RESIDENTS in Dalkey have called for an enquiry to be launched into why they were given less than a month to reject plans for a company to drill for oil in Dublin Bay.
Around 200 people gathered for a meeting in the South Dublin village to discuss plans by Providence Resources, which would allow it to drill for oil and gas 6km off the coast of Dalkey.
Local councilor Hugh Lewis was amongst those who spoke out against the proposals saying: “There’s obviously environmental concerns, there’s industrial concerns and economic concerns.
“It’s very important now that people get to have their say over what they think about this because the consultation is over on the 2nd of February. There’s not much time now but this is the time for people to stand up and say what they think about the issue.”
Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore told the meeting that he would make a submission to the Minister for the Environment expressing local concerns.
Providence Resources has applied for a licence to drill an exploratory well at Kish Bank, six kilometres off the Dalkey coast.
Locals say they are concerned about the impact this would have on the environment and tourism.
Providence Resources says the work it wants to do is purely exploratory and relatively low-key, that it can be undertaken unnoticed, with no adverse environmental effects.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett has said a public enquiry should be carried out before a decision on granting the licence is made.
He told those gathered in the Town Hall that he would oppose the application because there were no guarantees that that any oil discovered or the potential financial benefits of a find would go to the Irish people.
