On this edition of Enviro:

we discussed a proposal to build on a 15 acre area which is part of playing fields in St. Anne’s Park Raheny Dublin: the area adjoining St. Paul’s school was sold by the Vincentian Fathers to a developer who has applied for permission to build 536 residential units, 432 of which are apartments in 8 and 5 storey blocks, the remained three storey houses.  There was a full discussion on all issues relevant to the application.  Independent Councillor Damien O’Farrell and Donna Cooney of the Dublin Bay North Green Party took part in the discussion as well as Joe Dunne of Enviro. The consensus was that the proposed development would be detrimental to the amenities and undesirable on a whole lot of headings. It was suggested that listeners would look at the website www.ilovestannes.ie and if they see fit lodge an objection to An Bord Pleanala. Objections must reach An Bord Pleanala located in Marlboro Street Dublin by the 5^th of February with a fee of twenty Euros, quoting the reference ABP-300559 and giving the reasons for objecting. There is a sample text for objecting on the website. And Facebook  I Love St Anne’s.

In part two we interviewed Oral Farrell, teacher and Green Schools Co-ordinator in St. Lawrence Primary School Baldoyle-Fingal Co. Dublin and one of her pupils Anna Lee about their plans to plant 3,000 trees in Seagrange Park Baldoyle. The project is part of a bigger global project to plant a million trees. The students form the school had composed a song which Anna and Orla sang for the listeners. It referred among other things to the great work planting trees which was done by the most famous environmentalist from Kenya Wangari Maathai. She had plans to plant a billion trees as a way of tackling climate change and as a way of preventing the desertification of the land south of the Sahara desert. UNFORTUNATELY SHE DIED BEFORE SHE COULD FULFILL HER DREAM.

Music:

In this program we played music from the soundtrack of Jonathan Livingston Seagull a musical composed by Neil Diamond who has had to cease his tours because of developing Parkinson’s disease

Producer/Presenter: John Haughton Panelist Joe Dunne