This article is from page 21 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 21 JPG
PLANS for the development of a quarry near the village of Ruan have received a setback with Clare County Council demanding a year long sur- vey into bats on the 40 acre site.
Deferring the application by Lagan Bitumen Ltd, the council raised no serious concerns over the proposal and highlighted few of the concerns outlined by residents opposed to the development.
Documents lodged by Lagan Bitu- men Ltd show that Tony O’ Donoghue of 27 Cloughleigh Road, Ennis; Noel O’Donoghue of Ardcarney, Ruan and Gerard O’Donoghue of Ardcar- ney, Ruan entered a deal in agreed to sell the lands to Lagan Bitumen Ltd on January 29 last.
Letters of support for the quarry came from a number of areas includ- ing Ruan, Barefield, Ennis, Shannon and Sixmilebridge. Two previous planning applications to develop a quarry at the site were not successful after facing stiff opposition locally.
Putting the new plan on hold, the council stated that the proposed de- velopment was located within a’7km radius designated for the conserva- tion of the rare Lesser Horseshoe Bat, which is protected under the EU Habitats Directive.
“It 1s estimated that there are 600 breeding Lesser Horseshoe Bats within a night commuting route of this extensive aera of suitable bat
foraging habitat.
‘The Environmental Impact State- ment (EIS) states that habitat loss from the proposal will directly 1m- pact on them and landscape con- nectivity will be lost as the site is developed, particularly detrimental to Lesser Horseshoe Bats.
As aresult of a submission from the Department of the Environment, the Council is requesting an ‘appropri- ate assessment’ to include mitigation measures proposed for the site in re- lation to bats.
The four season bat survey is to in- vestigate bat usage at the site to in- clude foraging, hiberation and night roosting. The developers have also been asked to address traffic issues at the existing quarry entrance. A decision is not due to be made on the application until next year.