Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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I wish to share one minute of my time with my constituency colleague, Senator Leyden.

Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for coming into the House to deal with a serious situation that has occurred. I am chairperson of Lough Key Forest Park action group. Many years ago this park was thriving and was one of the major tourism attractions in Ireland but over the years insufficient investment was made in the park. We have worked closely with Roscommon County Council, and Coillte, to upgrade the facilities in the park and two years ago we got a grant of €6 million, for which we are thankful. An €8 million development project is going ahead in the park but as the Minister is aware, unless we expand and have more investment, the park will not survive. The action group, which represents a wide range of opinion in the area, was pleased by a proposal by the Newfound Consortium, one of whose members is the Canadian company, the Newfound Developers Group, to develop a 100-bedroom hotel, leisure and conference facilities and lodges in the park. We worked very closely with the company, which chose the correct way to proceed with development. It worked very closely with the local community, took its views on board and liaised very closely with Roscommon County Council.

Objections to the development were lodged. I acknowledge that every person has the right to object to a development. However, we were dismayed when An Bord Pleanála refused to grant planning permission for the development. I am incensed because we worked very closely with the council and the Newfound Developers Group, which developed the extremely successful Humber Valley golf and ski resort in Canada, in which it has invested Canadian $1 billion. The Newfound Consortium looked at Lough Key Forest Park because it is very close to Knock Airport from where its customers could travel to the development. The Newfound Developers Group, which has developments in Canada, St. Kitts and Nevis and other locations around the world, is a tried and trusted operation.

There has been much discussion about tourism and ecotourism. However, one report into tourism reveals a regional imbalance in tourism in Ireland. Tourism is, thankfully, increasing but is becoming increasingly concentrated on the east coast of the country. It is increasingly difficult to attract tourist developments to the west. This development was the best window of opportunity to attract tourists to the west.

The developers and architects met with the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Taoiseach and the chief archaeologist from the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, who was quite satisfied that the development was in keeping with the environment. We were very concerned when we discovered that the Department lodged an objection with An Bord Pleanála; an objection which damned this project. Was this objection lodged on behalf of an individual in the Department or did it reflect the Department's, and, most important, the Minister's, thinking? If this objection reflected the thinking of the Minister, it sends out the message that tourism in the west does not matter. It also sends a message to would-be investors, who could provide a much-needed facility, that they are not wanted. I hope this matter will be clarified because it is very important.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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I thank Senator Feighan for allowing me to add my voice in support of his argument and I welcome the Minister for Education and Science. I will not discuss the matter in great detail as there may be further opportunities to discuss it. The project by the Newfound Consortium is an excellent initiative. I attended the launch of the project and supported the development of Lough Key Forest Park as a member of Roscommon County Council. I am aware that Senator Feighan has been very active in this regard.

The refusal of planning permission for this project is a major blow for north Roscommon, which has not received the investment it deserves in respect of decentralisation and other developments. This project was regarded as a bright hope for the region and a tourist project that would create jobs and opportunities for the people of north Roscommon. The loss of such a project is a major blow. The project was the second hotel project mooted for Lough Key Forest Park. I supported the first project, which fell through at the time it was due to be built. The second project was a serious development from very reputable developers who were prepared to invest money. They have already invested a considerable amount of money in the design of the project. It seems grossly unfair to refuse the project, given the amount of work that has gone into it. It is akin to creating a reserve in the area west of the Shannon. It appears that An Bord Pleanála believes that there should be no economic development in the west.

If it is necessary to rezone the land in question in order to proceed with this development, it should be done. Roscommon County Council should take a proactive decision in this regard, put a new plan before its members, vote to rezone the land and return to An Bord Pleanála. I appeal to the council not to let this project die.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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On behalf of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, I thank the Senators for raising this matter. I will certainly bring their views to the attention of the Minister. As the Senators are aware, final decisions on planning applications are a matter for the relevant planning authority or An Bord Pleanála in the case of planning appeals. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government is a statutory consultee on any proposed developments which may have a potential impact on the built or natural heritage.

On the proposed development matter raised by the Senators, copies of the relevant planning applications were sent to the Department in early 2005 for comment in accordance with the statutory requirements of the Planning and Development Act and associated regulations. Further information was sought from the applicant by Roscommon County Council and submitted to the Department for comment. While the Department outlined concerns with the overall proposed development, Roscommon County Council granted permission for the two related planning applications on 4 August 2005.

From the architectural heritage perspective, the Department had concerns regarding the potential impact of this large proposed hotel, holiday cottages and associated works on the designed landscape of the former Rockingham Demesne and the setting and visual amenity of a number of monuments and protected structures in the vicinity of the development. As the Senators will be aware, the former Rockingham Demesne is one of the most significant designed landscapes in the country. Despite recommendations made in the historic landscape survey, which was submitted as part of the planning application by the developer, the proposed hotel continued to be sited at a highly sensitive site within the park. It was the Department's view that if a development of this scale proceeded at this proposed location, it would result in permanent and irreversible damage to a highly significant designed landscape which forms an important part of our national heritage.

From a nature conservation perspective, there were also concerns that the proposed development would also have a negative impact on the ecological value of the area. Among the Department's concerns were the likely impact on a number of protected species, including lesser horseshoe bats, pine marten and red squirrel, and the likely damage to a significant area of a broad leaved woodland. Accordingly, the Department appealed the council's decisions to An Bord Pleanála in August 2005. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government understands that appeals were also lodged by An Taisce and the Cavan Leitrim Environmental Awareness Network.

The Senators are aware that the board recently decided to refuse permission for both proposed developments. Among the reasons given by the board were the injury to the visual amenity of Lough Key Forest Park and the threat to protected species in the vicinity. The Department's reservations in this case were specific to the details of the actual development proposed. This is not necessarily a position against other possible commercial development elsewhere within the former demesne which would not compromise the built and natural heritage of this highly sensitive area. Such proposals must, of course, be pursued through the normal planning process.