Sir, - In 1998 Dublin Corporation breached the planning laws when it attempted to erect a high-rise structure (twice the height of Liberty Hall) on the middle of O'Connell Street on foot of a flawed competition.
The High Court ordered that if the Corporation were to proceed with this proposal, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be required and that the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, would make the final decision on whether or not to allow it to be built following consultation with the public.
The EIS has now been produced for consultation - and Dublin Corporation is charging £55 for a copy of it. This price puts a full copy of the EIS out of reach of most members of the public. I know that a copy could be produced for half this cost or even less. This price is in breach of the law. Article 121 of the Local government (Planning and Development) Regulations 1994 states as follows: "Copies of an Environmental Impact Statement prepared in respect of proposed development...shall be made available for purchase.. .for such fee as the local authority may fix not exceeding the reasonable cost of making the copy."
My knowledge and experience as co-examiner from 1967 until 1990 in the Department of Education's examinations for the printing industry enable me to express the view that £55 is excessive.
Even though the public has not been properly or fully consulted, a recent poll (Sunday Independent, July 2nd) clearly shows that most people are opposed to Dublin Corporation's proposal (77 per cent against).
It is now up to people to write to the Minister for the Environment and Local Government and state their views before July 31st as is required. - Yours, etc.,
Micheal O Nuallain, Belgrave Square, Monkstown, Co Dublin.