed in 1867. There are five shafts marked on the 1857 6” OSI map although little trace remains of them at the present time.

 Lisdrumgormley mine: History

The 6″ Geological Survey MSS map marks two veins continuing northward from those of Annaglogh, and the western of these was reached at no great depth in Lisdrumgormley, just east of a basaltic dyke that is probably correlated with this fault / vein. In the north of the townland, close against the Armagh border, “Lead Mine” is engraved on the 6” Ordnance sheet. Lisdrumgormley was also under exploration by the Farney Development Company in 1922.

The lode in Lisdrumgormley is reported, on contemporary authority, to be still rich in argentiferous galena, embedded in a matrix of quartz and carbonate of lime in the deepest workings. so far as it is known, from 2 to 9 feet. This lode, which comes to the surface at the main working, is said to have realized a large profit at depths not exceeding 25 fathoms. A shaft located some 250m SSE along strike of the vein is reported to have attained 60m depth and returned 50 tonnes of lead concentrates.

Extent of mine workings: Because of a combination of the age of the mine workings for lead in this area coupled with the short-lived nature of the various formalised cost-book companies that operated the mines, the records of the extent of workings are obscure. Most of the cost-book companies were not floated on the London Stock Exchange as was common practice at this time and, as a result, did not return reports that were then published in the contemporary Mining Journal.

Dr Andrew claimed that in their assessment of the extent and impact of mine workings EirGrid had solely relied upon the information received from the GSI and EPA and did not appear to have conducted any detailed research. The GSI have admitted in correspondence concerning the extent of mine workings in the area that they “..do not necessarily capture the full extent of a feature, particularly if it is inaccessible and impractical..” and thus do not have information detailing the extent of mine workings such as shafts, trial pits, adits, stoped sections of veins and any lateral workings thereon.

It is also worth noting that the other statutory body, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) have also confirmed (to Maurice McAdam) that “As per your complaint to the EPA, in relation to the EPA Inventory of Disused Mine Sites 2009, this national inventory taken does not account of every mine site but is risk based taken to define the mine waste/spoil sites, the waste geo-chemistry and to account for Public Health and Safety.”

In the opinion of Dr Andrew, it appears that the two statutory bodies are unaware of the locations of mine workings and their attendant risk and EirGrid have not conducted any form of site investigation.

Recent collapses: The submitted EIS makes absolutely no reference to the two recorded occurrences of mine workings collapse in both Annaglogh and Lisdrumgormley in 2010 and 2012 respectively in any part of EirGrid’s application or supporting documents it has submitted with its application.

Risk assessment: Collapse of old mine workings results from a number of factors. Chief amongst these is heavy rainfall causing loading of the surficial materials covering the voids and resultant gravitational collapse. Ravelling from the walls of the void spaces also is a contributory factor.

What is without doubt is that the principal cause is instability either from gradational collapse below the surficial plug or by surface loading which can be triggered even by the weight of an animal. Quite clearly 38 tonne trucks and excavators are very likely to cause additional collapses not only of shafts but also of stopes and other lateral workings and trials. Specific issues are detailed in the table below:

Proposed Pylon 102

(NI Section)

 Located on the northerly strike extension of the Coolartragh veins system. Potential for lateral development under this area.

 
Proposed Pylon 103 Access route crosses known mine workings in close proximity to shaft on Coolartragh East Vein and the location of an ancient lead mine.

 
Proposed Pylon 108 Located directly above adit level of Lemgare Mine, stoping to surface seen in underground surveys. Small shafts and stopes to surface seen at surface but ignored by EirGrid.

 
Proposed Pylon 109 Located within 50m of historic collapses, access route crosses these temporarily filled collapses. Land owner aware of multiple collapses over past 50 years.   Two veins worked at depth at Annaglogh Mine extend under this location from Junction Shaft sunk to the 40 fathom level (~80m below surface).

The proposed access route directly crosses the location of a former collapsed shaft that was infilled by the landowner some 30 years ago. The modified access routes dated 29th April 2016 are absurd in that they now directly cross the location of a collapsed mine working.

 
Proposed Pylon 110 No history of collapse in this area to date but lies in close proximity to known mine workings at the Annaglogh Mine.

Access routes to proposed pylon site and guarding areas criss-cross an area of extensive mining operations, known shafts and lateral workings.

 
Proposed Pylon 116 Located over the northern section of the Tassan Mine.   Two parallel veins known to have been mined down to the 80 fathom level (~150m below surface).   Likelihood of collapse of near surface stopes. Shafts on eastern vein lie both north and south of the proposed alignment.

Access routes cross an area of possible lateral underground workings.

 

 Conclusions: The EirGrid EIS is particularly remiss in failing to locate, identify and assess mine workings. The failure to recognise and assess the potential for collapse of old mine workings is a major and fundamental omission. The failure almost certainly stems from a lack of understanding of such issues, a failure to examine the sites in the field, and a total lack of site investigation of any form whatsoever other than a desk-top study. The absence of any form of appropriate assessment is total folly and is clearly unacceptable. Dr Andrew told the inspectors that permitting the project could not be granted until such on site assessment and study had been completed to an acceptable professional standard.

EIRGRID RESPONSE

EirGrid stood by the accuracy and extent of the environmental impact statement and the basis on which they had carried out the research. They said none of the new information would change their assessment which had been done with the help of GSI information and LiDAR technology to provided details of the topography.

The assessment they had already made of the Lemgare area which showed the old mine workings extending away from the area where the pylons would be going. In their response document published in December 2015 the company noted that a number of submissions raised issues in respect of the potential of the proposed development to impact on specific mines. These issues were addressed as follows:-

Tassan Mine: Details of Tassan Mine are included in the EIS. The historical mine is located 170m south east of Tower 117. The mine area of Tassan CGS was delineated by the GSI and incorporates the locations of shafts, other surface features and historical maps and data. There are no historical records that would suggest mine shafts at Tower 116 or 117. All historical data available from the GSI was assessed. The boundaries of the CGS are shown on Figure 7.17 in Volume 3C. Distances to the outlined boundary of Tassan CGS are detailed in Chapter 7, Volume 3C.

Lemgare Mine: The Lemgare mines were avoided by the route selection process, with proposed mitigation measures identified regarding Lemgare County Geological Site (CGS). Historical maps available from the GSI indicate that the underground works are contained within the boundaries of the Lemgare County Geological Site. The boundaries of the Lemgare CGS are shown on Figure 7.17 in Volume 3C. Distances from the proposed works to the boundary of Lemgare CGS are detailed in Chapter 7, Volume 3C.

Lisdrumgromly and Annaglogh Mines: Lisdrumgromly and Annaglogh Mines are located over 200m from the proposed interconnector. OSI and GSI records show the locations of shafts and surface workings for Lisdrumgromly and Annaglogh. Based on a review of the data there is no evidence of underground workings along the proposed line or at tower bases. All historical data available from the GSI was evaluated. The location of ‘collapsed shafts’ are mapped on the OSI historical maps. No evidence of mine shafts at the tower bases are presented in the submission. Based on a review of the data there is no evidence of underground workings along the proposed line or at tower bases.

The Co. Monaghan Geological Site Report on Lemgare says the site was part of a working farm and the fields immediately surrounding the mine dumps were used for grazing cattle. Many of the minerals that had been recorded there could only be studied satisfactorily with specialist equipment and the site was thus likely to be of interest mainly to scientists. Therefore it did not require further promotion. The presence of rare wulfenite meant Lemgare warranted County Geological Site status.

TOIRLEACH GOURLEY, senior planner with Monaghan County Council, returned to the hearing to give his assessment of a number of eight proposed access points on public roads for pylon construction work that had been proposed by EirGrid. Mr Gourley said he had visited the areas with a colleague from the Roads Section and they continued to have serious concern about the proposed parking of concrete lorries for offloading material onto dumper trucks to be taken to the pylon sites.

TOM CANNON a transport consultant from Tobin engineers replied for EirGrid. He explained with a series of slides how there would be room at the relevant places to park a lorry while allowing a vehicle to pass. He said traffic management operatives would be on duty at these locations. He also said short sections of road might have to be closed to local traffic for periods of around ten minutes while offloading took place. Mr Gourley replied that if roads were to be closed then Monaghan County Council would require three months’ advance notice in order to allow an assessment to be carried out.

MARY MARRON, Lough Egish, told the inspectors she had tried five times to ring the low-call number that EirGrid had provided for information about the project. All she got in reply was that it was the wrong number and she asked the Board to take that into account when considering the level of consultation.

CLOSING SUBMISSIONS

Closing submissions in the hearing will be made next Monday 23rd May on day 35 at the start of the eleventh week. JAMES MCNALLY, Latnakelly, Annyalla, made his closing submission last week and details will be included in day 35 coverage.

