Upcoming Events

Sligo | Environment

no events match your query!

New Events

Sligo

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link Rheinmetall Plans to Make 700,000 Artill... Thu Apr 25, 2024 04:03 | Anti-Empire

offsite link America’s Shell Production Is Leaping,... Wed Apr 24, 2024 05:29 | Anti-Empire

offsite link Ukraine Keeps Snapping Up Chinese Drones Tue Apr 23, 2024 03:14 | Anti-Empire

offsite link Moscow Is Prosecuting the War on a Pathe... Mon Apr 22, 2024 12:26 | Anti-Empire

offsite link US Military Aid to Kiev Passes After Tru... Sun Apr 21, 2024 05:57 | Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire >>

Human Rights in Ireland
A Blog About Human Rights

offsite link UN human rights chief calls for priority action ahead of climate summit Sat Oct 30, 2021 17:18 | Human Rights

offsite link 5 Year Anniversary Of Kem Ley?s Death Sun Jul 11, 2021 12:34 | Human Rights

offsite link Poor Living Conditions for Migrants in Southern Italy Mon Jan 18, 2021 10:14 | Human Rights

offsite link Right to Water Mon Aug 03, 2020 19:13 | Human Rights

offsite link Human Rights Fri Mar 20, 2020 16:33 | Human Rights

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Climate Scientists Hail Boost to Global Plant Growth From Higher CO2 Fri Apr 26, 2024 07:00 | Chris Morrison
Climate scientists have hailed the huge boost to global plant growth and food production from the higher levels of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. "There is a social benefit from more CO2 in the air."
The post Climate Scientists Hail Boost to Global Plant Growth From Higher CO2 appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Fri Apr 26, 2024 00:42 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Lockdown?s Impact on Children to Last Well into 2030s, Says LSE Report Thu Apr 25, 2024 20:00 | Will Jones
Children who started school during the pandemic will have worse exam results well into the next decade after losing six crucial months of learning, a new report from the London School of Economics has found.
The post Lockdown’s Impact on Children to Last Well into 2030s, Says LSE Report appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link A.V. Dicey Did Not Foresee the Gender Recognition Act Thu Apr 25, 2024 18:00 | Dr James Alexander
When Dicey summarised the principle of parliamentary sovereignty he wrote: "Parliament can do everything but make a woman a man and a man a woman." Alas, thanks to the European Court of Human Rights, that's no longer true.
The post A.V. Dicey Did Not Foresee the Gender Recognition Act appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link My BBC Complaint About Chris Packham?s Daily Sceptic Slur Thu Apr 25, 2024 15:52 | Toby Young
Last Sunday, Chris Packham made a false and defamatory allegation on the BBC about the team behind the Daily Sceptic, claiming they had "close affiliations to the fossil fuel industry". The BBC then signal-boosted it. ?
The post My BBC Complaint About Chris Packham?s Daily Sceptic Slur appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Israel's complex relations with Iran, by Thierry Meyssan Wed Apr 24, 2024 05:25 | en

offsite link Iran's hypersonic missiles generate deterrence through terror, says Scott Ritter... Mon Apr 22, 2024 10:37 | en

offsite link When the West confuses Law and Politics Sat Apr 20, 2024 09:09 | en

offsite link The cost of war, by Manlio Dinucci Wed Apr 17, 2024 04:12 | en

offsite link Angela Merkel and François Hollande's crime against peace, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Apr 16, 2024 06:58 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Hazelwood Forest at threat from developers

category sligo | environment | news report author Tuesday March 23, 2010 17:14author by Edward Durand Report this post to the editors

Developers plan to build a housing estate right in the middle of Sligo's deciduous forest. This would endanger the habitats of many rare and protected species of plants and animals and take away the magic of the forest which has provided inspiration for so many, including W.B. Yeats. The proposal was rejected but has been appealed.

