The Sunday Times |
Nature slows road |
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The Sunday Times October 14 2001 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WITH reference to your article on delays to the road plan (Farmers' row delays Irish road plan, News, last week), it is obvious to anybody who looks out of a window that flora and fauna are present for the whole 12 months of the year. Any properly conducted environmental impact assessment should be conducted on that basis. A summer survey takes no account of birds which come to Ireland to over-winter and few spring flowers appear in an autumn survey. A proper assessment can therefore start at any time of the year. If, as your article suggests, the survey is only to take nine months then it is not a proper survey and should be rejected, either at the enquiry stage or by Europe. A report rejected on those grounds would not be the fault of the IFA or any other interest group. Could I please ask you to give balanced reporting of the roads issue? In my area the majority of the people opposed to the road are not farmers. Brian Hodkinson (Consultant Archaeologist) Birdhill, Co Tipperary
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