‘They’ve picked the wrong town’: 150 appeals against Kinsale mussel farm

Almost 150 submissions were lodged with the Aquaculture Licences Appeals Board (ALAB) last month, on behalf of around 7,500 people, in relation to a controversial mussel farm which was approved for an approximate 23-hectare site in the centre of Kinsale Harbour.

The licence for the mussel farm, initially lodged in 2018 by Waterford-based company Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd, was approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine at the end of May.

Between May 31 and June 30, an appeals window to overturn the farm’s approval was opened, which saw 147 submissions lodged.

The planned development, which received 609 previous objections between 2019 and 2021, will see the commercial cultivation of mussels in Kinsale Harbour, using bottom culture on the sub-tidal foreshore, at a site between the Dock Beach, James Fort, and Charles Fort.

Since the approval of the licence, there has been widespread opposition to the mussel farm among locals, with more than 500 people and 110 vessels attending a land and sea protest at the Dock Beach on June 13, and approximately 7,500 signatures received via a combined in-person and online petition opposing the development, which was presented to members of the department outside the Dáil on July 3.

Speaking to The Echo, Kinsale resident Marc Ó Riain, who spearheaded the local petition, said that locals will “keep it going for 10 years” if the decision to approve the development is not overturned.

“I’m hoping that [the ALAB] will take all the points made in the appeals into consideration,” said Mr Ó Riain.

“We have challenged the scientific evidence included in the application and highlighted how there are a number of deficiencies in the licence application in our appeals.

“We are hoping that this will be viewed in an unbiased way. We have a number of people in Kinsale who will be making oral presentations to the appeals board, coming from various different interest groups who have lodged an appeal.

“It’s within the power of the minister to overturn this, and we will pursue this to a judicial appeal if we have to, and keep it going for 10 years if possible.

“We have a high level of financial commitment to this in Kinsale — they’ve picked the wrong town.

“This is about representative democracy in our town, and if we don’t have the power to control this in our community, then where has democracy gone?”

Among the 147 recent submissions, appeals were lodged on behalf of a number of local businesses and business groups, including the Kinsale Rowing Club, Kinsale Craft Brewery, Actons Hotel Kinsale, Trident Hotel Kinsale, Cork Sub Aqua Club, Haven Bay Care Centre, Bandon Angling Club, and Cork County Council.

A spokesperson for Cork County Council told The Echo that “following consideration, the County Engineers Office took the opportunity presented during the [appeals] process to make a submission in the form of resubmitting Cork County Council’s original observation on the aquaculture licence”.

Within their appeal, which was submitted on behalf of local Bandon-Kinsale councillors, Marie O’Sullivan, Gillian Coughlan, Alan Coleman, Ann Bambury, John Michael Foley, and John Collins, the council said that the decision to grant the licence “contravenes many EU directives” and that the “decision to grant the licence should be appealed”.

“Over 1,000 people objected to the original proposal to grant this licence; this decision will impact the shipping channel and many other activities including tourism, recreation, industry, and existing local businesses,” they said.

“This is a fight to keep Kinsale Harbour open for all, and this decision will have a detrimental effect on Kinsale.”

Other concerns listed within the council’s submission include the impact on the Dock Beach, the threat posed to shrimp fishing, and the likelihood of increased RNLI callouts.

The council also highlighted nine headings that were not “satisfactorily addressed by the minister in the grant of the licence”, including designated shellfish waters, operating agreement, fees, bathymetric surveys, water quality, archaeological survey, safety of navigation in the harbour, Jarley’s Cove Beach amenity, and the environmental impact survey.

The council further highlighted how the location of the mussel farm may impact future plans for offshore wind turbines.

“The salient objections that pertained in 2019 are still relevant, and have been compounded by new realities like offshore wind and Cork County Council’s successful cruise tourism policy,” they added.

The appeals process, which will span five stages, is currently at “stage one: submission of appeals”, with a determination date set for October 29.

Woodstown Bay Shellfish Ltd have been contacted by The Echo on several occasions for a comment on the matter.