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Fenor Bog NNR Housing Threat

IPCC outline the threats posed by a proposal to build a large housing scheme (120 houses and 19 sites), a shop, offices, creche and community centre in the village of Fenor and to draw the water needed for the homes from groundwater, the same source that feeds Fenor bog. Action from friends of the bog is needed in this case.

In 1999 IPCC Friends of the Bog and the community of the village of Fenor in Co. Waterford joined together in partnership in the purchase and conservation of Fenor Bog. At the time there was a threat of the site being used for a dump. Thankfully that potential disaster was averted through the foresight of the community group - Móin Fhionnurach Development Association (MFDA). IPCC's friends need to provide further help in ensuring the hydrology of this site is preserved.

The Proposal
MJF Properties, Waterford are seeking to develop the village of Fenor as follows: Planning Application Ref. No 08/336 for a a 10 year Planning Permission for the construction of 1 creche, 1 community centre, 1 ground floor retail unit with two offices overhead, 19 serviced sites, 120 dwellings consisting of 29 five bed detached dwellings, 22 four bed detached dwellings, 29 three bed semi-detached dwellings and 40 three bed terraced dwellings, extension to existing graveyard, provision of a village green, waste water treatment plant and associated wetland system, water supply well together with all associated site works which includes the demolition of existing structures including one habitable dwelling by MJF Properties Ltd. at Fenor North, Tramore, Co. Waterford. The estate is to be located to the west of Fenor Bog on 8ha of farmland. As there is no mains water supply in the village and no sewage treatment system these must be provided by the developer using the resources available to them on site.

A Protected Site
Fenor Bog is a National Nature Reserve (S.I. No. 86 of 2004), a Natural Heritage Area No. 1697 and a European Geopark. It is an alkaline fen habitat with priority protection under the European Union Habitats Directive and the Convention on Biological Diversity which seeks to halt the loss of biodiversity in Ireland by 2010. It is the only peatland habitat protected in the county of Waterford, where 92& of the peatlands have already been driven to extinction and where freshwater habitats are uncommon today.

Biodiversity
Fenor Bog is a naturally regenerating fen habitat, extremely rare nationally and internationally, supported by plentiful, unpolluted groundwater and air. It has a rich biodiversity with over 225 plants and animals and is a refuge for some of the only occurrences of plant and animal species that are found no where else in the county of Waterford. It has been described as the best dragonfly site in Waterford.

Management Aims
The ongoing conservation work being done at Fenor Bog aims to:
* preserve the unique ecosystem balance that has allowed the fen to regenerate and survive.
* Adapt to the ongoing effects that climate change is having on rainfall patterns and temperatures in the southeast of the country.

County Development Plan
The scale of the proposed housing development is contrary to the County Development Plan of 2005. Land on which the development is planned is not zoned for housing. It is unzoned farmland with a portion zoned for green space. As yet it is not clear whether some of the development proposal occupies an agreed buffer zone of Fenor Bog.

Groundwater Depletion
The proposed development will deplete groundwater supplies. Fenor Bog is a groundwater dependent site. There is no mains water supply for the housing proposal, thereby creating a necessity to use groundwater in large quantities and from the same source that supplies the naturally functioning fen system. The impact of water extraction is likely to be accentuated by climate change where the fen will have less hydrologic buffer to help it to adapt to higher temperatures, lower precipitation and increased numbers of extreme events. The fen may therefore not have the ability to survive. Even if the wetland water supply is reduced by as little as 1cm it will cause serious consequences to the fen habitat and with continued reductions, the fen will dry out and be destroyed.

The entire development is located in the surface water catchment of the fen which is determined by the topography of the landscape. Covering the ground with artificial surfaces in addition to collecting run off into underground tanks will seal off a substantial portion of the aquifer water recharge from rainfall. In addition flow patterns of water vital to the fen habitat within the surface water catchment area will be altered. Under the Water Framework Directive, Ireland is obliged to ensure that there is no deterioration of water supply.

Pollution
The proposed development will be a major and on-going source of new pollution which will degrade the fen habitat. New impacts anticipated with this development will include dust from the demolition and construction phase and thereafter pollution from household and garden chemical use, vehicle emissions, noise, light, waste disposal and intrusions by humans and pets.

Wildlife Disturbance
The proposed development will involve disturbance to wildlife migration to and from Fenor Bog through the removal of natural hedgerows in the landscape. For example Finnegan's Lane is earmarked as the main traffic route into the housing estate proposed.

Tourism
The proposed development will detract from Fenor Bog's wilderness value and seriously damage the visual amenity and tourism benefits of the bog which will have knock on impacts on the economic growth of the region. Fenor Bog is beautifully situated in the midst of coastal farm land in a landscape that is remarkably unspoilt and is the only designated European Geopark - The Copper Coast within the Republic of Ireland. It is the gateway to The Copper Coast Tourism Route and has been designated as a scenic route in the County Development Plan 2005. Annually 5,200 visitors enjoy Fenor Bog. The continued economic prosperity generated by this tourism product is dependent on the sustainable management and protection of the countryside through the County Development Plan.

People & Wildlife in Balance
The proposed development in Fenor Village will overwhelm the balance that exists between the natural functioning of the fen and the existing human population and their environmental load. A development of this scale and magnitude in the tiny village of Fenor which currently only has 10 homes cannot be considered to be sustainable because the disturbance it will cause to the human:natural environment will be irreversible.

IPCC's Objection
IPCC object to this development. It cannot be considered sustainable as it does not comply with the law and it will deteriorate the conservation status of Fenor Bog. A full Environmental Impact Assessment is needed.

Conservation Action Plan
This year thanks to a Grant from the Heritage Council under the Local Wildlife Grants Scheme 2008, IPCC will be working with all stakeholders to develop a Conservation Action Plan for Fenor Bog that will shape actions for the years ahead.

What you can do?
Write to The Planning Section, Waterford County Council, Civic Offices, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford urging them to set the protection of Fenor Bog National Nature Reserve as the highest priority by approving only those developments that enhance this goal. The present proposal of the housing estate in Fenor Bog is in conflict with national and international conservation laws and their aims, it contravenes the County Development Plan and the County Heritage Plan and the developer has not undertaken the necessary investigative work to prove that drawing groundwater as the supply to the proposed housing estate will have no effect whatsoever on the fen. A full impact assessment is needed.

Timetable and Fee
Please make your objection to this development to Waterford County Council on or before the 9th May 2008 and ensure to enclose a fee of Euro 20. Quote the reference number given above.

Fauna of Fenor Bog

Fenor Bog, Co Waterford Nature Trail

Fenor Bog Housing Development Threat 2008

Fenor Bog, Co Waterford Conservation Plan 2008

Fenor Bog, Co Waterford National Nature Reserve 2004

Please make your donation today to the Fenor Bog Conservation Project