'No input' to plan seeking protection for Brú na Bóinne

A proposal which would see the drawing up of a framework plan aimed at protecting the Brú na Bóinne complex in the Boyne Valley is meeting with opposition because opponents say local councillors will be excluded from the consultation process. Questions had been asked at a recent meeting of Meath County Council about discussions over the plan, said to have been conducted between the council and officials from Louth County Council. According to councillors, the Department of the Environment had tasked the two councils with drawing up the framework plan. Cllr Jimmy Cudden, who had asked for information on the discussions between the councils, told a meeting of the Slane electoral area council last Wednesday that he was opposed to the framework plan as it was being proposed. "Nobody in the Boyne Valley could have any problem with the protection of the Brú na Bóinne site, but now we have been informed that the framework plan will be drawn up and agreed between the two councils and it does not require the consent of the members of the local councils," he said. "I would have a problem with that and would be totally opposed to it. It couldn't possibly be an agreed plan if the representatives of the local communities are not involved in the process." The independent Duleek councillor said landowners in the general area of Brú na Bóinne were having continuing problems with the status of their land under proposals to protect the delicate archaeological area. "I have highlighted the difficulties of people who own land and who have farmed in the area for generations who will not be able to provide a site for a house for their sons or daughters," Cllr Cudden remarked. "For that and other reasons, I think it would be far better if the protection of the area was done under a local area plan (LAP). "It would be wrong to take the views of council public representatives and local residents out of the equation. In case anyone thinks I'm trying to block any protection plan, I'm making it clear that I suppose a protection plan, but not in the way it is being proposed and I think I will have support for that view", he added. Just a year ago, there were claims that the buffer zone used to protect the Bru na Boinne sites of Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth was being expanded by stealth and that this was preventing local people from getting planning permission for housing. The issue was raised then by Cllr Cudden who said the council needed to look at the way the planners were interpreting the planning regulations. He knew of family members who could not get permission to build on their own land, even though they lived outside the protective buffer zone. He was supported by Cllr Wayne Harding who said people living outside the buffer zone were being asked to provide environmental impact statements when applying for planning approval. He said there were serious implications for the whole area in this move. Cllr Ann Dillon Gallagher said that while the buffer zone was there to protect the ancient monuments, a situation now existed whereby that zone had been extended and people living in this newly created buffer zone could not get planning permission. Area manager Tadhg McDonnell said that Bru na Boinne was one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country, the other two being the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland and the Skelligs, off the Co Kerry coast. He said the county development plan laid down the criteria for planning and there was a appeals mechanism contained within that. There was nothing to show that Meath County Council was in any way draconian in its approach to planning, but there were quite specific criteria for heritage areas, he said.