Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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903. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the status of the of processing the foreshore licence application by Galway City Council in order that it can commence critical coastal protection works from Sáilín to Silverstrand; when the application was received; when a decision will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13602/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department received an application from Galway City Council in 2014 to develop coastal protection works in an area that is within a designated Special Area of Conservation.  There has been correspondence between my Department and the City Council including a request to submit a Natura Impact Statement to allow for Appropriate Assessment of the application and further correspondence raised questions about material alterations and deviations from the planning consent granted by An Bord Pleanala. The Council, in their most recent correspondence detailed the deviations, among other clarifications, but did not comment on validity of the planning consent in these circumstances.

A lot of time has elapsed since this application was originally submitted and there are still complex environmental and planning issues involved. To progress matters the Council should engage with the Marine Planning, Policy and Development Unit of my Department and jointly work towards having the application determined.