Suggestions by Fine Gael Senator, Fidelma Healy Eames that measures to regulate quarries in the new planning act should be dropped is irresponsible according to Green Senator, Niall Ó Brolcháin.


“Her suggestion that a light touch regulatory approach to quarries is the way to create jobs beggars belief, as this approach is precisely what led to the housing bubble in the first place”, said Senator Ó Brolcháin.


“At the same time, the Fine Gael led county council has heavily criticized the Minister for the Environment for daring to put in place a planning review of Galway County in light of the relatively high number of planning applications granted by the council but subsequently turned down by An Bord Pleanala”.


“To suggest that planning in Galway County is beyond question, ignores the fact that Oranmore from where Senator Healy Eames comes, is struggling with a chronic lack of community facilities due to bad planning and over zoning by councilors including Senator Healy Eames herself, when she was on the Council”, said Senator Ó Brolcháin.


“It also ignores that the fact that satellite towns such as Oranmore, Barna, Claregalway and Moycullen are notoriously badly planned, with flooding, major traffic problems, lack of sewage facilities, poor access to schools, water problems, inadequate community facilities and inappropriate developments. It is only because county planners, An Bord Pleanala, local residents and community groups such as Pobal Bearna regularly opposed dodgy planning applications by well connected developers that we have any sort of coherence to our planning system in Galway at all”.


“The new planning act and the planning review are attempting to bring a far more consistent approach to planning in Galway in the future”, concluded Senator O Brolchain, “and it appears that Senator Healy Eames and the Fine Gael party have learned precisely nothing from the excesses of the Celtic Tiger era”.