Forestry should be subject to planning regulations

Cllr Mary Bohan asked that the council call again on the government to bring all applications for afforestation planting and felling under the Local Authority Regulations as a matter of urgency. 

She said: "I don't see why it's not subject to planning. You apply for a license and very often submissions are ignored. It doesn't make sense you can do all this work and don't have to go through the statutory planning agency which is the council in this case."

She added: "There is no will to change this; the government seems to want to leave it the way it is. I propose that we write to them again."

Cathaoirleach, Cllr Just Warnock said: "We have enough trees and the council have made a lot of submissions and nobody is listening to them and now they are following through with an appeal. It's the beginning of a change that should have a benefit to Leitrim. Leitrim is the first county in Ireland to actually appeal anything in relation to forestry."

Cllr Sean McDermott said he agreed that forestry should be subject to planning regulations. "There needs to be some control on forestry."

Cllr Frank Dolan also supported the motion, as did Cllr Felim Gurn.