10TH APRIL 2017- LATEST LETTER / EMAIL TO MINISTER SIMON COVENEY FROM MICHAEL COLLINS T.D. PLEASE DO EMAIL MINISTER COVENEY TOO IF YOU FEEL YOU WISH TO EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS ON THIS ISSUE - simon.coveney@oir.ie Dear Minister Coveney, I refer to my recent correspondence, regarding the ten year kelp harvest license issued to BioAtlantis, Tralee to harvest 753 hectares (1860 acres) of native kelp forest in Bantry Bay, West Cork. Once again, I am asking that your department reverse its decision to grant a license to BioAtlantis, Tralee. Minister, your department has an obligation to support Cork County Council and to give them information on proposed developments in the locality in order for them to be able to disperse this information to the public and allow them to have an input. Cork County Council were not consulted about the granting of this license which will have enormous impacts for the people of Bantry and the wider community. Minister, in 2010 local community, regulatory bodies and other agencies with an interest in Bantry Bay developed a Charter to safeguard our bay, Bantry Bay Coastal Zone Charter. This Project was initiated by the Cork County Council to address the challenge of successful coastal zone management around Bantry Bay. The Bantry Bay area is home to over 12,000 people, living in a variety of communities from the towns of Bantry and Castletownbere to smaller villages and remote rural areas within the Beara and Sheep's head peninsulas, and the Mealagh, Owvane, and Coomhola valleys. It is an area of outstanding scenic landscape, that contains Ireland's state oil transhipment terminal, one of our largest fishing ports, the highest density of aquaculture units and is one of our busiest tourist areas. The Stakeholders' Charter is based on the understanding that the regulatory agencies need to work in partnership with the local community for the successful management and development of this area. It explores the use of consensus, where all those who are stakeholders work together, to develop a single agreed approach to its development. The Charter says that; - Local people have a role in decision-making in their local area. - All regulatory agencies must make sure that the public can understand how they operate and take decisions. The public must be able to make an input into the decision-making process, and have full information about these decisions and any appeal procedures. - Where appropriate, all developments should involve all the relevant organisations and individuals working together. - Wherever possible, decisions affecting the Bantry Bay coastal zone should be taken on the basis of consensus; where general agreement amongst the local community is reached. This is so that the decisions can have the strongest support from within the community. - The environment of Bantry Bay is unique and valuable and should be protected. All proposals for the Bantry Bay coastal zone should have the least possible negative impact on the environment and wherever possible they should improve the environment. - The requirements that are necessary for local traditional livelihoods to survive and be successful should be respected in all proposals for the Bantry Bay coastal zone. Minister your department has completely ignored the Bantry Bay Coastal Zone Charter which stakeholders in our community worked so hard to develop. Minister I also take issue with the level of advertising of this license. There was only one advertisement in a local paper and one flyer in the local Garda station for this license. The following link brings you to a copy of the advertisement that was posted in the Southern Star http://www.housing.gov.ie/…/application…/southern_star_0.pdf. Minister in this advertisement there is no mention of a mechanical harvest and there is no mention of the size and scale of this licence. The licence for a project of this scale should not be advertised with such vague details. From the advertisement it appears that your department was only granting a license for someone to hand harvest a small amount of seaweed. Minister you must accept that this is unacceptable. Minister I ask that you revoke the license issued to BioAtlantis, Tralee without delay on the basis that your department did not advertise this license with sufficient detail, it did not engage in consultation with local stakeholders and it failed to respect the Bantry Bay Coastal Zone Charter. I look forward to your prompt reply. Kind regards, ________________________ Michael Collins T.D. michael.collins@oireachtas.ie