Hazelwood forest, one of Sligo’s most precious tourist attractions, is at threat from developers, ForestHaze Developments, who plan to build 158 houses, a marina and 4 apartment blocks up to 5 stories high directly on the river’s edge. The proposal was rejected by the Council but it has been appealed.
The development, planned to concentrate around the old Saehan factory site, would stretch from the water’s edge to within 15 metres of the woodland path many people use to escape into nature. Instead of Sligo’s beautiful forest made famous by W.B. Yeats, they would see concrete. It is a Special Area of Conservation, which is home to many rare species of plants and animals. They planned for the houses to pay for the restoration of historic Hazelwood House but it needs saving from water damage as the roof is leaking.
The Hazelwood Action Group pointed out the plan would destroy a valuable habitat, reduce its recreational value and neglect Hazelwood house itself. The development would bring in up to 500 people requiring extra services and infrastructure. The entire housing project is contrary to the Sligo County Council Development Plan for the area. The Council has put off their decision on the proposal until 16th November.
A lot of rare trees are in the forest (many planted by John Arthur Wynne of Hazelwood House) including the Strawberry tree and the Bird Cherry tree, yet in the application mature native trees are described as ‘scrub’. There are many rare varieties of flowers there including Ivy-Leaf Broomrape and the endangered Three-Nerved Sandwort, whose name (wort) suggests medicinal properties. Rare animals also depend on the forest for their home, some protected by the E.U. Habitats Directive including badgers, pine martens, red squirrels whose population is declining and near-threatened Otters whose population is also falling. Protected birds such as the Barn Owl, Kingfisher and Tern nest in the forest. Six out of the nine Irish species of bats are in Hazelwood, they are protected and roost in deciduous trees. One of only a few alluvial woodlands in Ireland, Hazelwood is an ancient ecosystem. According to Coiltte it is of considerable nature conservation importance, it was even selected as a demonstration site for restoring priority woodlands.sof of - ---
The E.U. Habitats Directive requires member states to protect natural habitats and wild species. It introduces for protected areas the principle that development can only go ahead when they have ascertained no adverse effect on the integrity of the site. The Habitats Directive makes it an offence deliberately to kill, capture, or disturb a European Protected Species, or to damage or destroy the breeding site or resting place of such an animal, even accidentally.
At Lissadell when many trees were felled the ones behind them fell over as they weren’t supported. At Hazelwood they would leave 25 metres of trees with none behind them to protect them from river wind. There are many beech trees; beeches fall over when there are few other trees nearby as they have shallow roots.
The area of the Saehan factory has been identified as a contaminated site from pollution from the factory. The proposal has no houses on this part of the ground but it would be a green area in the middle where the children play. Development would increase the risk of contamination of Lough Gill and the Garavogue river. Hazelwood is the source of water supply for Sligo. The Integrated Pollution Prevention Control license was not transferred to the new owners. The original Environmental Impact Assessment ordered by Saehan said the land should not be built on.
Deciduous forests are needed for oxygen and to balance the ecosystem. They store carbon; if they were removed they would release carbon, which would contribute to the greenhouse effect. The Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t checked the site. Construction would produce air, noise and water pollution. A thin layer of subsoil in the development site puts groundwater at risk. Construction can leak heavy metals into the environment. An Environmental Impact Assessment was carried out but the report seems to lack a considerable degree of detail.
With so many uninhabited houses littered throughout the county do we really need another eyesore at the heart of one of our natural treasures? In Germany they are bulldozing empty houses as there is no demand for them.
Hazelwood is a Green Belt Area and acts as the lungs of Sligo. The extent of the development would take away the magic of the forest, which has provided inspiration for so many people including W.B.Yeats. In the words of Joni Mitchell, they want to ‘pave paradise’, or in the words of Yeats, in a few years shall we look out where Hazelwood used to be and say: ‘Transformed utterly: A terrible beauty is born’. Is Sligo the Land of House Desire or is the forest still the heart of Sligo?

Related Link: http://www.hazelwoodactiongroupsligo.com/index.htm
author by farrelly57 - Privatepublication date Wed Mar 24, 2010 08:18author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This all sounds so familiar. We have learned nothing. Property developers just wait for the next chance, they see all nature as being "just scrub". Where are the greens?

