Pearl Mussel and Horseshoe Bat halt works on Kerry bridge ‘to prevent it falling into river’

An Bord Pleanála has refused Kerry County Council permission to carry out works on Boston Bridge over the River Blackwater on the Sneem to Killarney road, one of the main tourist routes in the county.

The council said that the works were needed to “safeguard the structure and to prevent its collapse into the Blackwater, thereby ensuring the continued operation of the regional road”.

Works required include re‐building the wing wall on the south-west corner of the bridge, the installation of eight stainless steel tie bars, removal of vegetation and trees and the installation of kerbs and resurfacing works.

Boston bridge is on the Moll’s Gap to Sneem road and is located close to several special areas of conservation but the two affected are the Blackwater River Special Area of Conservation and the Kenmare River Special Area of Conservation, according to the An Bord Pleanála report.

Kerry County Council’s application – lodged in October 2023 – for the proposed development was accompanied by a Natural Impact Statement (NIS) which scientifically examined the implications of the proposed development on the European sites and, in particular, on the Freshwater Pearl Mussel in the Blackwater. There are a total of 1,453 recorded within nine metres of the structure and this particular mussel is an endangered species in Ireland.

An Bord Pleanála criticised the NIS submitted and said it did not contain sufficient information on the methods to carry out the remedial works.

A floating pontoon/scaffolding deck has been suggested but An Bord Pleanála said that the potential impacts of these were not included in the NIS and the inspector ruled that there was insufficient information provided on which to conclude that the proposed development will not impact on the conservation objective set for this species.

Similarly, the board ruled that that the NIS did not provide sufficient information on the impact of the works on the Lesser Horseshoe Bat and that information was not provided on whether the Lesser Horseshoe Bats are using the structure as part of a commuting/foraging route.

The Lesser Horseshoe Bat is the only bat species in Ireland to live up to its stereotype of hanging freely by its feet and wrapping its wings around its body and it is the least frequent of the nine bat species in Ireland, being found only on the western counties from Mayo to Cork.

Based on the lacunae in information provided the board said they were refusing planning permission for works on the bridge.