Dear Editor,
Councillor Brian Walsh is to be congratulated for his enterprise in suggesting that Galway's problem with road access into the docks area could be resolved, simply by taking up the option of routing traffic through a new road corridor previously reserved alongside the Galway-Dublin rail track in the 2005-2011 City Development Plan. This route was highlighted as a possible means of relieving traffic congestion on the Lough Atalia Road.

However, whether this would be feasible or not now very much depends on the outcome of Bus Eireann's current appeal to An Bord Pleanala, over the refusal of Galway City Council planners to allow modifications to the previously approved Bus Eireann bus maintenance and garage facility at the Galway Harbour Enterprise Park; because it is within a Consultation Distance from a 'Seveso' establishment, and for other environmental reasons.

This appeal is to be determined before 31 March we are told. However, the complicating factor here is the subsequent construction of the new EnWest oil storage facility under construction on the next plot. (This is designated to be an Upper Tier site under the Control of Major Accident Hazards Directive/ Council Directive 96/82/EC of 9 December 1996 as amended by Directive 2003/105/EC. Known as the Seveso 2 Directive).

Clearly the serious oil terminal conflagration, which occurred at Buncefield, Hemel Hempstead, UK on December 11, 2005, will have some part to play in the outcome. Whether for Health & Safety reasons any more development may not be allowed within any exclusion zone imposed by the HSA (Health & Safety Authority), may form part of An Bord Pleanala's determination.

The storage tanks at Buncefield were about ten times larger than those in Galway. The incident was caused when a tank overfill protection device failed, and a tank was overfilled, resulting in gasoline being emitted from the top of a tank, and forming a cloud of mist and vapour. The vapour cloud drifted and subsequently ignited.

The explosion caused widespread damage up to 2km from the site. Several homes were severely damaged and hundreds received minor, non-structural damage. 20 businesses employing 500 hundred people were destroyed and the premises of 60 businesses employing 3500 people were badly damaged. 60 people received minor injuries, typically from flying debris. There were no fatalities.

The scale of the incident was related to the tank filling rate, which is of the same order of magnitude at Buncefield as it will be in Galway. The critical decision An Bord Pleanala is about to make, will probably also impact on the feasibility of plans for the major new Harbour development being proposed, as well as for others at Ceannt Station.

All of this planning chaos could have been avoided if Galway City Council had taken note of An Taisce's original call, which was for the development of an 'Urban Framework Master Plan' for the docks and Ceannt Station areas. This request was first made over ten years ago, and on every occasion since, when a planning submission was being made in the target area.