Meath landowners to meet with Naughten over pylon approval decision

Deputy Helen McEntee has told the Meath Chronicle that she has spoken with Environment Minister Denis Naughten, and he has agreed to meet a delegation of affected land owners and representative bodies (like the IFA) along with her in the early New Year.

This comes in the wake of An Bord Pleanála's decision to approve EirGrid plans to build the controversial new North-South Electricity Interconnector.

EirGrid had proposed to construct almost 300 pylons in Meath, Cavan and Monaghan as part of the plan, despite objections by landowners and homeowners on health and environment grounds.

The interconnector is due to run from Batterstown in Meath, to Turleenan in Co Tyrone. No decision on the scheme across the border has been made as of yet.

The decision follows a 12-week oral hearing into the development earlier this year.

Residents opposed to the plan were notified this morning while details of the decision by An Bord Pleanála are expected later today.

The North East Pylon Pressure Campaign (NEPPC) has denounced the decision of ABP as 'an affront to the democratic process and a major setback for the North-South Interconnector Project'.

A spokesperson for the NEPPC said the 'biased decision will only deepen public cynicism, opposition and resolve'.

'The North East Pylon Pressure Campaign (NEPPC) is neither surprised nor concerned with today’s decision by An Bord Pleanála (ABP) to approve the North-South Interconnector (NSI) overhead lines and pylons planning application.

'It changes nothing. The application has yet to go through the approval process in Northern Ireland. There will also be challenges and Judicial reviews likely in both the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland.

'The application as it stands will never be built. For objectionable strategic infrastructure of this scale to be established it must at the very least be accepted by the public as having followed due process and impartial analysis without interference. The public have lost all faith in the process and in the analysis.

The pressure group added it is 'beyond rational comprehension how the planning application could have been approved by ABP. EirGrid made a significant number of material changes during the Oral Hearing process, without challenge from ABP.'

Eirgrid tweeted this morning that they welcomed the decision of ABP.

Local Fianna Fail TD Shane Cassells reacted to the news saying he remains committed to undergrounding of interconnector

“This project has been an extremely contentions issue for people living in Meath ever since it was first announced. The way the project has been handled to date has been less than desirable and there has been little effort made to bring the community on board with the project,” said Deputy Cassells.

“I have made my views known on the project long ago. I campaigned in the election on the basis that the interconnector must be placed underground. This remains my position.

“Eirgrid itself has admitted that the cost of laying the cables underground has been vastly reduced - from 20 times the original cost down to 1.5 times that cost. The company needs to listen to the concerns of local residents and ensure that a greater emphasis is placed on upgrading the current infrastructure as well as giving serious consideration to placing the line underground.

“Community consensus needs to be achieved to allow this project to proceed. Many people feel that they have been ignored, both by Eirgrid and by the latest Government, who seemed determined to plough ahead with the project without listening to local voices. Eirgrid in particular have pursued an irrational agenda from the start though their failure to give any serious consideration to the option of undergrounding the interconnector.

Fintan Slye, chief executive of EirGrid, said the North South Interconnector is 'undoubtedly the most important infrastructure scheme on the island'.