Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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343. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if his Department received an application for a foreshore licence for coastal protection works between Blackrock and Silverstrand in Galway city; if so, the status of this application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44360/20]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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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. My Department is engaging with the Council with a view to jointly working towards having the application determined.