Shell in Mayo: An Update

mayo | environment | news report Sunday February 13, 2005 21:47 by Terry - NUIG Ecology Society/Anarchist Federation/Organise (personal capacity) room101ucg at yahoo dot co dot uk

An update on the current status of Shell’s refinery development in Mayo, an indymedia feature on the issue is to be found here: http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=67410

Following the granting of permission to Shell’s oil refinery project in North-West Mayo by An Bord Pleanala last fall two applications for a judicial review have been lodged in the high court.

One, by locally based electrician Martin Harrington, and another by Peter Sweetman, a Dublin based environmental consultant.
In mid January these cases were transferred from the regular section of the High Court to the Commercial Court, at the behest of Shell. The significance of this being that in the Commercial Court the process is quickened and costs can be awarded against the applicants.

This later provision possibly being against the Aarhus Convention, which is enshrined in EU regulations, and allows objectors to challenge planning decisions at “reasonable cost to themselves”.

Mr Harrington’s case is that the planning board failed to carry out on an environmental impact study on the project in its entirety, as opposed to looking at individual sections in isolation, and that it failed in regard to EU directives on the transfer of dangerous substances. This pertaining to the proposed on shore high-pressure pipeline for untreated gas, which will be the longest of its type in the world.

Court next meets on the 21st of this month, upon which day it will set a date for a decision.

Shell started preparatory work on the refinery site just after Christmas, this mostly consisting of drainage, access roads and laying a solid groundwork for the machinery to come in.

Some areas where the pipeline is to be laid have been fenced off, but the seven landowners who possess 50% of the land on which the pipe is to go are refusing Shell access.

There are ‘compulsory acquisition orders’ in place, but these are supposed to be only applicable for state run developments, and are not supposed to be the playthings of private industry.

In mid winter workers for Shell entered the properties, and after being told to take a hike, videotaped the people who were telling them where to go, a perennial intimidatory tactic.

On the 21st of January the seven property owners received threatening notices, aka solicitors’ letters, offering the choice of unconditional surrender or a court injunction preventing them from entering the areas where the pipeline is due to be built.

This intimidation was met with stony resilience and with the silent contempt it deserves.

Nothing more has been heard of this since then, despite the fact the letters gave seven days for people to desist in preventing Shell from entering their lands before they were to be taken to court.