International airport planned for border town

A third group has emerged this week in yet another bid to build a Midlands international airport - this time the favoured location being Portarlington! Tundra Holdings, registered to Delmec Engineering Ltd with an address in Graiguecullen in Carlow, has submitted plans to An Bord Pleanála for inclusion in the Strategic Infrastructure Development Act for what they call the proposed Leinster International Airport in the Portarlington area of Offaly. It"s believed the airport is earmarked for the Clonsast area, some four miles from Portarlington on the Edenderry road and the company has undertaken extensive research on the viability of the project in recent months. Incredibly, this is the third company to express interest in developing an airport project in the Midlands, joining a consortium looking to develop a major facility near Tubber in Offaly and another at the existing airstrip in Abbeyshrule, Co Longford. The Carlow-based company started the pre-application consultation process for the Portarlington bid with the Board by lodging their submission for inclusion in the Strategic Infrastructure Act on April 15 last. The act is intended to streamline the process of getting planning permission for major infrastructural projects. Only projects of economic importance within the region, those who contribute to regional development, or a project that would have a significant effect on the area of more than one planning authority can be included in the act thus bypassing the planning authority and going straight to An Bord Pleanala for planning permission. If the proposals get through the Board consultation stage they then progress to the development of an Environmental Impact Statement, and then finally to the submission of an actual planning application to An Bord Pleanala thereafter.