Littering and damage to the landscape in the Burren National Park in Co Clare will become widespread if plans to develop visitor facilities at Mullaghmore are not advanced.
That is one of the findings in a three-volume Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) lodged with An Bord Pleanala by Cork-based consultants RPS Cairns Ltd on behalf of the Minister for the Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera.
The EIS - requested by the appeals board last March - forms part of Ms de Valera's appeal to the board. She is seeking to overturn Clare County Council's decision last September refusing planning permission for visitor facilities at Mullaghmore.
It is the fourth environmental study drawn up by RPS Cairns Ltd for the Government in connection with proposals for development at Mullaghmore in the nine-year history of the controversy.
The study says that if the proposal was not to proceed policies under the statutory Development Plan which seek to improve public access and appreciation of the Burren would not be realised.
The publication of the EIS coincides with the appeal board's announcement that an oral hearing will be held at the Temple Gate Hotel, Ennis, between July 6th and 14th.
Predicting the impact of the proposal on the local population, the study says people living in the immediate vicinity of the site will experience general disturbance and inconvenience due to the increased number of visitors as a result of the visitor entry point. The disturbance would include noise, traffic congestion, littering and intrusion.
The consultants say the proposed development site at Gortlecka was chosen from four sites it was capable of absorbing visitor usage without detriment to the wider environment.
They say that the proposal, which is expected to generate 20,000 visitors a year to the Burren National Park, would facilitate the conservation of the area by having in place a mechanism whereby existing uncontrolled use of the area could be mitigated.
Outlining the need for the development, the report states: "Although interpretation facilities are now proposed to be provided in nearby villages rather than in the park itself, a pressing need remains for at least a facility which would allow the appropriate management of those visitors who do decide that they wish to experience the Park directly."
The development is to be built on the foundations of the ill-fated Interpretative Centre, where work stopped in February 1993 following a High Court order. The development is to comprise of a covered waiting area, toilets, ranger accommodation, ancillary parking, storage and signage.
A decision on the appeal is not expected until October 13th.
