An Taisce warned of serious consequences if China project goes ahead

In a detailed and forceful objection to the China trade hub plans, An Taisce warned that if the project goes ahead it will be seriously harmful to Athlone and the country in general. The heritage group's objection was one of six initially submitted to An Bord Pleanala, which this week decided to grant permission for Phase One of the development. An Taisce highlighted the scale of the project, stating that if all the proposed phases are developed, the trade hub in its entirety would be 14 times the combined size of the Liffey Valley and Blanchardstown shopping centres. It also said that a "skyscraping central tower," which is not part of Phase One but has been earmarked for a later phase, was a whopping 90 metres higher than the Dublin spire. An Taisce argued that the developers did not provide enough evidence to prove there was sufficient demand from Chinese investors to make this project viable. The project is designed as a European 'shop window' for Chinese manufacturers, but An Taisce's submission to An Bord Pleanala argued that other sites in Europe were more suited to a project of this type. It said that smaller Chinese trade centres were an established feature in Europe and that one, in The Hague, Holland, "got a new owner in 2011 after its previous owner went bankrupt because he had too few companies using the space in the trade centre." It said that a 'China Europe Trade Centre' was already located in Antwerp and others were proposed for Brabant (Holland) and Liverpool. "While (travelling to Athlone) may be faster (for European business customers) than going to China, it will not compare favourably with other European centres," An Taisce said. It stated the project could cost Irish jobs "by promoting cheaper Chinese exports in Ireland" and that the unsustainability of the project was "assured as a consequence of declining oil production and inflating oil prices". It expressed scepticism about the projected 9,000 jobs which the developers said would be created if all stages of the project happen, but said that if those jobs came to pass the project would then be 'too big to fail' and would probably have to be subsidised by the Government because of "the implications for the local economy should the centre close". However it said its most serious ground for objection related to the ecological impact of the Creggan plans. "The proposed Athlone development would make Ireland a key player in the aggravation of ecological dept, where the natural resources of young and coming generations are stolen for consumption and disposal now," said An Taisce. "The stark reality is that we cannot consume our way into some economic dream world because the constraints on our planet would turn that dream into a nightmare. What Ireland and the world needs is authenticity, ethical living and local supply networks. "This must and will take the place of Monster Mall consumerism if our children are to enjoy a stable climate and a healthy planet."