This article is from page 13 of the 2009-04-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 13 JPG
AN TAISCE has been told to come into the real world if it didn’t want the return of hares on the runway at Shannon Airport.
Shannon-based independent coun- cillor, Cllr Patricia McCarthy was responding to a call from An Taisce for a policy based on lower usage of Shannon Airport as part of a decar- bonisation strategy for the region.
In a submission to the Mid West Regional Authority, An Taisce stated that “the promotion of the mid-west region as a business and investment location as well as for tourism, 1s unsustainably dependent on Shan- non Airport and the continuation of cheap air fares.”
An Taisce’s Heritage Officer, Ian Lumley said, “Any strategic plan- ning of the mid-west region needs to be based on the reduction of current levels of aviation use for business travel and tourism as part of a wider decarbonisation strategy which is set out in this submission. Future tour- ism will be dependent on attracting longer-stay visitors and less on short- stay visitors arriving by air.
“The explosion in air travel over the last two decades is no longer tenable because of its impact on climate pol- lution, while the approaching peak of fossil fuel production is creating an immediate future where the price and supply of fuel will become vari- able and uncertain, with massive 1m- pact on air travel cost.”
The submission comes against
the background of a decline in the number of passengers using Shan- non. Last year the airport sustained a drop of 500,000 passengers, from 3.6 million to 3.1 million.
However, Cllr McCarthy said yes- terday, “An Taisce needs to come into the real world — and fast.
“Does An Taisce want to go back to the stage where there are hares on the runway at Shannon and to stop people travelling completely? Shan-
non Airport is an integral and essen- tial part of the region’s development, but not the only part.”
However, Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) said An Taisce were clearly stating what a lot of other regions are con- sidering. For example, business in- trests in Cork had grouped together to re-establish the Cork Swansea KU MANO Ms (Gor