Poolbeg Incinerator
Wildlife
The EIS does not adequately address the impact of the development on wildlife in the vicinity.
On page 14.6 the EIS describes the site as follows:
14.3.9. The Site is surrounded by developed land to the north, east and west. These areas include buildings, hard surfaces and some ground with a weedy vegetation (Recolonising bare ground). Some bare ground and spoil heaps (ED2) also occurs to the south of the Site, along with further recolonising bare ground. The Shellybanks Road skirts the western boundary of the Site and associated with this is a line of planted sycamore trees and a strip of shrubbery (WS3).
You will note that this description omits any mention of the pitch and putt course situated across the Shellybanks Road to the west of the proposed site. The authors directed their attention to several other areas beyond the proposed development site but have ignored the pitch and putt course.
The aerial photo below shows, circled in red, this piece of ground which in size is some 25% of the applicant’s site and some 20% of the nearby Irish Town Nature reserve.
That the authors could omit such an important area from their study is evidence of gross negligence.
The EIS makes no reference to the importance of this site for wildlife such as herons and frogs. We have personally observed a heronry with 2 adult and 3 young herons on this site at 15:30 on Sunday 14th August 2005.
The EIS is therefore incomplete in this important respect.