This new bill is open to public consultation until Friday.

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/media/migration/forestry/publicconsultation/DraftAgricAppealsAmdmtBill2020PublicConsultationAugust2020.pdf

Its overall objective is to reduce the amount of people /groups who are able to feed into the forestry planning process.

It is the result of an independent set of recommendations made by the McKinnon Report

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/press/pressreleases/2019/november/title,136265,en.html

Firstly, I strongly believe we should wait to implement this legislation until we have a new forestry policy in place.

Then people could calibrate their dissatisfaction against something tangible rather than the now redundant 2014-2020 forestry policy

Secondly, I think the current forestry logjam situation is not the fault of serial objectors. They are a symptom of sectoral mismanagement

That said, a quick look at the table here will show there ARE serial objectors. Many of them

https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/forestservice/publicconsultation/appeals/

The bill reduces the amount of groups people entitled to appeal to

>prescribed env groups. They must have been active in 12 months previous. (Hardly onerous?)

>Individuals with a specific connection to the site of afforestation/forest works

Much of the bill hangs on the idea of who is a “relevant person”

Are those against the bill saying EVERYONE is a relevant person?

Am I a relevant person to object to a woodland being planted in Donegal?

Worth noting, this thread relates mainly to private land.

I think we need to have different systems of decision making for public land with far more public consultation

https://twitter.com/rayofoghlu/status/1297591770310680576

I have been asking this without any good answer.

Once a private landowner is obeying the law of the land (laws which are currently too weak) why should they be subjected to objections from anyone, anywhere?

Its a totally inefficient way to run a system.

The mooted cost to lodge appeal (€200+)is too expensive IMO

However, I have read that groups will incur costs of between €15,000 to €27,540 a year.

That is premised on them objecting to EVERY forestry application in their county.

That is serial objecting

Almost all appeals system in the state (leaving cert, planning permission) have some small barrier to engage.

This is widely acknowledged as a necessary filter.

I personally look forward to some major reform in the forestry sector. One which protects habitats and communities and operates for the common good.

Open to correction on anything above

@LNBDublin @attractaub