Mayo County Council will hold a special meeting on the morning of Monday, November 4 at 10am where the issue of the Eirgrid preferred route in north Mayo will be discussed. There has been widespread opposition to the proposed route of the €240 million 440KV high capacity overhead power line for the west of Ireland, since it was announced a number of weeks ago.
Fine Gael councillor Seamus Weir at Monday’s reconvened October meeting of Mayo County Council said, “What has been done to the people of Knockmore with this decision, they won’t stand for it. It should be sent back to page one again and start all over.” Cllr Weir had raised the issue at last week’s Environmental Strategic Policy Committee of the council and at the county council development plan meeting, which was held before the monthly meeting. Cllr Gerry Murray had also proposed at the development plan meeting that all 440KV lines in the county should be put underground as part of the development plan for the county when it is finalised. Hundreds of people turned out at public meeting held in Knockmore, last Friday evening, where locals voiced their concerns to a number of civic leaders, while protests were held at Eirgrid open days in other locations in the county.
