WORKS ON WEIR TO GO FOR PLANNING IN MID-APRIL

Consultants working on the Fermoy Weir Remediation and Fish Bypass have proposed a date of April 14 for the submission of the planning application to An Bord Pleanála.

The weir remediation and fish bypass, which is subject to departmental funding, has seen submission deadlines for the application to An Bord Pleanála delayed multiple times.

An update on the current status of the planning application was issued at the Fermoy Municipal District meeting this week.

Following review, it was considered that a flood risk assessment should be submitted with the application and that operational monitoring requirements would also need to be taken into account.

“The consultants are currently investigating operational monitoring requirements and are awaiting recommendations. These recommendations will then be incorporated into the final planning pack,” the update read.

DISAPPOINTMENT

At the meeting on Tuesday, local councillors expressed their disappointment with continuous delays in relation to the planning submission and asked that the pressure be kept on.

Cllr Noel McCarthy noted that a date of early January had been given for the application to An Bord Pleanála, meaning the submission is now three and a half months behind.

“It’s very disappointing and I hope there will be no more delays,” Cllr McCarthy said.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Frank O’Flynn requested that the Fermoy Municipal District write and impress upon those involved the importance of getting the submission into An Bord Pleanála by April 14, claiming that there would be ‘ public outcry’ in Fermoy town if it isn’t submitted in time.

According to Cllr William O’Leary, it is important to stay as close to the April 14 date as possible, and while he noted that the council are only passing on information they receive to the public, he said that the council are starting to look ‘incompetent’ due to the continuous delays.