The possibility of appealing against An Bord Pleanala's refusal to allow a visitor centre at Mullaghmore was being examined, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, said yesterday.
Speaking after the launch of a report by the Heritage Council and the IFA on the future of farming in the Burren under the Rural Environment Protection Scheme, Ms de Valera said no decision had been made on how her Department would react to last week's planning refusal. "These things are being looked at the moment," she said.
An application to the High Court seeking a judicial review on a point of law or procedure can be made within two months of a planning board decision.
Commenting on the report, "An assessment of farming prescriptions under the Rural Environment Protection Scheme in the uplands of the Burren karstic region", Ms de Valera said partnership with local farmers was the only way that sensitive, sustainable development could take place in the Burren.
She said farmers were in danger of become a visitor attraction if they became a "distinct species in the Burren". Partnerships were essential when addressing the national heritage.
"I have always contended that the best people in terms of conservation are the farmers. They have been looking after their land for generations and have been able to pass it on to us."
She said she would be talking to the Minister for Agriculture on the report's recommendations on the administration of the REPS, which compensates farmers for managing their lands in an environmentally friendly way.
The report states improved communication and co-operation are needed between farmers, agricultural planners, ecologists, Duchas, and the Department of Agriculture. While adverse environmental changes have been arrested, the prescriptions under REPS were "unlikely to be sufficiently strict, specific and proactive to achieve the objectives of the Habitats Directive in the designated areas".
A small group of farmers protested in Carran yesterday at last week's decision by An Bord Pleanala.