Has NBS got EPA approval ?

SteveAwol

It would appear that DCENR did not get a full Strategic Environmental Assessment done on the NBS.

http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/NR/rdonlyres/15008B8E-C1B8-4102-B6D9-C7C5E2EBE731/0/EnvironmentalScreeningReport.pdf


They have left it up to the individual county councils to look after this at planning stage which means that they can announce the appointment of a service provider at Government level but the question of planning permission, environmental impact statement etc. will be left to the individual councils so when everything is bogged down in sh*** in 12 months time Ryan can tell the Dail that he signed the contract, the money is there but it is the local wallahs who are holding up progress yada yada yada.
It means that in 12 months I will still be without broadband.

cgarvey

I think he'd mentioend, before (or maybe it was Dempsey), that those planning applications would be fast-tracked. I could be wrong on that though. Even if true, I can't remember how, exactly, that was proposed to happen.

oscarBravo

cgarvey wrote: »

I think he'd mentioend, before (or maybe it was Dempsey), that those planning applications would be fast-tracked. I could be wrong on that though. Even if true, I can't remember how, exactly, that was proposed to happen.

That's nice for them. Do you have to have a government-sponsored monopoly to have your planning applications fasttracked, or can anyone busting their hump to bring broadband to the sticks avail?

clohamon

oscarBravo wrote: »

That's nice for them. Do you have to have a government-sponsored monopoly to have your planning applications fasttracked, or can anyone busting their hump to bring broadband to the sticks avail?

I think this is the one. It seems anyone can avail, but the schedule of qualifying developments doesn't seem to include telecommunications.

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT (STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE) ACT 2006
AN ACT TO PROVIDE, IN THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMON GOOD, FOR THE MAKING DIRECTLY TO AN BORD PLEANÁLA OF APPLICATIONS FOR PLANNING PERMISSION IN RESPECT OF CERTAIN PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS OF STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE TO THE STATE; TO MAKE PROVISION FOR THE EXPEDITIOUS DETERMINATION OF SUCH APPLICATIONS, APPLICATIONS FOR CERTAIN OTHER TYPES OF CONSENT OR APPROVAL AND APPLICATIONS FOR PLANNING PERMISSIONS GENERALLY; FOR THOSE PURPOSES AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF EFFECTING CERTAIN OTHER CHANGES TO THE LAW OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT TO AMEND AND EXTEND THE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT ACTS 2000 TO 2004; TO AMEND THE TRANSPORT (RAILWAY INFRASTRUCTURE) ACT 2001 AND THE ACQUISITION OF LAND (ASSESSMENT OF COMPENSATION) ACT 1919 AND TO PROVIDE FOR RELATED MATTERS.

Pasted from <http://www.irishstatutebook.ie:80/2006/en/act/pub/0027/index.html&gt;

Sponge Bob

The statement referred to by the OP was most likely produced in response to a request from a participant in the process , could be any of them .

Eamonn Ryan wants it to be clear that

1. Rural People are not Strategic
2. The Knowledge economy is not a strategic goal for the green party in Rural areas .

But we know all that and expect it of Ryan

Lets look at the statement again .

The statement states that normal planning rules will apply and that no strategic infrastructure fast track procedures are available to the winning bidder , at least not ones initiated by the DCENR

Whether something is strategic or not actually depends largely on an Board Pleanála acceding to a request to treat it as regionally or nationally strategic .

It must also be ( primarily) a scheduled development under section 5 of the act

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2006/en/act/pub/0027/sec0005.html

Or a railway and also NOT a Fission Reactor ....a Fusion reactor is allowed

I would point out to any ISP that if the proper operation of a piece of strategic infrastructure, say a new port on the west coast which is scheduled , were to require the installation of appropriate communications in the area to so do then they could apply to an An Bord Pleanála for permission to have this specific infrastructure considered for fast tracking and for bypassing normal planning in their area .

If an Incinerator were allowed in Cork Harbour then the electricity supply to it and the water supply to it become strategic by inferrence . So do teh roads leading to it .

Stranding strategic assets by failing to provide for key ancilliary services is stupid .


But the NBS and the people it is supposed to provide for have no strategic role in Eamonn Ryans Ireland

Blaster99

Fast track planning? Isn't there tumbleweed blowing through the planning departments these days? How can you possibly fast track something when the queue is empty?

SteveAwol

Guys you need to read the document !
In the first place DCENR have decided that they do not need a full environmental assessment as the word Telecommunications is not included in the EIA directive.
I assume that like all Directives the list included is not meant to be exhaustive but the heads in DCENR have taken this to mean that because the word is not in there they can go ahead and put infrastructure in place without having to seek EPA approval. Is this legal ?
They also say that 90% of the masts are already in place. If 90% of the masts are in place why have we not got broadband in 90% of the NBS area already ?. If that is the case why do we need an NBS at all ? .
As I said previously they are going to leave it to local authorities to check up on environment and planning..
I quote from their document :
“The NBS while allocating resources in pursuit of making broadband available to unserved areas does not provide a framework for development consent for individual transmission sites “

watty

Masts might be for
Mobile Phone: Not all are HSDPA (which isn't really broadband)
TV / Radio
Pagers
Mobile Communications (Taxi/Ambulance/Quarry repeaters)
So called "Deflectors".
Microwave point to point links
Airtraffic Control 130MHz
Marine 150 / 160MHz approx.
ESB and Gas Telemetery signals. (Yagi often).
Etc etc..

Sponge Bob

Blaster99 wrote: »

Isn't there tumbleweed blowing through the planning departments these days? How can you possibly fast track something when the queue is empty?

Because the planners are flat all out counting empty houses for the €200 headage payment that councils get from January 2009 .

They are too busy to bother with Broadband issues

clohamon

SteveAwol wrote: »

Guys you need to read the document !

As I said previously they are going to leave it to local authorities to check up on environment and planning..
“

Accepting your scenario that multiple planning applications may have to go to various local authorities, they would still have to act within the law and require an EIA if they thought necessary, regardless of the opinion of DCENR.

The issue raised above is whether the winner of the scheme could have each and every planning application fast-tracked (by-passing the councils) direct to An Bord Pleanala on the grounds that each mast is a part of an overall project of Strategic National Importance. It would then be a matter for An Bord Pleanala to decide which, if any, needed an EIA.

SB has pointed out that telecommunications as an integral part of say a transport or energy project would probably qualify for the fast-track, but the problem imo is that "telecommunications" on its own is not specified in the schedule of the PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT (STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE) ACT 2006

It would be difficult to see how an overall EIA could address sites that may not yet have been selected.