IDA Ireland has said that the revocation of planning permission by Cork County Council for more than 80 ESB pylons round Cork Harbour to meet demand for extra power supplies could have major ramifications for the industrial growth of the region. The ESB was granted planning permission by the council in mid-1997 and after objections An Bord Pleanala upheld the decision at the end of that year. Anti-pylon protesters in the Lower Harbour area had argued that an underwater cable option was available, but the ESB said this would cost £30 million as against its own £9 million over-ground pylon plan.
The ESB said the project was necessary because of a 48 per cent increase in electricity demand in Cork over the past three years, far higher than the national average. The company said there was no solution other than the over-ground pylons and claimed this system could be installed within 18 months, whereas it could take more than five years to secure underwater cables, which would not be as reliable.
However, the anti-pylon group has claimed there is scientific evidence of a serious health risk because of microwave radiation. Its claim was supported by 31 out of 35 councillors at a special meeting of Cork County Council last Monday, who used the obscure Section 30 of the 1963 Local Government Act to rescind planning permission. The councillors may now face legal action by the ESB for compensation. But on hearing news of the decision, there was jubilation in Cobh on Monday night. According to an IDA Ireland spokesman, the reality for Cork was that if there was an insufficient power supply in the Lower Harbour area, there could be serious implications for the agency's ability to market Cork as an industrial location.
"There has been a lot of publicity concerning this issue, and you can be certain that it has not gone unnoticed. Big companies employ researchers to look at possible destinations and issues like this would of course be picked up.
The issue needs resolution - and quickly - between the ESB and the planning authority. "For instance, the 1,000-acre industrial estate at Ringaskiddy, the largest in the State, which cost more than £100 million to develop over the past 15 years, has been highly successful in attracting the pharma/chem sector, and more recently other giant corporations such as Johnson & Johnson. Not to be able to guarantee reliable power supplies could seriously damage our effectiveness as we compete against other agencies," the spokesman added.
Cllr Con O'Leary said yesterday that many of his constituents on Cork's north side had been in touch to say they were also living close to power pylons and were now concerned that their health might be at risk.
An ESB spokesman said the issues raised by the council's decision were still being studied and the next course of action, which could involve court appearances on the part of the 31 dissenting councillors, had not been decided.