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While the government are distracting us while putting up posters for an election they say isn’t coming, they are shoehorning the most damaging planning legislation through the Oireachtas, with serious repercussions for the Irish environment and the health of future generations.
The debate on the Planning & Development Act is being discussed in the Dáil this evening (9th of October) and can be watched on Oireachtas TV.
This new planning bill aims to take powers away from local authorities and local communities. The intent of the Bill is to make it more difficult for community groups to resist major projects which will negatively impact their lives and the wider environment. The Bill also seeks to centralise planning powers – taking control away from local planning authorities and locally elected public representatives.
The Bill will allow government ministers to issue binding National Planning Policies and Measures (NPPMs) which will effectively mean that they can enforce projects like the Portumna Gas Plant on communities regardless of community sentiment.
This is done under the guise of “streamlining the planning process” and “improving efficiency” but in reality it is simply railroading the democratic process. It is prioritising speed and corporate interest over long-term quality, sustainability and environmental protection and it removes local autonomy and social order.
This is not simply my own opinion, it is supported by experts in Planning and Environmental Law such as Sinéad Mercier who wrote a commentary in the Ditch outlining how this new legislation is a blank cheque for the fossil fuel industry.
A seperate and detailed assessment from the Village Magazine sensibly calls for a “grown-up solution in the era of climate change, biodiversity collapse and housing crisis is consistency, sustainability, excellence and, in exchange, efficiency and speed“
The government are preaching to us about the need to address climate change and make sacrifices including culling farming herds while at the same time they are facilitating high-carbon developments which will burn off millions of tonnes of CO2 per year, as well as additional upstream and downstream impacts on the environment (e.g. fracking).
Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo has spoken out against the Bill on social media today in a video with Irish actress Alison Oliver. It can be seen far and wide that the Green Party in Ireland have abandoned their green philosophy. They are going back on their word – their mandate for government. You can sign the petition Mark is promoting here at https://greensoffgas.org/.
While all of this is going on, Galway’s water treatment system is on the brink of collapse and the organisations who flag such inadequacies, such as an Taisce, are being sidelined by the new planning changes. I fully support remarks from Dep. Catherine Connolly in the Dail this week.
This government has failed to listen to the people on so many different strands of our society, this is just another. It will have if we allow it, if we don’t allow it, it won’t happen. It’s time to act!
