Expansion plans at Hook Lighthouse delayed

Plans for Hook Lighthouse expansion have been placed on hold.
A rare plant species has been discovered on the nearby clifftops.
Environmental consultants have carried out surveys on 21 and 22 April.
The habitat has qualified as an Annex 1 site under EU rules.
The project has faced a delay of about six months.

Expansion plans at Hook Lighthouse in County Wexford have faced a delay after environmental consultants have conducted surveys on nearby clifftops.

Wexford County Council has appointed experts to assess a protected habitat discovered in November last year. The site has involved an Annex 1 habitat that has received the highest level of protection under European directives.

Officials have scheduled the consultants to examine the area on 21 and 22 April. The survey has focused on the extent of the clifftop coastal habitat and its inner boundary. The plant has come into bloom during this period which has allowed for accurate mapping.

Sean Meyler of Wexford County Council special projects team has addressed the New Ross Municipal District meeting. He has explained that the findings have determined constraints on the new interpretive centre location. The project has experienced a delay of approximately six months but officials have remained confident in eventual submission to An Coimisiún Pleanála by September.

Sean Meyler shared “These consultants have come on April 21 and 22 to conduct a study on the extent of this protected habitat. We will know more about what constraints we might be under after April 22.”