EIRGRID, the company constructing the crosschannel electricity interconnector, is to be pursued by the council in relation to its commitment to make a financial contribution in lieu of the impact the works will have in Rush.

Landside work on the cabling, linking Woodland in Co Meath to Deeside in Wales and which is coming ashore in Rush, is expected to start in May 2010 and will have a significant impact on the Fingal town. The 500MW interconnector will allow the two-way flow of electricity between Ireland and the UK, giving Ireland access to the wider UK market and vice versa.

In September last, An Bord Pleanala granted permission for the proposed interconnector between Ireland and the Uk subject to 17 conditions, councillors were informed.

The only specific 'financial' condition applied in that decision related to the giving of adequate security for satisfactory completion of the proposed development, the report stated.

' The decision of the Bord, therefore, did not address the issue of 'community gain' by a specific 'stand alone' condition as such.'

Community

' The council requested the board to impose a community gain condition but they decided not to do that,' councillors were informed.

During the course of the oral hearing, however, Eirgrid did commit to provide a fund for community works both to Meath and Fingal County Councils and it is intended to pursue this matter with Eirgrid over the coming months.

Cllr Ciaran Byrne (Lab) said the impact on Rush was going to be significant as part of the line was going through the centre of the town.

He said it was his information that the company was prepared to honour its commitment of providing a financial contribution.

Cllr Clare Daly (SP) said that it was only fair that money be put back into the community where the inconvenience was caused.

She suggested that the money be put into special projects and not just used to fund works that the council had already committed to doing.

'It should be used to build a very public or noticeable thing that the community can point to and say we got this back.'

- Fergal MADDOCK