#GalwayHarbour - The Connacht Tribune writes that the final part of the jigsaw for the Galway Harbour Company in the protracted planning process for a €126 million port extension will be submitted this month.

Consultants are to lodge details of land that it is proposing as compensation for the EU habitat site being lost to the development, which is a core requirement of an IROPI application, where projects in highly sensitive areas can be given the green light for “Imperative Reasons of Overriding Public Interest” – the first ever considered in the country.

The compensatory land has to be roughly the same size as that being lost to the extension – 67 acres – and be as near as possible to the port. The submission will detail a management plan to ensure it complies with the European environmental designation.

For further reading on the mid-west port, click here.