Anti pylons group gear up for next battle

Eirgrid intends to lodge fresh plans for its North/South interconnector development "as soon as they can", a spokesperson for the company told The Anglo-Celt yesterday (Tuesday). The comment comes following the collapse of the An Bord Pleanála oral hearings into the proposed development after it emerged that the plans lodged by the company did not tally with planning notices published as part of the public consultation process. The planning notices said the maximum height of the pylons would be 37 metres. However, it emerged in evidence that some of them would be 44 metres tall. Eirgrid subsequently withdrew its Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) application from the board. The spokesperson told The Anglo-Celt that Eirgrid is "reviewing its reapplication" but could not give a date or timeline for when the company might lodge another application, simply saying: "They will be resubmitting as soon as they can". The spokesperson could not comment on whether or not the new plans would differ in any way from those previously submitted or whether or not the company might entertain the option of undergrounding the high power cables. The latest developments follow a meeting last week held by the North East Pylon Pressure (NEPP) group. It was the first public meeting held by the lobby group since the recent controversial withdrawal by Eirgrid of its planning application. The purpose of the meeting was to inform all landowners, householders and the general public, of the consequences of the planning withdrawal and the next steps planned. NEPP is now calling on elected representatives to deliver on costs. A statement from NEPP has accused Eirgrid of showing "total disregard" for its duties and responsibilities to the public it's charged with serving. "It is unacceptable that EirGrid, who through the taxpayer had access to unlimited resources and consultant expertise, could be allowed to submit such a deficient and inadequate application, then withdraw it whenever it suited, and then walk away with no apparent accountability or penalties. This is an injustice to the people of the North-East, and to the public consultation process," read the statement. It's estimated that Eirgrid has spent in the region of €20m to date on the planning process for the interconnector project. NEPP is also calling on elected representatives to meet with EirGrid and demand that appropriate costs are returned to the people of the North-East. Aimee Treacy, chairperson of NEPP, stated: "EirGrid has a moral obligation to reimburse the public participants and voluntary groups for their reasonable costs. Ignoring this fact of life will only serve to alienate the public even further from the democratic process and will harden our resolve in vigorously opposing this project. We again call on our elected representatives, including our two ministers in this region, Ministers Dempsey and Smith, to see to it that the public are properly represented on this issue." The message from the meeting, which was attended by an estimated 300 people was clear and unanimous. "Undergrounding needs to be taken seriously by EirGrid as the practical solution for this project."