Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 379: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the measures he is taking to ensure that the wildlife habitats in Toomes, County Louth are not being destroyed by the building of the proposed 450 megawatt turbine plant nearby; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5615/09]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Full planning permission was granted on 30 May 2008 for the building of a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant in Toomes, Co. Louth. Conditions relating to habitats were attached to planning permission.

The site at Toomes mostly comprises abandoned pasture but includes areas of wet grassland, wet woodland and birch woodland, which are of ecological interest although the site is not designated for protection under Irish or European law.

My Department advised the proposers of the project on how to minimise the impact on the habitats within the site. As a result, the plans were amended to retain woodland habitat and to allow a vegetated corridor along the perimeters to the site.

As part of pre-planning discussions, the proposers also agreed to purchase an extra 1.7Ha of wet grassland and wet woodland habitat immediately to the east of the development to compensate for loss of habitat within the footprint of the development. Environmental consultants have recently prepared a management plan for this compensatory habitat.

Consultants have also carried out badger and bat surveys of the site. No badger sets were found and although a minimal amount of bat activity was recorded, no bat roosts were observed. Consultants have recently received a licence from my Department to relocate frog spawn from the proposed development site to within the compensatory habitat.