Planning Bord's rejections of proposed Ringaskiddy facility hightlights need for development of Rail Freight
The Refusal by An Bord Pleanala to approve the Port of Cork Development Plan is a damning indictment of Government‘s lack of a cohesive policy on critical infrastructure, according to the Irish Exporters Association
The planning board said that while it accepted the need to move port activities from Tivoli, it believed that the Ringaskiddy site did not have an adequate road network.
The Port of Cork had applied under the Strategic Infrastructure Act for permission to develop a new €160 million container terminal at Oysterbank in Ringaskiddy, but An Bord Pleanála refused permission last Friday following a 15-day oral hearing into the matter in April.
Ger Downey, Chairman of the IEA Southern Region stated:
“The planned location of the development, far from adding to traffic congestion on the N28 route linking the area to the Cork Ring Road, would have facilitated Ireland’s major Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and high-end Food Product manufacture cluster at Ringaskiddy, giving quick and safe access to shipping services for imports of raw materials and exports of finished products. The IEA calls on the NRA to proceed with the upgrade of the N28 as a high priority”.
The Association expressed surprise that and An Bord Pleanala placed so much emphasis on the need for a Port development to be rail connected, given the effective abandonment of rail freight by Iarnrod Eireann and the Department of Transport.
The IEA has campaigned to have rail freight restored, particularly to the Ports of Dublin and Foynes and supports the recent statement by Minister Micheal Martin TD, highlighting the need for a return to rail as a means of transporting freight in order to reduce CO2 emissions. Irish Rail has purchased, under Transport 21, a fleet of suitable rail wagons for the carriage of all container sizes, as a resultthe Association sees no impediment to a rapid move of container traffic from road to rail. These new wagons are currently lying idle.
The IEA calls on the Port of Cork to move with the utmost speed to re-apply for planning permission that will meet the needs of exporters in the Munster region to operate in an efficient and competitive manner. The IEA also calls on the Governments Critical Infrastructure Review body, set up to streamline critical infrastructure and chaired by the Taoiseach, to become involved and show they have real powers to progress the Port of Cork’s much needed Development Plan.
The IEA stated that more than 95% of manufactured exports leave Ireland by sea and as ship sizes grow, existing facilities at Cork will become quite inadequate for efficient shipping.
In a related development, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has urged the Port of Cork to consult more widely with local groups in Cork harbour when preparing any alternative plan for the transfer of its container terminal from Tivoli to another location in the harbour.
Mr Martin said the board's decision clearly highlighted the need for a return to rail in the years to come as a means of transporting freight in order to reduce CO2 emission.
Comment: This laudable and rather sudden concern for the development of rail freight services in Ireland, is interesting in the context of the proposed Bremore Port development. If this port proceeds, it will have to have road and and any possible rail connections provided for it where none exist. Cork and the Shannon Region ports, for example, have adjacent rail facilities., all that is needed are the resources.
"There were a lot of concerns among local residents and environmental groups in terms of the specific plans by the port.
"I think the port will have to take those concerns on board and they will have to consult more with people in the harbour before they come back again."
Sources:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0630/1214764285530.html
http://buckplanning.blogspot.com/2008/06/minister-urges-port-of-cork-to-think.html
http://www.portofcork.ie/news-events.aspx?id=154
The planning board said that while it accepted the need to move port activities from Tivoli, it believed that the Ringaskiddy site did not have an adequate road network.
The Port of Cork had applied under the Strategic Infrastructure Act for permission to develop a new €160 million container terminal at Oysterbank in Ringaskiddy, but An Bord Pleanála refused permission last Friday following a 15-day oral hearing into the matter in April.
Ger Downey, Chairman of the IEA Southern Region stated:
“The planned location of the development, far from adding to traffic congestion on the N28 route linking the area to the Cork Ring Road, would have facilitated Ireland’s major Pharmaceutical, Healthcare and high-end Food Product manufacture cluster at Ringaskiddy, giving quick and safe access to shipping services for imports of raw materials and exports of finished products. The IEA calls on the NRA to proceed with the upgrade of the N28 as a high priority”.
The Association expressed surprise that and An Bord Pleanala placed so much emphasis on the need for a Port development to be rail connected, given the effective abandonment of rail freight by Iarnrod Eireann and the Department of Transport.
The IEA has campaigned to have rail freight restored, particularly to the Ports of Dublin and Foynes and supports the recent statement by Minister Micheal Martin TD, highlighting the need for a return to rail as a means of transporting freight in order to reduce CO2 emissions. Irish Rail has purchased, under Transport 21, a fleet of suitable rail wagons for the carriage of all container sizes, as a resultthe Association sees no impediment to a rapid move of container traffic from road to rail. These new wagons are currently lying idle.
The IEA calls on the Port of Cork to move with the utmost speed to re-apply for planning permission that will meet the needs of exporters in the Munster region to operate in an efficient and competitive manner. The IEA also calls on the Governments Critical Infrastructure Review body, set up to streamline critical infrastructure and chaired by the Taoiseach, to become involved and show they have real powers to progress the Port of Cork’s much needed Development Plan.
The IEA stated that more than 95% of manufactured exports leave Ireland by sea and as ship sizes grow, existing facilities at Cork will become quite inadequate for efficient shipping.
In a related development, Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin has urged the Port of Cork to consult more widely with local groups in Cork harbour when preparing any alternative plan for the transfer of its container terminal from Tivoli to another location in the harbour.
Mr Martin said the board's decision clearly highlighted the need for a return to rail in the years to come as a means of transporting freight in order to reduce CO2 emission.
Comment: This laudable and rather sudden concern for the development of rail freight services in Ireland, is interesting in the context of the proposed Bremore Port development. If this port proceeds, it will have to have road and and any possible rail connections provided for it where none exist. Cork and the Shannon Region ports, for example, have adjacent rail facilities., all that is needed are the resources.
"There were a lot of concerns among local residents and environmental groups in terms of the specific plans by the port.
"I think the port will have to take those concerns on board and they will have to consult more with people in the harbour before they come back again."
Sources:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0630/1214764285530.html
http://buckplanning.blogspot.com/2008/06/minister-urges-port-of-cork-to-think.html
http://www.portofcork.ie/news-events.aspx?id=154
Labels: An Bord Pleanala, Bremore Port, Cork Port, Irish Ports, Ringaskiddy
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