Sir - Eamon O'Cuiv's proposal to relocate the military air base from Baldonnel is a welcome one for several reasons. There is no strategic reason to have a major Air Corps installation close to the capital, and several reasons not to, not least being the fact that it would free up Dublin airspace for private and commercial traffic, allowing a combined maritime patrol and SAR base and the transfer of jobs from the overheated Dublin economy. The imminent closure of Weston Airfield means that Baldonnel can be used in a combined manner for civil, commercial and government traffic, such as the Garda Air Wing.
However, it is not merely necessary to build a civil/military installation at Oranmore. Galway Corporation and County Council must also provide a land use and transportation plan for Galway which would enable fast access from Galway to the new facility so that it is attractive for city dwellers to use, but also that adequate links to the surrounding region are maintained for those who live in the rural areas nearby. It should also plan a structured urban development for Galway along those links so the planning mistakes of urban sprawl and inadequate infrastructure made in Dublin and to a lesser extent in Cork can be avoided.
A good start would be a new bus terminal for Galway which can't be "accidentally" picketed by train workers. - Yours, etc.,
Mark Dowling, Wellington Road,Cork.