Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

To summarise the debate on the last occasion, concerns were expressed regarding the impact NHAs may have on certain community projects. We are talking about small sections of NHAs and not about damage to large sections. Pitches, for example, were mentioned. The sports capital grant process has opened. In this context, if a community wanted to build a running or walking track around a pitch which impacted or came close to an NHA, the question would be whether making a slight change to its boundary could assist in the furtherance of that community development project and the gain to be made in this regard. This was the ethos of the debate at the time.

The uses listed were quite prescriptive. Indeed, I could include graveyards or cemeteries as well as areas where problems might also be encountered. In Connemara, certainly, this would be an issue in certain areas proximate to NHAs. This was the basis of the debate. It was about small areas of land that could impact community gains and projects. I would go so far as to wonder if we were trying to make safe a bad bend on a local road, where there was a small bit of NHA, if this could be de-designated to assist in improving visibility, sightlines and safety, for example. These were the sort of suggestions mentioned. It was not about destroying whole sections of NHAs but being able to re-designate, change the boundaries slightly and perhaps designate another area to compensate for an area removed. This was the basis of the debate on the last occasion regarding these amendments.