Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill has called on the Minister for Arts, Heritage & Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan TD to extend the deadline for objection to the Special Protection Area (SPA) Designation by one week to allow all land owners who wish to make an objection the opportunity to do so.
Ó Domhnaill said; “I am calling for the extension of one week in order to ensure that all land owners who have land within the recently designated Special Protection Areas (SPA) in Donegal the opportunity to ensure that there submissions are submitted before the deadline.
“Therefore I am calling on the Minister to extend the deadline to at least Wednesday October 12th.”
Senator O’Domhnaill previously said the designation of lands as SPAs was causing great probems in Co Donegal.
“Designations are being imposed by the Government through the National Parks and Wildlife Service in order to satisfy the EU Birds and Habitats Directive. The designations have been made without any prior consultation with farmers or landowners which in itself is totally unacceptable.”
“These designations are being made by the Government with a view to protecting the Corncrake and therefore I would urge all landowners in the designated areas in Donegal which include Malin Head, Fanad, the Donegal Islands (Inishboffin, Inisdooey, Tory Island, Gola Island, Inis Meain, Inis Oirtheair) Falcarragh to Meenlaragh encompassing the townlands of Ballyconnell, Ballyness, Drimnatinney, Killult, Magheroarty and Meenlaragh to submit objections to the National Parks and Wildlife Service by next Wednesdays closing date. “
“Restrictions for landowners whose lands have been designated as Special Protection Areas are far reaching, for example, the consent of the National Parks and Wildlife Service will be required by landowners for draining and fencing works, building and planning permission for one off houses or agricultural facilities, crop rotation, permission to place certain livestock on your own lands.”
“I am also calling on the Minister for Arts, Heritage & Gaeltacht and Officials in the National Parks & Wildlife Service to deal sympathetically and realistically with all objections which they receive given that there has been very little or no corncrake activity in a large proportion of the designated lands in the County during 2011. I would question the validity of the scientific data used to categorise SPA areas and I believe that the Department must take this into consideration when accessing all objections. “
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