Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The objector to whom I referred is based 190 km from Clonlara, County Clare, where crucial flood defences are needed. He is 170 km from the Killaloe Bridge crossing and 280 km from Doonbeg coastal defences, which are key, important, crucial and essential public infrastructure projects. That an objector on the opposite side of Ireland can take these projects through the ringer and hold them up for years is wrong. It is fundamentally wrong and it needs to be urgently examined. There need to be some qualifying rules on who can object to projects. In the first instance, objectors should be local and based in the immediate vicinity of the project site. It should impact on their lives.

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