An Taisce and Not Here Not Anywhere wrote to Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, to express our concern over recent announcement of plans for up to seven new fossil-gas-fired power plants in Ireland, and the associated policy statement on security of electricity supply. Read more
An Taisce notes the direction given by the Supreme Court in respect of the management of its appeal against the granting of planning permission for a cheese plant at Belview, Co. Kilkenny. Read more
An Taisce, a charity that works to preserve and protect Ireland’s natural and built heritage, has assembled for the fifth time what it determines to be the country’s Top 10 Most-at-Risk Buildings. These are all buildings of importance, both intrinsically and to the heritage of their local areas; buildings that lie vacant and are in such a state of disrepair that they may be dangerous or have no identifiable new use. These buildings could be lost to future generations unless direct action is n Read more
The 2021 Green Flag Awards were announced today by An Taisce Environmental Education, acknowledging Ireland’s best public parks and gardens. Read more
An Taisce is one of approximately 700 parties to have made a submission opposing the plans for a 114-bedroom hotel at the site of the renowned Cobblestone pub, No. 77 North King Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7, a protected structure. The site also includes Nos. 78, 79 and 80 North King Street, the latter of which is also a protected structure. Read more
Critical and urgent next step is to set out detail of next year. Delivering CAP would put Ireland to forefront of climate response. Read more
An Taisce has been granted leave to appeal directly to the Supreme Court in respect of the High Court judgement on the judicial review of the An Bord Pleanála decision granting planning approval for a cheese plant at Belview, Co. Kilkenny. Read more
The Board of An Taisce has unanimously agreed to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court in respect of the recent decision by Mr Justice Humphreys dismissing its challenge to An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant planning permission for the Belview cheese plant in Kilkenny. Read more
The EPA released the Water Quality in 2020 report on 14 July, indicating that nearly half of our rivers and a third of lakes are failing to meet their environmental quality standards for nutrients, with serious consequences for the health of Irish waters. Read more
The amendments made to the Climate Bill on Friday have altered the character and ethos of the Bill, radically shifting the emphasis from the scientific to the political. We now call on the Dáil to pass the Bill without the amendments. Read more
Following criticism regarding problematic last minute amendments made to the new Climate Bill on Friday, Minister Eamon Ryan admitted on Tuesday evening that there was a drafting oversight in the original Bill. Crucially, this error undermines the credibility of the Friday amendments. An Taisce now awaits a further Government amendment that we hope will take the radical steps needed to ensure the Bill is scientifically, legally and democratically robust. Read more
An Taisce is looking to recruit three new Board members. We are looking for a specialist in environmental law, a specialist in governance and a specialist in PR/communications. Read more
We are disappointed at today’s decision. The application to appeal was based on the firm conviction, supported by advice, legal and scientific, that the High Court judgement rejecting the judicial review of the An Bord Pleanála decision on the Belview cheese plant raised points of law that are of exceptional public importance and which are therefore essential to appeal in the public interest. Read more
Despite the vast amounts of EU taxpayers’ cash being poured into agriculture, including over €100 billion earmarked to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the sector in the last seven years, the new report from the European Court of Auditors has confirmed that agricultural emissions have not come down at all since 2010. Read more
While previous reporting indicated that our total ammonia emissions were already in breach of EU thresholds, this is now recognised as a serious undercount. New EPA data highlight that the State has been non-compliant for 7 out of the last 9 years, driven by growth of the agriculture sector. Read more
An Taisce has confirmed its intention to seek leave to appeal the recent decision of the High Court dismissing its challenge against the decision of An Bord Pleanála to grant planning permission for the development of a cheese processing plant. Read more
The death has occurred on May 4, 2021 in London of Paddy Rossmore, aged 90. He made a distinguished contribution to Irish life and society. In 2020 he donated the main remaining portion of the Rossmore family landholding of 2,300 acres, Sliabh Beagh, straddling the border of counties Monaghan and Tyrone to An Taisce to maintain for posterity for nature protection and amenity. Read more
An Bord Pleanála has upheld the decision of Dublin City Council in granting permission for the subdivision of the Protected Structure, in which the James Joyce story “The Dead“ was set, to a 54-bed tourist hostel (reduced from 56) Read more
An Taisce is now considering the judgment to determine if there are grounds which warrant an application for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal or for an application to the Supreme Court. Read more
The Department of Agriculture have published their Agri-Food 2030 Strategy outlining the objectives for the agri-food sector for the next decade. An Taisce will carefully consider the final draft to ascertain if the fundamental failures which we previously identified have been addressed. Read more
Out of respect for the court and the ongoing legal proceedings as part of the planning process for a large Glanbia cheese plant in Co. Kilkenny, An Taisce will not make any further comment on the case until the matter is decided. Read more
An Taisce considers the revised Climate Action Bill to be a significant improvement on the initial draft. The key need now is for urgent action in the short term to accelerate the changes necessary towards a post-carbon society Read more
Enhancing the amenity of the Phoenix National Historic Park for health and wellbeing, recreational amenity and for nature Read more
An Taisce welcomes the decision of the Environmental Pillar, of which An Taisce is an active member, to resign from the Agri-Food 2030 Committee. We join the Pillar in denouncing the strategy produced by this committee as entirely inadequate to meet the social and environmental challenges facing us. Read more