Irish Independent: Planners deny undue pressures over Shell pipeline: “The Centre for Public Inquiry highlighted a meeting on September 23, 2003, between Mr O'Connor and other senior Bord Pleanala officials with the Irish Offshore Operators Association (IOOA) which included Shell E&P managing director Andy Pyle. According to the report, on September 19 the Taoiseach and other ministers met with Mr Pyle.”: Thursday November 24, 2005
Treacy Hogan
Environment Correspondent
BORD Pleanala last night emphatically denied it was put under any external pressure over the controversial Corrib Gas project.
Board chairman John O'Connor said he was concerned that anyone reading the Centre for Public Inquiry's report on the issue might infer the board had been less than fully independent in handling the development appeals.
The Centre for Public Inquiry highlighted a meeting on September 23, 2003, between Mr O'Connor and other senior Bord Pleanala officials with the Irish Offshore Operators Association (IOOA) which included Shell E&P managing director Andy Pyle.
According to the report, on September 19 the Taoiseach and other ministers met with Mr Pyle.
In his statement yesterday the Bord Pleanala chairman said it was entirely wrong to make any connection between the meetings.
"It was also wrong to infer that the board's meeting with the IOOA entailed special treatment for this particular application," the statement added.
The board has a system of giving priority to major infrastructure projects such as the gas project.
"The board as a matter of policy holds meeting with various stakeholder groups to discuss general matters in relation to planning (but not individual cases) and the request for a meeting from the IOOA would have been treated on the same basis as other representative groups," the statement added.
Shell E&P Ireland said last night the suggestion that planning application for the gas processing terminal in Bellanaboy was in some way fast-tracked by An Bord Pleanala was simply not credible.
The planning process for the proposed gas terminal took in total four years from initial application to final consent.
"It has been through the most exhaustive and lengthy public consultation and regulatory process," a statement from Shell said.
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