Verde Environmental Consultants & Oil Leak Clean Up Specialists

Unauthorised quarries ‘putting Ireland’s environment at risk’

There are more than 150 unauthorised quarries across Ireland, it was revealed on Wednesday. Permission for quarries is given or refused on a number of grounds including how much environmental damage they’re likely to cause but RTÉ Investigates has found that the system is full of loopholes, delays and grey areas, resulting in Ireland’s environment being put at risk. The programme ...
Read More

Bird and Butterfly populations show downward trend

Trends in bird and butterfly populations can be excellent indicators for the health of the environment. Alarmingly, both of them show significant downward trends, with no signs of recovery. Key messages Monitoring schemes show significant long-term (25-year) downward trends in common birds (in particular farmland birds) and grassland butterfly population numbers, with no signs of recover...
Read More

Mitigation Measures in Appropriate Assessment

On 8 February 2019 the High Court delivered a helpful judgment in relation to mitigation measures in screening for Appropriate Assessment. Eoin Kelly v. An Bord Pleanála [2019] IEHC 84 (‘Eoin Kelly’) The Eoin Kelly judgment would appear to be the first Irish judgement to apply the decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (‘CJEU’) in People Over Wind and Sweetman v. Coillte Teoran...
Read More

Conserving Europe’s Nature – The EU birds and habitats directives

Europe covers less than 5 % of the planet’s land mass. Yet, despite its small size, it has a stunning diversity of wild plants, animals and landscapes, many of which are found nowhere else in the world. Differences in climate, topography and geology account for much of this biodiversity. So does our long association with the land. Few places in the world have such a varied, contrasting and ...
Read More

Environmental impact of River Bandon flood defence works a matter of dispute.

Some experts argue that the River Bandon flood defence scheme’s 3.6km dredging operation breachs environmental safety standards and pose a significant threat to the river’s key species, namely the freshwater pearl mussel, eel and Lamprey that live alongside the river’s well-known salmon population. According to ecologist Dr William O’Connor, the Bandon will never regain its lamprey stock partly...
Read More

The Construction Industry is Booming in Ireland!

Environmental Services to Construction Industry

The construction industry is booming as Dublin recovers from the 2008 crash, according to the International Construction Market Survey 2018 produced by Turner & Townsend. Construction activity expanded 18 percent in 2017 with the office construction sector particularly showing signs of strength. The Irish economy once again performed well in 2017, with GDP growth at 4.8 percent, supported by ...
Read More

Environmental Services to the Construction Industry as it continues strong growth

The Irish construction sector’s strong start to the year continues, with the latest Ulster Bank construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) showing a sharp increase in activity and new orders, and a faster pace of job creation. The sector is benefiting from a pick-up in housebuilding in urban areas, including Dublin, where demand for homes outstrips supply. While the latest PMI eased back from...
Read More

Appropriate Assessment

More and more, we are being asked to carry out appropriate assessments on development sites by our clients. What is Appropriate Assessment Appropriate assessment is an obligation to put concern for potential effects on Natura 2000 sites at the forefront of every decision made in relation to plans and projects at all stages. The obligation to undertake appropriate assessment derives from Article...
Read More