Sir, - I write to lend my full support to all those people, local, national and international, who are expressing their concern over the plans to construct a landing strip/airport at Cloon and Laghtanabba townlands.
The Clifden area is one of the great jewels in the crown of the landscape of western Ireland. An area designated as of "High Scenic Amenity", the essence of which is its "naturalness, peace and tranquillity" (features that are becoming ever rarer across Europe and the World), will continue to bring high-quality visitors to Galway on a sustainable basis.
The construction of an airstrip, let alone an airport, will ruin all that for ever and ever. I beg the Galway planning authority to throw out this ridiculous application before any more money is wasted on such an ill-conceived scheme. I also suggest that its members read the works of Robert Lloyd Preager to remind themselves of the biological, archaeological and spiritual values of the lands and landscapes that are within their care. - Yours, etc.,
Prof. David Bellamy, BSc., PhD., Hon D.Sc., D. Univ., FLS, OBE, University of Nottingham, England.