This article is from page 19 of the 2012-01-24 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
DOOLIN residents and members of the local surfing community will come face-to-face this Wednesday following the decision by Clare County Council to host a public consultation event as part of the new planning process for the controversial development of the Doolin Pier.
There has been some animosity between the two groups since the surfers succeeded in delaying the construction of the pier last year by appealing to An Bord Pleanála to force Clare County Council to produce a complete Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
With scores of local surfers lodging objections to the planning process for the pier and more than 60 Doolin residents attending at Clare County Council when the Part 8 planning permission was decided, this Wednesday’s meeting is likely to be well attended on both sides.
The Lahinch-based West Coast Surf Club say that the design for pier will impact on the famous wave at Crab Island, just off Doolin, while the local community in Doolin say the pier could open Doolin up as a major gateway to the Aran Island and create hundreds of jobs locally.
Clare County Council is currently mid-way through preparing an EIS in relation to the pier and will have to submit this statement to an Bord Pleanála for approval before any work can begin on the € 5 million project. Clare County Council’s senior engineer Tom Tiernan said that alternative options for the pier are being considered.
“The council recognises the importance of facilitating public consultation and considering fully the views of the various stakeholders,” he said.
“The Doolin Pier Project is a critically important piece of infrastructural development for the North Clare area and will serve to significantly enhance the tourism industry in both North Clare and the Aran Islands in future years.
“All submissions will be considered in detail along with all of the other pertinent detail collated by the council’s consultants. This will ultimately lead to the selection of one option, which in turn will become the proposal to which the Environmental Impact Assessment refers. Once the pier option to be proposed in association with the Environmental Impact Assessment is confirmed, the overall proposal will be submitted to An Bord Pleanála for determination.”
The public consultation event will take place at Hotel Doolin, this Wednesday, January 25, from 3pm to 8pm.