Plans for transatlantic fibre optic cable station in Cork stalled after local couple lodge appeal
Gordon Deegan
Plans by an Irish arm of Amazon Web Services for a cable landing station in west Cork as part of a transatlantic subsea fibre optic cable project have been stalled.
This follows a west Cork couple, Eileen Lynch and Owen McCarthy, lodging an appeal with An Comisiún Pleanála against the green light to Amazon MCS Ireland Ltd for the cable landing station.
Last month, Cork County Council gave the proposal the go-ahead for a site at Tullyneasky West, five kilometres southwest of Clonakilty, after concluding that the proposed development would not seriously injure the amenities of the area.
The proposal comprises the demolition of two existing buildings and the construction of a 'Cable Landing Station' building, an ESB substation and switch room building and all external plant consisting of a condenser compound, generators and fuel tanks.
The fibre optic cable is to land in Ireland at Owenahincha in west Cork and it is part of the multimillion-euro 'Fastnet' transatlantic underwater fibre optic cable connecting Ireland and to the US that Amazon Web Services is aiming to have operating by 2028.
In their appeal, Lynch and McCarthy - who are the only objectors to the cable landing station proposal - state that “the proposed development would seriously affect the future potential of our adjoining lands, including the reasonable prospect of our children building homes on this land".
The two own the residential property and lands adjoining the proposed development and they contend that the scale and nature of the development would significantly constrain future residential use and enjoyment of their property.
They said: "The proposed development would seriously affect the future potential of our adjoining lands, including the reasonable prospect of our children building homes on this land.
"The scale and nature of the development would significantly constrain future residential use and enjoyment."
McCarthy said: “This proposed development has already caused extreme stress and anxiety for both myself and my wife and will have a huge impact on the health and wellbeing of our family if permitted to go ahead."
The couple said: “We are concerned about the safety implications of locating fuel tanks and electrical infrastructure in such close proximity to a residential dwelling and adjoining lands, including potential risks associated with fuel storage, emissions, and maintenance activities."
A planning report by consultants for Amazon MCS Ireland, McCutcheon Halley states that the larger fibre optic subsea cable project is subject to several stages and processes where the subsea cable and the landing at Owenahincha are subject to a Maritime Area Consent (MAC) while the cable route from Owenahincha to the cable landing station will be completed as they are exempted works under the planning laws.
