Planning permission has been granted for a yachting marina in Roundstone, Co Galway, which is expected to receive funding under the Government's marine tourism programme.
Galway County Council has given approval for the project, subject to a series of conditions. The author and cartographer, Mr Tim Robinson, was one of two objectors and had said that he might leave the area if the marina went ahead.
However, Mr Robinson said that he had no comment to make on the permission, and had not decided on whether to lodge an appeal or not. Roundstone was still his home, he added.
The permission for the 34 berth marina, extension to the local community hall, and ancillary works carries 11 conditions, including an archaeological assessment of the site, an inter-tidal dive survey and an engineering survey.
It says that a detailed landscaping scheme, including a time scale for implementation, should be submitted to the planning authority before development.
The Border, Midland and Western region is expected to benefit most from €38 million (£29.9m) allocated under the National Development Plan for marine tourism. Roundstone is one of three marinas proposed for Galway west. Two marinas have also been proposed for Galway docks and for Rinville, near Oranmore.
Fishermen in the south-west have taken the initiative to protect threatened herring stocks by appealing to the Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, to close the fishery temporarily. Legal backing for the move has been granted by the Minister in response to the call from the south-west fishing fleet.
The temporary closure will affect the Celtic Sea herring fishery from Mine Head east to Carnsore Point in Co Wexford. This fishery is worth almost €11 million (£8.6m) to the south-west region and supports over 1,000 jobs on fishing vessels and factories. The appeal had been made by a regional management group, the South-West Pelagic Advisory Committee, which is supported by fishermen, sales organisations and processors.
Mr Jason Whooley, the chairman, said the results of this research had allowed the committee to make more informed management decisions. The scientific findings, combined with recent landings, had influenced the decision to seek a closure on conservation grounds, he said.
