Horizons

Plans not coming together: Ireland lags behind our European neighbours on planning issues, according to Michael Starrett, chief executive of the Heritage Council.

"Through a progressive approach to landscape management, other European countries have avoided many of the serious issues we now face as a result of bad planning decisions," he said. He also raised concerns about expressions of interest from major retail, commercial and residential developments at strategic junctions on new national primary roads. "This will tear the hearts out of local towns and villages," he said. The Heritage Council called on the Government to resource a national landscape management programme. "Landscape plays a major role in determining our quality of life and the types of urban sprawl we are now witnessing do nothing to improve that quality for all but a very few," said Starrett. The Heritage Council is currently working on pilot landscape management projects with local authorities in Meath and Louth to provide landscape conservation areas in the Tara/Skryne Valley and on the Cooley Peninsula.

Grants for the greater good

Community groups, environmental non-governmental organisations and other voluntary bodies have until Friday to submit funding applications for heritage projects for the 2007 Heritage Council grant schemes. Projects can be submitted under the categories of local heritage, biodiversity, archaeology, publications, restoration of heritage buildings, and museums and archives. The grant fund for 2007 is €3 million. Previous grant-aided projects include the restoration of wildlife corridors, wetlands and bogs, conservation of old orchards and protection of wildlife. www.heritagecouncil.ie .

Easy on the pallets

More than 100 companies throughout the Shannon region have signed up for a waste reduction project involving the reuse of pallets. Pallets are widely used in industry but often destroyed after use. The Pallet Exchange, an 18-month pilot project launched last week, will result in thousands of pallets being reused by participating companies in Limerick city, Shannon and other places in counties Limerick and Clare. The project is being funded by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Cleaner Greener Production Programme and by Supply Network Shannon. A central clearing house has been established in the Shannon region to facilitate the storage and reuse of pallets. There will also be seminars on transportation and product packaging for companies interested in eliminating excess packaging and improving the reuse of packaging materials. See www.snshannon.com, tel: 061-329744.

Cottoning on to toxicity

The high usage of pesticides and herbicides in the growing of cotton will come under scrutiny at a talk this afternoon. Damien Fillipo of Pesticide Action Network UK will speak about European projects dedicated to raising awareness of the toxicity of conventional cotton. He will also show Moral Fibre, a new film about the cultivation of organic cotton in Africa. The event, held as part of the Your Health Show, is in Dodder Room 4 in the RDS Industries Hall, Ballsbridge, Dublin at 3pm.