Green light for Carndonagh Rewetting project

Planning permission has been granted to develop a wetland area in Carndonagh.

Barrack Hill Town Park steering committee Chairperson Carmel Doherty, on behalf of the BHTPSC, had applied to construct the wetlands area with an off-road nature walk and cycleway loop adjacent to the Ballywilly Brook just off the Ballyloskey Road.

It is hoped that future trails could incorporate the park and wetland, connecting different areas and communities across the town and attracting additional visitors.

The new wetland area will also be partially adjacent to 21 homes under construction in Barrack Hill by Donegal County Council. There will be an access road into the new housing estate, and the wetland trail will commence close to the start of this access road. 

The swamp will consist of three shallow wetland ponds with water swales. Permission is also granted for ground contouring and excavation, which involve fundamental earthmoving practices used in construction and landscaping to reshape the land's surface and prepare it for re-wetting. 

Also listed in the application is additional native vegetation planting and seeding for wildflower areas. A nature trail path of stone construction along the Brook and around the wetland ponds.

Other notable details given the green light include a short boardwalk across the created pond and wetland area, a bird hide, one Interpretation panel, and a lectern to provide information signage for visitors and perimeter fencing around the ponds. 

The wetland will be accessible through a gate close to one of the ponds and will only be accessible during guided tours and school excursions. The nature Trail will take visitors around the wetlands, and no access to the ponds will be permitted without authorised personnel and only with supervision. This is to ensure the safety of the public, particularly children, and to create an undisturbed area for wildlife to establish.

Permission was granted by the local authority subject to four conditions. These included that to ensure the integrity and preservation of designated EU habitats, all waste associated with the development should be disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner and off-site at an authorised/licensed facility.

As part of the conditions, BHTPSC is requested to adhere to best practice and conform to the Inland Fisheries Ireland requirements for the Protection of Fisheries Habitat during

construction and development works at river sites. 

To prevent flooding from occurring, Donegal County Council outlined that no surface water from the site is permitted to discharge onto the public road, and BHTPS is to take steps to ensure that no public road water discharges onto the site.

The idea behind the project occurred after an urban wetlands area was recommended by the Biodiversity Action Plan, which resulted from the biodiversity audit commissioned by ECO Carn, of which the BHTPSC is a member.

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For a period of time, BHTPSC had sought funding for the project, but in 2023, funding was received from the Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO). Since then, the BHTPSC commissioned the Inishowen Rivers Trust to examine the feasibility of creating the wetland on a greenfield site owned by Donegal County Council.  

In their application to LAWPRO, BHTPSC outlined that their primary aims for the facility would be to help address the issue of flooding of the Millbrae through using nature-based solutions and improve the water quality of the Ballywilly Brook. 

They are also hoping to protect and enhance the biodiversity of the area, to provide an aesthetic community amenity, and to provide varied habitats rich in biodiversity for primary and post-primary students to investigate, instead of travelling long distances to carry out these projects.