The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms Sile de Valera, confirmed yesterday that she would not be seeking a judicial review of the decision by An Bord Pleanala to refuse permission to develop visitor facilities at Mullaghmore on the Burren in Co Clare.
In a statement, Ms de Valera said her legal advisers were strongly of the view that there were no tenable grounds for a judicial challenge and that any challenge would not succeed.
The Minister further said the State now had a legal obligation to restore the land in question to its condition before the start of the development.
The Minister is to request that an environmental appraisal of the likely impacts of the reinstatement works be carried out to ensure that no significant adverse effect on the environment will result from the works.
A spokesman for the Burren Action Group said the group welcomed the broad thrust of the Minister's statement, which, he said, equated with the planning and legal arguments that the action group had been forwarding for the past decade.
He said: "The group will study the Minister's further proposals in a detailed and positive manner with a view to ensuring the best outcome for the people, visitors and environment of the Burren National Park area."