 

INTERCONNECTOR DAY33

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DAY THIRTY-THREE

This section concerned landowners and groups in Co. Monaghan, Co. Cavan and Co. Meath

PHIL CONNOLLY, Carrickamore, Carrickmacross, raised a number of issues about the consultation process on behalf of Margaret Marron of the Co. Monaghan Anti-Pylon Committee.

He claimed that some landowners were not aware of changes that had been made to proposed access routes for pylon construction. He wondered how relevant all the environmental impact statement information was.

Mr Connolly said that since the preferred route had been announced by EirGrid, economic growth in that corridor was reduced. The proposal had had a socio-economic impact that could be clearly evaluated by looking at the number of residential dwellings within 100m of the indicative route of the power lines.

This was a reference to a submission he made the previous week when he quoted EirGrid’s own figures from a route constraints report in 2007. It stated that route corridor A had 34 residencies within 100m; route B had 36 residencies within 100m; route C had 40 residencies within 100m. All three corridors in 2007 showed nearly the exact same number of dwellings within 100m per 1km of route.

Fast forward to the re-evaluation report 2011. Taking into account that all three corridors had extended in length due to no substation in Kingscourt, we can conservatively estimate that four of these added dwellings per line are based in this extension. Route A has 41 dwellings, less 4 in Kingscourt, 8.8% increase. Route B has 52 dwellings, less 4, a 33.4% increase. Route C has 55 dwellings, less 4, a 27.5% increase. Allowing that the corridors overlap for the last section, the figures are far more alarming, according to Mr Connolly. He said they showed clearly a total stagnation in growth in dwellings close to the line, while the other possible route corridors had increased in growth dramatically.

Mr Connolly questioned EirGrid over the health and safety provisions for machinery such as teleporters operating in the vicinity of power lines. He also wanted to know why the impact on the town of Shercock had not been mentioned in the planning documentation and enquired how far the GAA Club would be from the proposed lines.

JARLATH FITZSIMONS SC for EirGrid told the presiding inspector the hearing so far had proved very worthwhile in answering the genuine queries of landowners. Regarding the choice of route corridor he said there was no sterilisation of land within the proposed alignment. Regarding land valuation and reported difficulties in selling properties close to overhead lines, Mr Fitzsimons referred to the Corr/Walsh report commissioned by EirGrid that was based on a survey of estate agents (Feb 2016). He said there was no statistical evidence of a relationship between a 400kV power line and the ability to sell a property or the price to be achieved. He said he would rebut the proposition that there would be a devaluation of land if Bord Pleanála granted approval for the line.

JOERG SCHULZE, landscape architect for EirGrid, said the line route had been chosen to minimise environmental impacts. Corridor A had come out as the most suitable option when the assessment was made.

PAT FARRELLY of Kingscourt GAA Club explained that the EirGrid proposal for pylons and overhead lines would enter the parish at one end on the Kingscourt to Kells Road and exit on the Shercock Road end, heading towards Co. Monaghan. Seven kilometres of the route would traverse across nine public roads in total, used every day by residents and people in their cars, criss-crossing that area. It was a big concern and it was the one topic that was being talked about locally.

Mr Farrelly said there were concerns about the health of players, club members and the public. EirGrid would try to tell them there was no health risk because of the lines, but their worries remained and they did not want the interconnector to go ahead overground. They knew there was an alternative, namely underground, and that it was viable. EirGrid had admitted it could be done that way and if told by the politicians to do so then they would.

Addressing the presiding inspector Breda Gannon, Mr Farrelly said she had heard all their concerns over the last ten weeks and there were very few people in favour of the current proposal. Groups such as his were not extremists, he said. They had tried to be sensible and they did not want to stop progress. Where there was a better way, it should be considered, he said.

He again raised the problems that would be encountered by pupils at Laragh Muff National School because the lines would come within 342m of the school playing fields. Many of the pupils and staff were associated with Kingscourt GAA Club. He also raised the objections of the Handball and Racquet Club. Mr Farrelly said the scouts would also be affected because the lines went close to the LoughanLeagh beauty spot. This was where they went for their outdoor activities to enjoy the scenery and peacefulness.

Mr Farrelly said EirGrid were putting their sponsorship of the GAA under-21 football championship and the International Rules series under the category of ‘community gain’. He wanted to know how much they were spending on this. He said that as a sporting body they were not in favour of overhead lines and the only way forward was to put them underground.

PHIL SMITH, Vice-President of Cavan GAA Board, said he wished to make it perfectly clear they were not in any way opposed to progress. Where there was an alternative between an overhead and an underground line then they favoured the underground option. In addition to Kingscourt GAA Club, two other clubs in Bailieborough and Shercock would be affected and they were very much opposed to having an overhead line.

DAMIEN GREHAN, a consultant for EirGrid, said the proposed line would come within 3.25km of Kingscourt GAA Club. ROBERT ARTHUR of ESB International acknowledged that the route of the interconnector would traverse several roads in the Kingscourt area. But he said it was important to maximise the distances from one-off housing in the area west of the town.

The relevant sections of the environmental impact statement supplied by EirGrid state: “At Tower 207 in the townland of Scalkill, the alignment turns south-west and proceeds to Tower 212 in the townland of Lisagoan crossing on its path two minor roads and crossing the main R162 (Kingscourt–Shercock) road approximately 5.5km north-west of Kingscourt and the Cavan-Monaghan county boundary, in order to circumvent the lakes west of the line route located at Northlands. The line route is also at a distance (approximately 1.27km) from the wetland complex of Greaghlone Lough in this area.

At Tower 212, in the townland of Lisagoan the line route crosses several minor roads, in order to avoid the ribbon development that emanates from the town of Kingscourt and the townland of Drumiller. At Tower 217, in the townland of Corlea (Clankee By), the alignment heads in a southerly direction and avoids the higher contours to the west at Cornamagh and the ribbon development on the lower slopes located to the west of the alignment and continues to Tower 224 in the townland of Dingin.

At Tower 224, in the townland of Dingin, the alignment traverses to the south-west to cross the R165 Kingscourt-Bailieborough road (approximately 3.2km west of Kingscourt), in order to avoid the ribbon development which extends from Kingscourt and to keep to the lower slopes of Lough-an-Lea, while maintaining a sufficient distance from Dύn-an-Rί Forest Park. The alignment route crosses several minor roads and passes to the north of Muff Lough.

At Tower 228 in the townland of Cordoagh (ED Enniskeen), the alignment proceeds in a southerly direction crossing some minor roads and avoiding Lough-an–Lea to the west and Ervey Lough to the east to Tower 237 in the townland of Clonturkan, County Cavan. The alignment crosses the existing Flagford–Louth 220 kV Line and follows this trajectory in order to avoid the ribbon development extending from Kingscourt.

From Tower 237 in the townland of Clonturkan, County Cavan, the line route proceeds in an easterly direction in the area of the boundary between counties Cavan and Meath, avoiding an ecologically sensitive area to the north, and a number of national monuments to the south. Between Tower 237 and Tower 242 in the townland of Tullyweel, the line route crosses two local roads.  

The line route turns south-east at Tower 242 avoiding viewpoint VP21 (as detailed in the Meath County Development Plan (CDP)). The line route then crosses the R164 Regional Road between Towers 244 and 245, before turning south at Tower 245 in the townland of Lislea to avoid the railway line to the east, a cluster of national monuments and Newcastle Lough (which has recorded Whooper swan activity). Between Towers 245 and 248, the line route travels south south-east crossing agricultural land and small sections of forestry.”

RON PAGAN, Ardbraccan, Co. Meath, said they were unconvinced by EirGrid’s arguments for an overhead line. Mr Pagan, a retired chartered engineer, said in their area there were at least 32 households that would be within 100m of the centre of the power lines and he found that appalling.

ROISIN PAGAN, his wife, made an emotional appeal to the inspectors. She said their lives would be dramatically affected if the proposal went ahead. Please get EirGrid to listen to the people as no-one wanted these pylons, she said. This is not about reports and statistics, it’s about people’s lives, she said. Turning to face the EirGrid team, she concluded: “you guys are highly intelligent: please listen and try to show a different way”. She wondered how EirGrid thought they were going to get onto the land if they received planning permission.

RONNIE MCGRANE, Kells, a retired electrical contractor, has a holiday home near the entrance to LoughanLeagh forest, where he also operates a licensed telecommunications system for two-way radio and broadband. He asked EirGrid if they could assure him that the pylons and power lines would not interfere with his equipment. He claimed a nearby 220kV line that would cross under the North/South interconnector sometimes produced a hissing effect when passing beneath the cables. Mr McGrane said he favoured a sea path for the project from Dublin Bay to Belfast Lough, instead of overhead lines.

JARLATH FITZSIMONS SC for EirGrid told Mr McGrane it was not predicted there would be any impact on the operation of telecommunications equipment on his property. It was not necessary for EirGrid to notify COMREG about the proposal. He said a full suite of information had been provided by the company to designated bodies prescribed by the Board, such as the Irish Aviation Authority, which had expressed no concerns. He said a sub-sea route for the interconnector (as a number of other submissions had suggested) had been considered and was ruled out.