European law; the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) and the Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) mandate the identification and protection of key Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) respectively in all EU Member States.
This is now also Irish national law.
Such areas can only be breached with the prior permission of the Minister of the Environment.
It is up to locals to have these areas designated as such protected areas and not wait until they are under threat, if they have not already been designated.
If the areas have been designated then a court case to challenge Gormley do act is then necessary.
Also an emailing campaign to notify all and every EU institute and Environmental Institution is also necessary to face the destroyers down and force this cancerous government to uphold the laws of Europe, a Europe it pushed down our throats at the Lisbon Referendum.
It also means and needs people to finally stop muttering and get involved,
farrelly57

author by old codger - pensionerpublication date Wed Mar 24, 2010 12:32author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Getting the Irish people involved is a major problem. we have all sat back and allowed political crooks to run this country for decades, even in the present crises the people are reluctant to rise against political crime.
In spite of the Fianna fail controlled media most people know what these scum have been up to but still there seems to be no response.
There are many pockets of resistance such as SHell to Sea for instance but because of Fianna Fail controlled RTE and press these people have been and still are demonised for standing up for their human rights. At this time there are innocent people being given contrived jail sentences by FiannaFail appointed judges, with Gardai commiting perjury and the public are taking no notice. Reliance on the Green ministers will be fruitless they are now commited Fianna Fail supporters and are quite content to share in their crimes .
For example = When minister Ryan was told that a private security company was recruiting foriegn merceneries from the Balkan region with no research into their backgrounds or histories and using these thugs to asault and commit crimes against irish citizens he chose to do nothing about it. His advice was to contact the licenceing authourity.
I wish you luck with your campaign to save Sligo from the continuing cancer that is the downfall of our country but unless the people stick together and fight the political crooks we will continue to suffer the results.

author by Wisepublication date Wed Mar 24, 2010 17:42author address author phone Report this post to the editors

You are safe.

That was "Celic Tiger" yesterday.

The developer is now probably in "NAMA".

Nobody is building anything now.

It will never be built.

.

author by Hazelwood Supporter - Hazelwood Action Grouppublication date Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:45author email hazelwood1731 at yahoo dot ieauthor address Hazelwood, Sligoauthor phone 0877701603Report this post to the editors

We are delighted that planning permission was refused by An Bord Planeala for this housing development. Now the issue is to plan for the future use for Hazelwood House and its surroundings. It could be an amazing community and tourist facility as well as having a cultural impact on the north west. Your ideas are welcome. Please contact hazelwood1731@yahoo.ie

Related Link: http://Hazelwoodactiongroupsligo.com
author by wood kernepublication date Fri Jun 10, 2011 02:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I am glad to hear that the proposed housing development has been turned down. I've often walked in Hazelwood forest, beautiful along the shores of Lough Gill and then along the beginnings of the Garavogue river. Sometimes I've accompanied foreign visitors with children. There is a car park and picnic facility at the beginning of the signposted trail that always needs rehabilitation. Children enjoy feeding the ducks and swans here.

So here are a few immediate suggestions:

1. Repair and replace the eroded wood sculptures that were nicely done around the mid-1980s. Many have become an eyesore. They really fitted into the woodland atmosphere at the beginning, and gave useful work and income to the talented sculptors and their hired helpers.

2. Redo the signposted tree and shrub species, and reprint the informative nature trail leaflets that were first printed by the tourism body in consultation with environmentalists some years ago.

3. New jetty facilities should be constructed along a suitable part of the lakeshore so that a canoe club could be set up by interested Sligo locals. Lockup buildings could be erected alongside the jetty.

4. The possibility of erecting a decorative footbridge across the Garavogue that would connect with a footpath leading to the Tobernalt Road should be considered by Sligo County Council in liason with the tourist interests.

5. The former Wynne family house and the empty factory premises might be converted into some sort of heritage center and hostel facilities for nature and afforestation study groups.

 
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy