Concerns over proposed aquaculture licences at Ballyness Bay were raised at a council level today with a warning that an oyster farm could harm the local environment.
Cllr Michael McClafferty raised a motion to query the council’s position on the issue which has given rise to protests, petitions and demonstrations by locals in Falcarragh.
The ‘Save Ballyness Bay’ action group is calling on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr Michael Creed T.D to reconsider allowing the bay to be used by the shellfish farming industry. Campaigners held a family fun day on the beach last Saturday to ‘make a stand’ for the coastline.
“It’s going to destroy the whole environment and area,” Cllr McClafferty told the county council’s monthly meeting. He added the development in the scenic area would have an impact on tourism along the Wild Atlantic Way.
Cllr McClafferty said that he was not opposed to the jobs the farm would create, but he believes the development is not suitable for the area.
Cllr Marie Therese Gallagher suggested that Cllr McClafferty’s motion should ask the Minister for the Marine to suspend the decision-making process on Ballyness Bay as there was no public consultation on the matter.
“This is a very specific decision that is going to come up in the next while and the people did not get an opportunity to have their say,” Cllr Gallagher said.
The Council response was that the authority is a consultee to aquaculture licence applications and it can comment on prospective licence applications in the context of the provisions of the County Development Plan 2018-2014. These comments are then formally considered by the Department of Agriculture Food & the Marine in their decision-making process.
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