ALMOST 85 per cent of objections lodged nationally against special designation areas for the protected bird the hen harrier have been lodged in the midwest, new figures released by the Department of the Environment show.
According to the department, the two areas where 83 per cent of the objections have been lodged relate to the Slieve Aughty mountains in east Clare and the Stacks to Mullaghareik mountains in west Co Limerick, north Co Kerry and north Co Cork.
The department has stated that across the country 804 submissions have been made in relation to Special Protection Area (SPA) designation have been received in relation to six areas, with 744 being declared valid. In total, the Minister for the Environment John Gormley announced last year that 169,000 hectares of land are to be designated SPAs for the protection of the hen harrier, which is one of Ireland's and Europe's rarest birds of prey.
The designation affects 5,500 farmers and landowners in six sites in counties Kerry, Cork, Limerick, Laois, Offaly, Monaghan, Tipperary, Galway and Clare. The department confirmed that in relation to plans to designate an SPA in the Slieve Aughty mountains in northeast Clare, it has received a total of 283 objections and 340 objections in relation to the west Co Limerick site.
The department states three-quarters of the submissions relate to requests to have land removed from the SPA and the remainder request land to be included. The largest SPA is the Slieve Aughty mountains and involves the designation of 61,000 hectares where the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) believe that 24 pairs of hen harrier are present or 17 per cent of the 130 to 150 overall population.
Earlier this year, the director of the NPWS, Oonagh Buckley tried to allay landowners' fears in SPA areas by stating that the designation would not affect plans for one-off housing. She said she had been directed by Mr Gormley to advise Clare County Council that where the hen harrier was the sole conservation interest in the SPA, the designation should not be cited as grounds for refusing permission for development of rural houses within the special area.
Clare councillor Pat Hayes said he hoped the department would stand over the commitment as his concern was the effect the designation would have on the construction of one-off homes.
