COUNTY COUNCILLORS TO LOBBY AUTHORITIES OVER EU DIRECTIVE

Date Published: 08-Apr-2009

Galway county councillors will meet national and European representatives over a controversial EU directive.The move follows a heated debate on the Wildlife and Habitat Act at a special meeting of the council this week.The Act which is an EU directive and now Irish law, imposes certain planning conditions on special designated areas.The directive is responsible for the current turf cutting ban in 8 designated bogs in Galway, and imposes planning restrictions on designated areas across the county and the islands.At this week's special meeting Tuam area Councillor Michael Connolly proposed that certain parts of the directive be omitted entirely from the county development plan.However head of Planning Paul Ridge told councillors that to remove the directive could render the county development plan null and void, and suggested fighting the fight on a different level.