Mr McGrane was informed that there would be no significant impact on his property and overall the panoramic views from the house of five counties would remain as they were. He requested a drawing of what the cross-over point between the 400kV line and the 220kV Flagford to Louth line at Carrowreagh, Co. Cavan would look like and the amount of clearance between the cables. But EirGrid did not provide this on the day.

CHARLIE MULLIGAN, Clogher, Lough Egish, spoke about the choice of an amended access route through his land for pylon construction. He put it on the record that it was never his intention the alternative route he had suggested would in any way impact on a neighbour’s house by bringing traffic near it. He regretted that this would impact on his neighbour and it had not been his objective to cause any distress. He told the inspectors he had already stated clearly that he was totally opposed to the overhead lines and preferred an underground solution.

JARLATH FITZSIMONS SC for EirGrid explained how in the 75% of cases where the company had not been granted access, a suite of tools had been used by their consultants to study the land. This included LiDAR (3D laser scanning technology), which gave profile drawings of line clearance and illustrated the topography of any area. High quality aerial photography and Google maps were also used to plot access routes. LiDAR images were able to provide consultant archaeologist Declan Moore with details of a subterranean artefact, without having to access the land in question.

In response to NIGEL HILLIS of the County Monaghan Anti-Pylon committee, Mr Fitzsimons said development consent was not required regarding access routes. These routes had been identified and were put forward for the Board’s consideration in their overall assessment of the project. He said landowners had pointed out problems and had identified alternatives. He told the inspectors it was proposed to submit these (believed to number around 35) in addition to the original proposals. So in some areas TWO routes would be set out on maps for the Board as part of the environmental impact statement.

The access routes are marked with yellow dashes; the amended ones are outlined with purple dashes. This means both the yellow and purple routes, where applicable, will be put forward as the EIS must remain as when it was submitted in June 2015.

INTERCONNECTOR DAY32

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DAY THIRTY-TWO

This section concerned landowners in Co. Meath

PAUL GOSLING, a lecturer in built heritage at GMIT with forty years’ experience as a professional archaeologist addressed the hearing about the effects of the interconnector project on the historic area of Teltown (Tailteann) between Navan and Kells in Co. Meath. He had spent the past six months researching the topographical and route aspects of the Táin Bó Cúailnge in Teltown, namely the existence of a river-ford and a road named after the mythical Queen Medbh.

Teltown was well known as the site of Óenach Tailten, the famous medieval Lunasa assembly. His survey of the area had covered folkloric as well as archaeological remains. Mr Gosling said he had recorded 37 sites compared to 29 in a survey last year by a consultant archaeologist for EirGrid, Declan Moore. Twelve of these could be linked to the roadway, he said.

He said the loop-land area identified in the Down survey of 1656 corresponded to Teltown (Tailtiu). It was the burial place of a Celtic goddess and a traditional burial place of kings and nobles. It was also the site of Ireland’s most widely known and best documented medieval fair.

He noted that EirGrid proposed to erect eight latticed steel towers across the eastern part of the site, of which two would be within the loopland. He said the site had been poorly protected by existing legislative and policy measures. The overhead lines were an unsatisfactory solution from the viewpoint of cultural heritage and he felt that burying them should be an option. The lines should be re-located or some other mitigation taken to lessen the impact on what was a very sacred site.

DECLAN MOORE, consultant archaeologist for EirGrid, said Teltown was no longer a cohesive cultural landscape and there were now 94 houses in this zone of archaeological amenity. If the line was to be placed underground, there would be a greater risk of impacting on historical remains and the work would be irreversible. He noted that a short section of the proposed line would pass over part of what was the Táin road.

Mr Gosling said in response that landscape rehabilitation was always possible. He said that with increasing interest in heritage tourism, Teltown was a very important site and anything that diminished it would be unfortunate. If the pylons went up then it would make rehabilitation much more difficult.

HEARING DATES

The presiding inspector Breda Gannon brought the proceedings to an early end on Tuesday and Wednesday as observers from Meath who had been given an opportunity to make individual submissions did not turn up. She explained that there had been a problem at the start of the week in updating the Bord Pleanála website with the daily schedule.

The hearing is due to spend tomorrow and Friday dealing with topics not advised by parties and to hear again from Monaghan County Council on the question of access routes for pylon construction. It will not sit next week but is due to resume in its eleventh week on Monday 23rd May for closing submissions from the main observers (NEPPC and Co. Monaghan Anti-Pylon Committee), the three planning authorities in Monaghan, Cavan and Meath, followed by the prescribed bodies and finally from EirGrid.

Meanwhile a decision is expected at the High Court in Dublin on Thursday about whether a judicial review regarding the validity of the EirGrid application will be held. It has been sought by the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign.

 

 

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DAY THIRTY-ONE

This section concerned landowners in Co. Meath

DENNIS NIXON, Tankardstown near Navan, runs a bloodstock breeding and training business. He said the interconnector would pose a threat to his business. He said equine farms especially those with high value bloodstock were particularly sensitive to environmental issues. The presence of pylons and substantial overhead lines would run completely contrary to the desired image. The construction of the towers would also cause considerable practical complications.

Mr Nixon said he had concerns about the fertility of his mares if the overhead lines were approved. The lines and pylons would cast shadows and create additional noises on the country roads where the horses were sometimes exercised, putting them and their riders in danger. He also had concerns for his own health and that of his family because of the presence of electro-magnetic fields.

He claimed that property values would be greatly diminished if the application was permitted. Pylons on their land would also have an effect on insurance premiums, he said. He appealed to An Bord Pleanála to reject what he called a poorly conceived and ill thought out project. If it really was needed, then it should be an underground invisible grid that would preserve their resources, heritage, environment, health and his business.

MICHAEL SADLIER, an equine specialist, addressed the hearing on two occasions and has also drawn up a report on equine psychology and behaviour. Regarding operational noise such as gap sparking on the power lines, Mr Sadlier said most animals including horses, with repeated exposure to threatening situations (including sight, smell or sound) would acclimatise. Once they realised there was no threat then they no longer responded.

In their response to submissions in December last year, EirGrid said horses had not been a species of interest to scientists conducting research on electromagnetic fields. However research on a variety of other experimental, farm, and wild animals had not identified adverse effects on any of these diverse species, a conclusion which would be expected to apply to horses as well.

The substantial body of research on both livestock and other animals did not indicate any adverse effects from transmission lines. There was therefore no scientific basis in the research literature to conclude that the presence of EMF from transmission lines would create conditions that would impair the health of horses or would precipitate abnormal behaviour. While under the line under some conditions people as well as horses might be able to detect the presence of the electric field from the overhead conductors. Such sensations were subtle, not harmful, and easily habituated to, according to the EirGrid response.

SHARON GLYNNE and DESMOND KENNY of Dowdstown House near Navan expressed concern about the effect of the line that would come within 300m of their free range egg production unit. They also pointed out that one of the proposed access routes for constructing a pylon did not go along a laneway but was through a paddock where the hens were able to graze.

Dowdstown House is approximately 520m from a proposed pylon. It is described in the NIAH Garden Survey as having its main features unrecognisable and peripheral features visible. The aspect of the house is towards the east. The rear of the house faces towards agricultural buildings, both 19th century and modern.

DECLAN MOORE, EirGrid archaeology consultant, said there would not be a significant impact on the setting of Dowdstown House. The impact was evaluated as slight. A souterrain noted in the National Monuments Record was located 560m to the east of a second pylon. It was now closed up but a shallow depression marked the site. Mr Moore said there would be no direct physical impact and the impact on the setting of this site would not be significant.

CON CURTIN, agronomist for EirGrid, said the development would have a slight impact overall on the farm. It would be proposed that the contractor liaised with the landowner to ensure that machinery used in construction did not come into contact with the poultry unit.

JARLATH FITZSIMONS SC for EirGrid placed on record for the Board two further changes to proposed access routes that had been made following observations by landowners from Monaghan at the hearing. SHANE BRENNAN, SONI/EirGrid Project Manager, made a detailed presentation to the inspectors about the extent of landowner engagement since 2011. He said a series of seven letters had been sent to all landowners by certified post but despite their extensive efforts, many had chosen not to communicate with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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DAY THIRTY

Autism 

MARTIN HOGAN, a medical doctor and consultant occupational and environmental physician from UCC returned to address the hearing on behalf of EirGrid. Dr Hogan was asked to respond to earlier submissions by residents and landowners about the potential effect of the power lines on a person with autism.

Dr Hogan said ASD was not an uncommon disorder. It was present in up to 1% of the population in Ireland, with more boys affected than girls. He said it was a processing disorder rather than anything else. In terms of all the literature he had reviewed on the subject, there was no evidence he could find that power transmission lines would make life any more difficult than it already was for a person with ASD.

