By:
Irish Times Editorial
Genuine, on-going consultation with the local community from the point of discovery 20 years ago might have ensured better outcomes

When the sky over Broadhaven Bay in northwest Mayo turned “pure orange” last New Year’s Eve, it was evident that gas had finally come ashore after years of tribulations over Shell E&P Ireland’s controversial Corrib gas project.
For many local residents, the “flaring” at Shell’s Bellanaboy terminal was a frightening occurrence that seemed to confirm their worst fears about the safety of refining volatile gas onshore rather than at sea, which is standard international practice.
This was at the heart of the long-running “Shell to Sea” campaign, which had earlier been vindicated by An Bord Pleanála’s 2002 decision to refuse planning permission for the scheme after one of its senior planning inspectors, Kevin Moore, concluded that Bellanaboy was “the wrong site” for such a “highly obtrusive” industrial project that involved safety risks as well as “significant environmental costs”.
Posted Date:
1 February 2016