Sir, – Reading Paul O’Hanrahan’s letter (“Dublin Bay and offshore wind farm”, December 31st), I am reminded that for every strategically important housing and infrastructural project, there are always reasons to consider refusal of planning approval – just as there are in this case.
Every city and town that has been bypassed has had to facilitate the greater good, notwithstanding that some sectors in such communities have had to adjust the way they live because of the evolution of the now indispensable motorway network.
Water and sewage treatment plants have to be located somewhere because they are necessary – notwithstanding the concerns that are raised by some who will ultimately benefit from them – for the greater good.
Likewise, there is no proposal for the development of rail lines, power generation facilities, residential development, major pipeline projects, etc, that won’t attract negative observation of varying degrees of magnitude, seriousness or relevance which need to be considered seriously when formulating the ultimate outcome in terms of approval or refusal.
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Bearing in mind the urgency with which the vast majority of major infrastructural and other projects need to be delivered, the array of environmental and other legislative requirements which must be complied with for our protection and benefit and the importance of ensuring that the benefits of all such projects outweighs their respective costs to the greatest degree possible, it is critical that we get better at seeing the bigger picture so that, as a society, we can progress more efficiently and effectively in a direction which, ultimately, will deliver so much more for all of us collectively.
There’s no such thing as the perfect site for any major infrastructural or housing project. Many such projects are delayed for years or never see the light of day because of spurious, multifaceted challenges masking relatively minor concerns which are taken by the challengers at no cost to themselves – frequently for vexatious reasons.
One wonders will the Dublin Bay wind farm or many other major and urgent projects be subjected to such challenges in the event that they are approved through the formal planning process or will we find that we are beginning to wake up to the fact that we “can’t have our loaf and eat it” while at the same time blocking what is required to enhance prosperity and repair inequalities in our country – not to mention our responsibilities in terms of saving our planet. – Yours, etc,
TOM TIERNAN,
Chartered Engineer,
Ennis,
Co Clare.