Environmental consultants McCarthy Keville O’Sullivan will carry out the study on behalf of the Shannon Estuary Strategic Infrastructure Framework Plan (SIFP) steering group.

Some 1,220ha of land will be covered at six locations deemed appropriate for marine-related investment. Farmland will not directly be included in the survey. However, access through farmland to reach the shoreline may be required, explained Sheila Downes of Clare County Council’s economic development and planning section.

The survey area stretches from Limerick City to where the Shannon Estuary meets the Atlantic Ocean in west Clare and north Kerry.

The sites include Moneypoint (280ha), Innismurry/Cahericon (65ha) in Clare, Askeaton (98ha), Foynes Island (40ha), and Foynes Port and adjoining lands (186ha) in Limerick, and Tarbert-Ballylongford Landbank (550ha) in Kerry.

Results to encourage investment

Some of the birds that will be in the survey include bar-tailed godwit, cormorant, curlew, dunlin, greenshank, golden plover, grey plover, knot, lapwing, pintail, ringed plover, wigeon, shelduck, shoveler and scaup.

The survey will start during May and is being carried out in accordance with the EU Birds Directive, which dictates that an assessment of any such development requires that the most up-to-date comprehensive geospatial data on bird populations is available.

The results will be used as a strategic baseline to build up investor confidence for future development, Sheila said.

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