He was asked about his qualifications and experience of dealing with children with autism. Dr Hogan said he had no hands on experience in that regard but he did have friends who had children with autism. He said at a previous module there was no real reason to suspect that people with ASD would be adversely affected by the project.

The questions had been raised by Geraldine Graydon MSc, an autism specialist trainer and advocate. She had appeared earlier at the hearing on behalf of Colette McElroy, Ballintra, who has a son with autism and was concerned that he could be affected by the noise emitted from the power lines. Ms Graydon had explained that people with autism spectrum condition thrived on having a predictable familiar environment, with routine and structure being critical to their day-to-day activities.

When changes occurred to the individual’s routine or environment, like intermittent noise or buzzing from power lines, this could and does cause individuals with autism to experience extreme levels of stress. They would be unable to sleep or concentrate, pace up and down or engage in stimming behavior that could lead to self-injury, which would also impact on their families’ well-being.

TOM CANNON, a consultant for EirGrid, said Mrs McElroy’s house was 475m from a proposed pylon. During the construction phase there would be 154 traffic movements spread out over a period of time. A noise consultant said the noise of the vehicles used would not cause a significant impact. EirGrid also revealed that they had agreed to underground an existing 38kV overhead ESB line that ran beside the house.

This section involved landowners and groups in Co. Cavan

ANDREW CLARKE spoke on behalf of residents in Muff, near Kingscourt. “We’re not putting up with it and are ready to fight”, he said. He told the two inspectors they could not let the line happen and invited them to visit the townland. Local residents and landowners had been among the first to tell EirGrid to put the interconnector underground when the original proposal was made. He said EirGrid had lost the plot and had forgotten about rural Ireland.

AONGHUS BYRNE, Principal of Laragh Muff National School, said it was thriving and at the heart of the community. EirGrid wanted to place a pylon within 342m of their football pitch, making it the closest school along the line and destroying the beautiful views of the landscape enjoyed by the 135 pupils and ten staff. He could guarantee that if he asked them all, not one child would want the pylons to be put up. EirGrid seemed to be reverting to ‘chalk and slate’ technology and had not even looked at partially undergrounding the line near their school. Mr Byrne also expressed concern about construction traffic using a narrow road alongside the school to access a pylon site.

JOHN SMITH, Lisagoan, off the Kingscourt to Shercock road, said if the planned overhead line was allowed, it would be there for generations to come, ruining this beautiful country. He also claimed it could put people’s health in danger. He said he had spent a lot of money and time trying to improve the wet heavy clay land by draining and re-seeding. All that could be in vain if EirGrid got the go-ahead. Mr Smith said he was putting his trust in the planning authorities to make the right decision to go underground. It would be a better choice economically, environmentally and socially.

KEVIN SHIELS, Cordoagh, said one of the proposed pylons would be around 75m from the edge of his garden. EirGrid were also planning to put an access route for pylon construction 2m away from an entrance into the garden where his children played.

JIM BAIRD, Cordoagh, a neighbour of Mr Shiels, is a retired project manager with Gypsum. He said rural Ireland needed to be protected. EirGrid he claimed had very little regard for the rural population. He said rural Ireland vehemently objected to what was still the same ill-conceived scheme for an overhead line, an antiquated technology. and it was being pursued at their expense. “This has got to stop”, he said and he hoped they would get the just outcome they deserved.

KEVIN SMITH of the Loughanleagh and Muff Heritage Trust said the mountain was one of the highest points in the area with a view of eleven counties from the top. The proposed line would come close to the viewpoints and would be detrimental in his view. It would also be very near the site of one of the oldest fairs in Ireland dating back to 1608. The ridge of the mountain had three prehistoric cairns. The proposed interconnector would affect plans by the Trust to promote the area’s history and heritage.

EirGrid were given an opportunity to reply to each of the submissions, including comments on proposed access routes. A consultant pointed out that traffic management plans would be made for construction traffic, including at schools such as Muff N.S. where a speed limit of 30km/h would be implemented.

AIDAN GEOGHEGAN, EirGrid project manager, responded to concerns about the potential health risks and explained why an overhead route had been chosen instead of undergrounding for reasons of cost and security of supply. Partial undergrounding would be like putting a weak link into a strong chain, he said.

DECLAN MOORE, consultant archaeologist, said there would be no direct physical impact on the site of the annual horse fair at Muff, which would be approximately 230m away from the nearest pylon. His assessment showed that there would be views from the cairns on the mountain eastwards towards the proposed development; however these impacts on setting would not be significant.

JOERG SCHULZE, a landscape consultant for EirGrid said the views from Loughanleagh mountain would not be significantly impaired, although the line would be recognisable. He explained how photomontages of pylons against the landscape had been made in accordance with guidelines, using photos taken from public roads or at designated scenic viewpoints such as the car park at Loughanleagh, rather than from the top of the mountain.

 

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DAY TWENTY-NINE

This section dealt with individual Monaghan landowners

MARIA MCKENNA, Lisdrumgormly, said she was objecting to having overhead lines put over her lands. This was for reasons of potential health risks; devaluation of the land and restriction on future development; visual impact of the proposed lines; interference with nature and enjoyment of the countryside, as well as safety issues.

She questioned why EirGrid were proposing to erect a pylon on one of the highest points along the proposed route, with no direct access to the site from any public road. The company had revised the access route map and now proposed to enter the field via a gate from a road on another landowner’s field. She feared that two good quality fields would be destroyed by heavy vehicle traffic accessing the pylon construction site and the two stringing areas.

The pylon would be a ninety degree angle tower on a high drumlin. The views from the top of this hill were breathtaking, she said, and the countryside would be spoiled forever by the pylon and lines. Mrs McKenna wanted to know if EirGrid proposed to remove a stone hedgerow boundary between her land and her neighbour’s in order to access the site.

Referring to Drumgallon bog at the lower end of her lands, she said it was teeming with flora and fauna. The massive pylon would be a blot on the landscape and would have a very negative impact on all aspects associated with the enjoyment of the area, including the Monaghan Way walking route.

She hoped An Bord Pleanála would have the courage and foresight to make the right decision in refusing EirGrid’s application or to recommend the lines be put underground. The health and safety, wellbeing of the community and the preservation of the beautiful landscape must be protected, she concluded.

PADRAIG AGNEW, Barraghy, also spoke on behalf of his neighbour MARY HAMILL, Aghamakerr. He said he strongly objected to having pylons in this peaceful farmland.

Cllr SEAN GILLILAND pointed out that the proposed pylon at Barraghy was an angle tower that would be situated in a very wet area of bogland, where there was floodwater all year round. The topography was particularly steep at that point.

DECLAN KEENAN, Ardragh, said the landowners would fight this plan until it was stopped. He questioned EirGrid about proposed access routes to a pylon and guarding area that would be on his land. Construction traffic would totally disturb the routes he used for farm work, he said, and if he was cutting silage, who would get priority? He questioned what would be the benefit of having a pylon on his land. The proposed line would be providing power for Northern Ireland and this supply was an urban problem. Mr Keenan said he was not going to stand by and have his land destroyed.

JIM COYLE, Ardragh, said the overhead line had more minuses than plusses. Buisness people told the hearing they needed the line. But they were freeloading on the farmers. If they wanted it then they would have to pay for it. It would not be done at his or his neighbours’ expense.

He said he would not ever give up on this. If EirGrid bullied us, then we would bully them, he said. If EirGrid win the battle and get the pylons up, then that would not mean they had won the war. He said the proposed development would have a devastating effect on tourism. Mr Coyle also raised questions about a badger sett on the land and about the disinfection process for vehicles as a precaution against disease.

JOHN FINLASS, Ardragh, said the last eight years since the initial plan had been a hell for local people. EirGrid had been dragging it out and this was very unfair. Changes had been made to EirGrid’s transmission line plans in the west and south, so why not in Co. Monaghan? They were not saying they did not want the interconnector, but why not put it underground? He also had concerns about the impact of the construction on badgers that were known to be in the area.

ALLEN MCADAM, Ardragh, said he was strongly opposed to the development on a number of grounds: the potential health effects, devaluation of property, and the limitations to current and future recreational and business use of property. He said the human cost had been enormous and had not been quantified or given due recognition in the weighting of criteria for the route selection.

Mr McAdam explained that in 2007 a cloud came over the community when the project was announced and they had lived under it for nine long years. This war of attrition by the applicant had left families with many sleepless nights; fathers and mothers worrying about their children; sons and daughters worried about their elderly parents.

He said he was very concerned at potential adverse health effects from EMF on his young family of four children under the age of 14, due to the proximity of the lines to their dwelling house and the adjoining fields. The WHO guidelines on EMF exposure levels did not give him great confidence in their accuracy, particularly with the WHO track record on asbestos and smoking.

No specific impact assessment on his property had been provided by EirGrid. The dwelling was approximately 350m from the line; the base of the nearest pylons would be a number of metres higher than the chimney on their two-storey farmhouse.

After speaking to a local auctioneer, he believed the devaluation of property would be enormous, with no compensation available. His family had lived there for 350 years and did not expect the imposition of such a state-sponsored threat to their health, wellbeing and tranquility of the unspoilt countryside.

Mr McAdam claimed the so-called public consultation had been at best farcical. Access to a public meeting in Monaghan was denied, venues were changed at a few hours’ notice and every conceivable attempt was made by EirGrid to mislead and hide the true information until the route was selected. As an Irish citizen he said he was ashamed at the manner in which this state and EU co-financed body had conducted its affairs. He claimed its staff and agents during the hearing had been seen to be under-prepared, lacking in experience and knowledge, and appeared to be indifferent to the views of the people in this area.

Referring to the environmental impact statement, he claimed the multiplicity of errors and mistakes made by EirGrid in interpreting aerial photographs to draw up access routes showed a complete lack of knowledge of what exactly was on the ground. Surveys of habitats had not been conducted as 75% of the lands had not been walked. He questioned why EirGrid did not use it statutory powers to enter the land to carry out these surveys. He wondered if such powers existed at all.

He had attended the previous oral hearing in July 2010 and partook in proceedings at that failed planning application. Mistakes had been made then by EirGrid. This time around despite the endless supply of money to finance its reworking, the enormous staffing resources housed in this hotel for the last two months, this application was in his view infinitely worse.

He reiterated his strong opposition to the application by EirGrid in its current form. He trusted that the very real and grave concerns he had outlined would be fully considered.

He asked the inspectors where he could access the additional information about access routes and clarification provided thus far at the oral hearing. As a directly affected landowner he had not been sent this information and the only details he had seen were in the reports of the Northern Standard.

Mr McAdam concluded: “Make no mistake Inspectors when you are deliberating over the debates at this hearing and adjudicating over the grant of planning: you are not merely deciding on a piece of infrastructure, rather on a project that would have a profound effect on this community, the impact of which could be accurately equated by us who are directly affected as akin to a life sentence, not only for this generation, but also for our children and generations of people to come.”

TERRY LYNCH, Ardragh, appeared with his father SEAN LYNCH. He claimed EirGrid had no real understanding of the geography along the proposed route. Neither did they place any value on the traditions of County Monaghan. He had heard Eirgrid describe this countryside as ‘sparsely populated’.

This was suggestive of almost uninhabited landscape and therefore of little consequence, but nothing could be further from the truth. County Monaghan was a rich tapestry of glacial legacies and the careful hand of human habituation. It was the hedgerows, the ditches, the drumlins, and the bogs, the lanes and right of ways, the homes and farmhouses, the fields and the dolmens; every inch had been accounted for by the carefully managed and slow hand of tradition, he said.

Families had inherited from their predecessors these small enterprises and the traditions, along with the responsibility to look after them and hand them onto the next generation. The value of this tradition and the value of the land and homes was inalienable. But if EirGrid were given permission to overground this project, then the farm and home would become worthless. Families would have nothing of value to hand onto the next generation. EirGrid’s proposal would break traditions that had made the rural landscape of Monaghan unique.

He told the inspectors: “Our farm was bought by my grandfather; my nephew and niece are the fourth generation of our family to walk the land. The farm and home have a rich historic value, dating back to the plantation of Ulster and the Shirley estate. We invested large sums of money in restoring and protecting the house, the labourers’ sleeping quarters, the coach houses and the dispensary, which served as a hospital before and during the famine years. It would have been easy to bulldoze them all, but we sought to preserve as well as develop the farm into a viable enterprise. Years of hard work have paid off and it is a beautiful place to live.”

Mr Lynch said EirGrid’s plan would see a pylon being erected on a rise behind the house and outbuildings. Not only would this compromise the value and charm of the farm, but living under its shadow would change completely their relationship with their home. EirGrid planned to use a private driveway as their construction access point. This would undoubtedly prove a danger as the route passed within yards of the house and right next to the lawn.

Over the period of construction, and for years after, they would effectively become prisoners in their home. The construction route would also see fleets of heavy vehicles thunder right beside one of the historic stone buildings, thereby damaging the foundations. The yard was also too small for heavy vehicles to turn. The construction work would shut down their farm. Their land was recently reseeded and construction would damage the fields they depended on for silage and farm viability.

Mr Lynch pointed out that another proposed construction route passed over a well of significant local historic value. EirGrid had written off undergrounding because it wanted a cheaper way. The company must be told to find a way to put the cables underground, he said.

PHILIP FREEMAN, Ardragh, said he strongly objected to the proposed pylons. He did not know how EirGrid could assess the impact on his farm as low, when the line would split his land in two. He hoped the interconnector would be put underground.

PAUL RUSSELL, Ardragh was accompanied by his son EUGENE RUSSELL. Mr Russell said the people of Monaghan were being treated as second class citizens. Their rights were being taken away and an injustice was being inflicted on them. He hoped the Board would give them justice.

EUGENE RUSSELL, an 18 year-old Leaving Certificate student, addressed the inspectors on issues of health concerns for humans and animals. He was also worried that future development would be affected and that it would not be possible to build a home on land where there was a monstrosity like a pylon. Land values would depreciate, he said. EirGrid should not be allowed to go ahead with the plan and the

line should be put underground, he said. He was also concerned about the visual impact of the infrastructure close to a ringfort near their house.

MARY MCENANEY, Ardragh, stated bluntly: “No way will a pylon go up on my land”. Her house which was built in 1971 would be close to one of the towers. The only change EirGrid had made since the original application was to move the site of the pylon from a field on one side of the road to the other.

TERRY LYNCH, Ardragh, also represented Lawrence Keenan, Corvally, and Thomas McEneaney. One of the pylons EirGrid proposed to erect would be on a high drumlin and it would have a significant visual impact, he said.

JAMES HANNIGAN, Corvally, spoke about the potential health risks and the noise that would come from overhead lines.

PHILIP CONNOLLY, Carrickamore, Corduff, said EirGrid had wasted millions of Euro on the last oral hearing. Now they saw the numbers of highly educated paid staff and experts the company had at this oral hearing, all the documentation and costs involved and there was also a massive advertising campaign locally. The fact that it was ongoing during this public hearing was intimidating and demeaning to a lot of affected stakeholders and in the very least distasteful. All this expense was being funded by Joe Public, the consumer and taxpayer.

EirGrid had told the hearing and the stakeholders many times how they had the power to enter any lands to survey or erect lines. Why didn’t they enter onto the lands at an early stage and do a proper route corridor selection, and then proceed to do a proper EIS with proper site evaluation, accurate visual assessment, etc. WHY ? Instead they have tried to use and indeed abuse stakeholders over the last seven years, and this oral hearing, to try and patch together an EIS.

Mr Connolly said some of the major nineteen changes to access routes submitted by the company in March would impact on residents not previously impacted upon. Some of these people did not make a submission and were still totally unaware of the changes as these details are nowhere for public viewing. EirGrid, he said, had tried to close the stable door after the horse had bolted.

What the Board must really ask themselves now is, taking into account that EirGrid had unrestricted physical access to every single one of the entry points on the public road along with their LIDAR and they can make so many (47 documented so far, and more to come) serious errors or anomalies, how can you trust the accuracy of the positioning of the pylon sites where they had no physical survey at all. Many pylons could be in laneways or out on the road. How can the Board have any faith in any of the drawings on this application?

The developer should have made available a 3D model of this project to enable the public and indeed the Board to be able to properly visualise its scale, nature and the visual effect on the landscape. All the maps, drawings and folders do nothing to help the stakeholders visualise its effects.

Whooper swans flight paths and wintering are a significant impact on the route corridor in my local area. Mitigation measures are proposed i.e. hanging large deflectors on lines. These will greatly increase the negative non mitigatable impact of the lines on route A. Was this extra visual impact taken into account in route selection?

As EirGrid states itself, no new consultation was carried out for the first two of five stages for this project. This application states that it would be a normal scenario for a project development like this to have consultation from stage one but that this application is unique. This one is unique alright, but unique is no excuse or reason for not doing planning properly. Take for example those new residents in corridor A who were not there in 2007. They have been denied their statutory right to consultation at the earliest stage.

The final route constraints report 2007, on which the preliminary evaluation and final evaluation reports are based never mention the town of Shercock when it lists towns and settlements in the study area. The preliminary re-evaluation 2011 report 5.2.2 page 72 lists the settlements in the Cavan – Monaghan study area; Carrickmacross, Castleblayney, Annyalla, Doohamlet, Oram, Lough Egish, Broomfield, Laragh, Lisdoonan, Corduff, Donaghmoyne, Magheracloone and Kingscourt.

Nowhere is Shercock mentioned in this report either. It is gross incompetence to omit Shercock in the first report but what sort of re-evaluation was carried out to miss it yet again in the 2011 re-evaluation? It wasn’t re-evaluation, it was rubber stamping. Shercock lies 2.9 km from the proposed line. I believe it is the closest town to that line. It is definitely the only town that can see several pylons from the main street.

The EIS and many other section of this application are inadequate, factually incorrect, unsuitable and littered with errors omissions and mis-information. It is based on old, outdated reports, surveys and consultation and the Board has a responsibility to ensure that all relevant planning requirements are met, no matter what the scale or deemed demand or pressure for the project. This application falls way short in many aspects, he said.

INTERCONNECTOR DAY28

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DAY TWENTY-EIGHT

This section involved landowners and groups from Co. Monaghan. Part of it focused on the small townland of Cornasassonagh, which has twenty houses and is one of the most populated townlands in South Monaghan.

MARY MARRON, Corbane, spoke on behalf of her husband Philip and their two children. They owned farmland in Ummerafree and Cornasassonagh. Their extended family had lived and farmed in these townlands for generations and were horrified at the proposed development.

She said the construction of the proposed 400kV overhead power line would have a serious detrimental effect on the Monaghan countryside from a farming aspect. Owing to the drumlin landscape, field sizes tended to be small. By placing pylons in a field or along a hedgerow, it would have an enormous impact on the usable space relative to the size of the field. Trees and hedgerows contributed significantly to biodiversity and landscape character in County Monaghan.

From the family home, they could see as far as Derrylin, Co Fermanagh on a clear day and the wind turbines in Latton were clearly visible all year round. The visual impact of the proposed pylons would be immense. She told the inspectors she would be able to see at least six pylons from the front of her house and ten to twelve pylons from their stables.

Their land at Ummerafree consisted of four small fields, totalling 12 acres in size, representing one-third of their total farmland. They also rented approximately 20 acres on the opposite side of the road, where it was proposed that pylon no. 181 would be erected.

EirGrid proposed to enter their land through what they referred to as an existing track. It was in fact a rough path leading from the entrance gate across the river. The gateway into this “track” was 4m wide and wholly unsuitable for large machinery, she said. The lower sections of the fields were wet and marshy and not suitable for driving across for the majority of the year. EirGrid had not advised them what time of year they intended to complete the works. If it was to be during Spring/Summer, this would have an impact on slurry/fertiliser spreading and grazing. If they intended to complete the works during Autumn/Winter, the ground would be too wet to drive on and would be churned up. Our land would be irreversibly devalued by the development and any future development planned by our children would be restricted.

EirGrid proposed to erect the pylon on one of the steepest parts of the land and extensive excavation would be needed. With this excavation came the issue of the slippage of the remaining soil on the upper section of the hill and access to and from this site. To the best of her knowledge, EirGrid had not stated how they proposed to excavate the volume of soil necessary, whether they intended to dispose it or store it on site. The disposal and removal of spoil materials must be accounted for and not left to others to address, she said.

EirGrid mentioned that the land would be reinstated to its original condition once the development was completed. She wondered how long this would take. Because of the pylons, they would not be able to carry out normal farming practices such as slurry spreading, owing to the dangers involved. They would not be able to pass safely beneath the wires with tractors as the sag would be too low due to the gradient and the distance from the adjoining pylons. It would be unsafe to carry out drainage works, reseeding, etc in the vicinity of the pylons thus preventing them from carrying out land improvement works and furthering the business potential of the land.

They had two herds of pedigree Charolais cattle and bloodstock which they grazed both on the affected land and the rented land. Charolais cattle and bloodstock by their nature were highly strung and flighty and would be sensitive both to the volume and variety of traffic and people moving through the fields and the associated noise. They could become very aggressive when confronted by the unknown. This could lead to a bull or cow attacking construction personnel with deadly consequences. How will EirGrid mitigate against this?, she asked.

The health of our livestock is paramount, she said. The Department of Agriculture had very strict guidelines on the movement of cattle and the spread of disease and they would be concerned about disease being carried onto their lands from adjoining farms by the machinery. They were also extremely concerned about the issue of insurance.

They were concerned about the health and safety aspects of the development. They had serious concerns about the damage that would be caused to the roads, the safety of the community that used them and the safety of livestock that walked them. The road networks in Co Monaghan especially in the Corduff area were wholly unsuitable for the volume and type of vehicles that would be required if the development went ahead. Many were single lane roads on which two vehicles were incapable of passing unless one pulled into a gateway.

Noise pollution from overhead high voltage lines was of huge concern, particularly in wet weather. Mrs Marron said the noise from the 110kv power line currently running alongside her family home was horrendous during damp weather and it was like having someone welding outside the window.

It seems that once again, EirGrid had submitted a farcical planning application, with no regard to the landowners and local communities of the affected counties. It was beyond belief how this oral hearing had been permitted to proceed, when EirGrid had continuously shown themselves to be incompetent. The fact that they had been permitted to produce maps twice at this stage detailing new access routes was absurd and they had reserved the right to produce more if they deemed it necessary. Today they were actually redoing an access route as the observers looked on. EirGrid had produced a seriously flawed and misleading Environmental Impact Statement and were now being allowed to redo it as they went along, using information provided by the landowners and communities.

“Over the past five years I have as a member of the Monaghan Anti Pylon Committee attended meeting after meeting with EirGrid representatives, where they were always willing to take concerns on board, only to find out afterwards that it was a box- ticking exercise.”

She went on: “I have sat at this oral hearing and indeed the previous one listening to parents crying while putting their private business in the public domain pleading with Bord Pleanála to take their childrens’ medical needs into account when deciding the outcome of this application when EirGrid would not. I have watched changes to landowner maps being discussed and put in the public domain without landowners having received prior notification. I have watched as landowners have asked question after question without ever receiving a straight answer. EirGrid’s experts have hidden behind sub- sections and modules from day one and have been allowed to do so by you, the inspectors. In the event that they are being put under pressure the legal team comes to the rescue and if this is still not enough the questioner is then instructed to move on. There seems to be a rush to get this oral hearing finished. Why?

You the Board and EirGrid are being paid to be here and do your job. Landowners and other observers are here having taken time off work and putting our case forward at our own expense.”

Mary Marron concluded: “Observers have noted the huge complement of staff and legal expertise which EirGrid have at their disposal. A seemingly bottomless pit of money to get this project pushed through, who despite already having failed once seem to have learned nothing. The might of the State against the little man – though as Leicster City FC have proved, sometimes the little man can win.

From day one this project has had no public acceptance. Anything landowners and observers have witnessed in the conduct of this oral hearing has only served to reinforce their determination that this 400kV line will never be built overground through the counties of Monaghan, Cavan and Meath”.

CON CURTIN, agricultural consultant, said there were no effects on the health of livestock from electromagnetic fields. He also explained measures that the designated contarctor would be taking to prevent the spread of animal disease.

NOEL FOX, Tullyglass, said he had never been properly consulted by EirGrid and did not want EirGrid to put two pylons on his land. The construction work would completely disrupt his farm and work. There was only one access to his farm and he needed it at all times. He would not allow EirGrid in.

“This is my home”, he told the inspectors.

PEADAR CLINTON, Bocks Lower, said their forefathers had fought for the land one hundred years ago. Now the company was taking their freedom away, but the people of Monaghan and Cavan would not let EirGrid do so. He pointed out that there was a pond on his land where moorhen were breeding. He was afraid of the adverse effect the line would cause.

Dr PATRICK CRUSHELL, consultant ecologist for EirGrid said ecology impacts and precautionary mitigation regarding wildfowl, including moorhen, had been considered as part of the Environmental Impact Statement. The pond mentioned by Mr Clinton was identified in the habitat maps and report. Dr Crushell said moorhen would be expected to continue to use the pond notwithstanding the construction and operation of the proposed development.

OWEN and HELEN MCCABE with their neighbours PATSY and ANN IRWIN, Cornasassonagh, said the proposed line was going to have a massive visual impact on what was a very scenic area. Mr McCabe said the wires would be 62m from their kitchen table. His wife Helen said three towers would be visible from their house at all times. The nearest pylon would be 156m away from their home and farm.

SEAMUS MARRON, Cornasassonagh, questioned the access route for a guarding area that EirGrid had proposed. The map showed it going through an eight foot high wall at the end of his farmyard. There was also a well close to the guarding area.

ROBERT ARTHUR for EirGrid said they did not intend to remove the wall but would used another viable entrance to the field at that point. JOHN DILLON, a consultant environmental engineer, said they would monitor the water quality at the well and would take samples to ensure it was not affected by the construction work. In a number of similar cases he told landowners EirGrid would ensure that an alternative supply such as a water tanker was supplied and the well would be restored to its original condition, if any damage was caused.

DES MARRON, Cornasassonagh, said he had not been contacted by EirGrid and he had no intention of letting them put up a pylon on his land. Nobody wanted the pylons and they would all do whatever it took to stop them going up. Don’t waste any more money: put the wires underground, he told EirGrid.

PHILIP MALONE, Cornasassonagh, said the power lines would cause complete destruction to his farm and house. He was concerned that vibrations from the machinery used to access the construction site would cause damage to the foundations of an old stone house that he was renovating.

BARRY SHERIDAN, acoustic consultant, said they could monitor the building using sensors to ensure that any vibrations were within the prescribed limits.

PLUNKETT CORRIGAN, Cornasassonagh, said the proposed route of the lines would overlook one of the most scenic areas in Monaghan. There was a big area of wetlands in the area and he expressed concern about the potential effects on wildlife including whooper swans, snipe, badgers and birds. The EirGrid EIS report had not mentioned the wetlands, he claimed.

Dr PATRICK CRUSHELL, consultant ecologist for EirGrid, said the Bocks Lough site was not officially designated. He said the wetlands had been evaluated from the roadside and the development would not have an effect. The flight path of whooper swans did not regularly cross the route of the line here.

ALAN MCMAHON owns land at Corbane. He said he had not received maps from EirGrid for consultation. A lawyer for EirGrid said the first correspondence with Mr McMahon had been in May 2015. When EirGrid were asked to check their records, it was discovered that they had written to a previous title holder in 2013. After further questioning it was discovered that the company had been notified by the Property Registration Authority in October 2014 of a change in ownership. This was a blatant breach of consultation, according to Nigel Hillis of CMAPC.

EDGAR EAKINS, Corduff, posed a series of questions to EirGrid. He said the power lines would affect GPS equipment used by agricultural contractors. He had concerns about his children playing under the lines and the potential effects on health. “I do not want EirGrid coming onto my property. I am prepared to go to jail if this line goes ahead and if I go to jail, then my children will go as well”, he told the inspectors.

AIDAN GEOGHEGAN, EirGrid Project Manager, said overhead lines would not interfere with any GPS system as they were designed to be immune from interference from such lines.

Mr Eakins had further questions about the effect on farming practices and these were put to EirGrid by ALLEN MCADAM. He wanted to know what would happen if farmers were members of the new agri-environment scheme GLAS and needed to reinstate any ground that was damaged during the construction of pylons. Mr McAdam said that farmers in the scheme could be penalized for re-seeding low input and permanent pasture.

JIMMY MARRON and HUGH FINNEGAN, Ummerafree, raised questions about access routes and the devaluation of land which they believed the interconnector would cause. “The lines would go right across my farm and would put me out of business”, Mr Finnegan said.

ROBERT ARTHUR of ESB International said there would be no sterilisation of land outside the footprint of each pylon.

PAUL KEENAN, Sreenty, was concerned about the positioning of pylon 186 which he said would be sticking out like a sore thumb. It was probably the highest along the route and it would be on a par with Corduff mountain. There was a 360 degree panoramic view from the hill, and you could see as far as Dundalk Bay and the Mournes.

Mr Keenan said the project was being built to supply the UK at our expense. Local people should not be sacrificed for someone else’s power needs, in his view. EirGrid had no morals at all, he claimed. He said they were totally opposed to the plan. Under no circumstances would EirGrid be allowed on their land so that they would suffer in future, he concluded to applause from the other objectors present.

Some landowners posed a direct question to EirGrid staff and to the inspectors, asking them how they would like to live in a house beside a pylon and power lines.

JARLATH FITZSIMONS SC for EirGrid said individual opinions were not a determining factor. The process was about the proper planning and sustainable development of the project and submissions received that were relevant to the assessment to be made by the Board. He also said there would be no micro-siting of the proposed pylons. Their position had been identified and would not be subject to any deviation.

INTERCONNECTOR DAY27

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­­­­­­­­DAY TWENTY-SEVEN

This section dealt with the Baile Phib Gaeltacht near Navan, Co. Meath

Three submissions were made to the hearing in Irish concerning the importance of the Baile Ghib Gaeltacht in Co. Meath and how it could be affected by EirGrid’s interconnector plan. Questioned by a local resident, a consultant archaeologist for EirGrid confirmed that the power lines would at one point near Oristown pass over the route of the Tain Bó Cuailgne march.

Uinsionn O Gairbhi a local resident explained the history of the area. This Gaeltacht was founded in 1937, when twenty Irish-speaking families were moved from the west coast of Ireland under the Land Commission. Each family received a house, 22 acres, farm animals and implents in exchange for land and property in their native county. Baile Ghib was eventually given official Gaeltacht status, along with Ráth Cairn in 1967.

Mr O Gairbhi said young children from Dublin, Navan, Kells and Drogheda came to the area to learn Irish. If the pylons and power lines were erected they would constitute a danger zone that would have to be avoided. These dangerous wires must be put underground, he said, so that the health of people would not be in danger and they would not interfere with the beauty of the area.

Athboy resident Cathal Seoige a former member of Údarás na Gaeltachta said Baile Ghib was full of heritage and history. He also called for the high voltage lines not to go through the area and insisted they should be placed underground.

Máire Nic an tSithigh also called on EirGrid to put the interconnector underground and said this would be the best solution for our language and heritage.

EirGrid Project Manager Aidan Geoghegan said that after considering the technical, environmental and economic aspects they considered that an underground HVDC cable would not be appropriate. He said there had been 400kV overhead lines in Ireland for the past thirty years. They were very reliable and performed well even in bad weather.

Consultant archaeologist for EirGrid Declan Moore said the overhead lines would have no direct physical impact on the Táin route and it was not a registered recorded monument. In answer to Maura Sheehy he revealed that the Táin route would pass under the proposed development close to Oristown.

This section involved landowners and groups from Co. Monaghan

BERNIE RUTH, Secretary of the Corduff Raferagh Heritage Group explained that it was set up in 2000 to share, preserve and archive the local heritage. She was sure the professionals from EirGrid had exmined the myriad of maps available to them to check for any archaeological sites of interest. But what they did not have was local knowledge, local interest and local passion, which their voluntary group had.

There was a cillín in Corrinenty, an unmarked burial ground for unbaptised children, in very close proximity to the planned line and a pylon. There were Mass rocks in Greaghlatacapple and Umerafree, and Mass was celebrated annually at Greaghlatacapple, which would be within view of many of the pylons. There were many more places of interest to them—the locals—within the area.

Each year they held a number of heritage walks around the townlands, pointing out items of local history and gathering information from local people. Currently they were recording and photographing old structures like buildings, gates, piers and bridges. Quite often the pictures were impeded by the current ESB or telephone poles. What would it be like with pylons and heavy lines?

The group was planning to re-establish the old Mass path on Corduff mountain, with a viewing area on the summit where you can see as far as Cavan, Louth, Meath and Armagh. But with the possibility of viewing more pylons than scenery, this project might have to be abandoned.

The heritage group, like the majority of their neighbours, were ordinary people, living ordinary lives. They had no objection to progress but hoped that An Bord Pleanála and EirGrid used common sense and buried the lines, not only in the interest of preserving the beautiful drumlin landscape and their heritage,but most importantly their future mental and physical health.

She said that she lived two fields away from one of the proposed pylons, on a narrow country road that was used by many people for their daily recreational walk. She did not think there was any person who had come to this hearing over the past 26 days, no matter which side of the room they were on, who would let their children, siblings, parents or any family member live under or near these pylons or lines, no matter what the experts said. The experts did not always get it right, she added.

Bernie Ruth said that to allow the project go ahead as planned when there was an alternative would be a shame and a disgrace to each and every person present at the hearing. It was now time to use common sense and to bury the lines, not our people.

JAMES BANNINGAN, Tossey, Secretary of Lough Egish Gun Club, said three or four of the proposed towers and the power line would be highly visible from the main road between Lough Egish and Castleblayney. He expressed concerns about the possible leakage of silt from construction sites into the lake.

There were dangers for fly fishermen who were fishing near power lines, he said. He was worried about the possible effects on angling tourism.

SEAMUS QUINN, Cooltrim Egish, said EirGrid wold never be allowed into his land and he hoped they did not get planning permission. One of the proposed pylons wold be right in front of his house, he said.

GABRIEL WARD, Tooa, referred to the flora and fauna and wildlife in the former Shantonagh House estate. The woodland contained various types of trees including oak, ash and hazel. A lot of people went for walks in the area, which also contained two old flax mills. Bats had been known to roost in the area.

The following landowners were represented by NIGEL HILLS, who questioned EirGrid on their behalf: Roy Brown, Eamonn Kerr, Philip McDermott, Enda and Rose Duffy, Margaret O’Neill, Peadar McSkeane, Joe Boylan, Kevin Duffy and family, Patrick and Sarah Duffy, Hugh and Bernadette Duffy, Colman and Patricia Ryan, Eileen Smyth, Eamonn McNally, Gene Connolly, and Jim and Mary Connolly. He raised their concerns about access routes, pylon locations, the lack of consultation, health and safety, farm impacts, land and property devaluation, development restrictions, and the effect on flora and fauna.

INTERCONNECTOR WEEK9

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‘END THIS COSTLY CHARADE’ SAY ANTI-PYLON CAMPAIGNERS

EIRGRID ACCUSED OF TURNING HEARING INTO FARCE AFTER MORE CHANGES MADE TO ITS PLANNING APPLICATION

Michael Fisher    MEATH CHRONICLE   p.1

EirGrid has been accused by anti-pylon campaigners in Meath and Monaghan of making up their application as they go along. They have accused the semi-state company of turning the planning procedure into an absolute disgrace during the oral hearing into the proposed North/South electricity interconnector. The North East Pylon Pressure Campaign called on An Bord Pleanála to put an end to what they said was a “costly charade”.

It follows the introduction by the company for the third time of modified access routes along narrow country lanes that would be used by contractors building the latticed steel pylons and erecting the power lines. Thirty-two separate changes have now been made by EirGrid since the hearing began last month.

On day 26 of the oral hearing a lawyer for EirGrid Jarlath Fitzsimons SC said there had been an ongoing review of the 584 temporary routes identified. Six new ones had been notified to An Bord Pleanála on the first day at the Nuremore Hotel on March 7th. Nineteen more changes were made a fortnight later following the discovery of discrepancies in mapping. Shortly before the close of proceedings last week, Mr Fitzsimons revealed seven more alterations to access routes. A further eleven minor mapping modifications to the routes were identified. According to the lawyer, EirGrid had responded in a positive way to observations made by landowners during the course of the hearing regarding specific tower locations.

Temporary access routes are included in the application to enable An Bord Pleanála to conduct an environmental assessment of all aspects of the proposed development. EirGrid spokesperson David Martin said: “With a total of 584 temporary access routes in the planning application, it is understandable that modifications to a small number have been proposed as information comes from observations made at the oral hearing and also from the continuing reviews.”

“In order to enter the area for the proposed development, we have identified 584 temporary access routes. We have listened with interest to the detailed submissions given by landowners along the proposed line route. Several have focused on the detail of the temporary access routes. This feedback has been very helpful as we endeavour to provide the most convenient access routes possible for landowners.”

The hearing in Carrickmacross in front of two Bord Pleanála inspectors is now in its ninth week and is not expected to finish until the end of May. It’s one of the longest such planning enquiries into what is one of the largest ever infrastructure projects in the state. EirGrid is proposing to erect a 400kV high voltage line with 400 pylons from Woodland in Co. Meath across parts of Cavan and Meath into Co. Armagh and finishing at Turleenan near the Moy in Co. Tyrone.

On the 22nd March, during week three of the hearing EirGrid announced a number of major flaws in its planning application and made a request to An Bord Pleanála (ABP) to change nineteen access entrances and routes to landowner properties. The NEPPC said landowners had neither been notified of nor consulted on these plans at this stage. EirGrid conceded that all landowners needed to be notified.

On Tuesday 26th April, EirGrid yet again announced without any prior notice a further request to ABP to change an additional 18 access routes, making ‘minor deviations’ to access route maps. The affected landowners, similar to the situation pertaining in March, had neither been notified of nor consulted on these plans at this stage. EirGrid again conceded that all landowners needed to be notified.

NEPPC in a statement pointed out that based on the extraordinary revelations on 22nd March they had requested the two inspectors to seek approval from the Planning Board that the hearing be halted. The inspectors had decided to continue with the hearing. NEPPC then wrote to An Bord Pleanála directly, requesting that at least the access route changes and other errata in the planning application be updated on the planning application website, but they had still not received any response. NEPPC said the latest changes made a mockery of the oral hearing and of the planning process itself. NEPPC called on An Bord to halt the oral hearing and take responsibility for not allowing the public’s time and money to be wasted by what they said were EirGrid’s farcical activities.

Spokesman Padraig O’Reilly said: “EirGrid is being allowed to make wholesale changes to its planning application on an ongoing basis, without so much as a query from ABP. It looks like EirGrid is running the show all by itself. In the latest letter received by landowners, where they have been informed of changes to accessing their lands, EirGrid states in relation to the ongoing oral hearing that “We will of course facilitate any submission you may wish to make arising from this modified access route”.

“The official position from An Bord was that anyone who wanted to make a submission to the oral hearing firstly had to have made a written submission by August 24th 2015 and then submit a request to make an oral submission by February 4th 2016. Yet EirGrid were now writing to landowners as if it was representing An Bord Pleanála (ABP) and making up their own rules for the oral hearing participation. ABP needs to quickly get a grip here before the whole integrity of the process in general is destroyed. It is simply not acceptable to sit on its hands and watch EirGrid take this brazen approach”, he said.

“NEPPC is yet again calling on elected representatives to put an end to this farcical situation. EirGrid is making a mockery of the strategic infrastructure process for a second time in five years. We cannot have a situation where a state company can remain immune to accountability and in so doing drain public confidence and bring the strategic infrastructure process into disrepute”, the statement added.

Mary Marron of the County Monaghan Anti-Pylon Committee said what was going on was an absolute disgrace. She wondered if more information was going to be added during the rest of the hearing. People had been coming into the hearing and pointing out to EirGrid errors in the access routes. If this was what was going to happen continually then the remaining landowners due to make submissions would have to decide if there was any point.

Monaghan Fine Gael Councillor Sean Gilliland said he found EirGrid’s approach to be absolutely insulting to the An Bord and to the local communities in the county. EirGrid believed they had identified issues with access routes but it was the public who had done so. Cllr Gilliland wondered if the environmental impact reports were wrong then were the health reports flawed as well? Our lives and the future of our young people are in your hands, he told the inspectors.

Cllr Gilliland said the planning application was flawed. On behalf of people in this rural part of Ireland he said he was begging the inspectors to consider the recent submissions made by landowners and householders, all of whom objected to the overhead power lines. What was happening was unjust and absolutely contrary to democracy and civil rights. It was not morally right nor would it ever be. They were being pushed into the mud by EirGrid who were taking information and re-presenting it in submissions they did not understand.

 

 

 

INTERCONNECTOR: NEPPC

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DSC_0107.JPG

Sign at entrance to field near Teltown, Co. Meath close to proposed power line route

Further significant changes by EirGrid 8 weeks into 

Oral Hearing make a mockery of the planning process

NEPPC calls for An Bord Pleanála to put an end to ‘this costly charade’

On the 22nd March, during week 3 of the Oral hearing into the North-South Interconnector application EirGrid announced a number of major flaws in its planning application and made a request to An Bord Pleanála (ABP) to change 19 access entrances and routes to landowner properties. The landowners had neither been notified of nor consulted on these plans at this stage. EirGrid conceded that all landowners needed to be notified.

This week, on Tuesday 26th April, during week 8 of the Oral Hearing, EirGrid yet again announced, without any prior notice, a further request to ABP to change an additional 18 access routes and also make 22 ‘minor deviations’ to access route maps. The affected landowners, similar to the situation pertaining on the 22nd March, had neither been notified of nor consulted on these plans at this stage. EirGrid again conceded that all landowners needed to be notified.

Based on the extraordinary revelations at the hearing on 22nd March the North East Pylon Pressure Campaign requested the Senior Inspectors to seek approval from the Board that the hearing be halted. The Senior Inspectors instead decided to continue with the hearing. NEPPC wrote to the Board directly, requesting that at least the access route changes and other errata in the planning application be updated on the planning application website, but has still not received any response.

These latest changes, announced at 5pm on Tuesday evening, just prior to the conclusion of the oral hearing for this week, makes a mockery of the oral hearing and of the ABP process itself. NEPPC is calling on ABP to halt this oral hearing and take responsibility for not allowing the public’s time and money to be wasted by EirGrid’s farcical activities.

“EirGrid is being allowed to make wholesale changes to its planning application on an ongoing basis, without so much as a query from ABP. It looks like EirGrid is running the show all by itself. In the latest letter received by landowners yesterday, where they have been informed of changes to accessing their lands, EirGrid states in relation to the ongoing Oral hearing that “We will of course facilitate any submission you may wish to make arising from this modified access route”. The official position from ABP is that anyone who wanted to make a submission to the oral hearing had firstly to have made a written submission by August 24th 2015 and then submit a request to make an oral submission by February 4th 2016. Yet here we now have EirGrid writing to landowners as if it is representing An Bord Pleanála (ABP) and making up its own rules for the Oral Hearing participation. ABP needs to quickly get a grip here before the whole integrity of the process in general is destroyed. It is simply not acceptable to sit on its hands and watch EirGrid take this brazen approach”

“NEPPC is yet again calling on our elected representatives to put an end to this farcical situation. EirGrid is making a mockery of the strategic infrastructure process for a second time in five years. We cannot have a situation where a state company can remain immune to accountability and in so doing drain public confidence and bring the strategic infrastructure process into disrepute”.