The recent felling of trees and the destruction of natural habitats in the Ballinode area had greatly shocked and upset local residents, Fianna Fáil councillor Raymond Aughey told Monday’s meeting of the Monaghan Municipal District. Referring to what he dubbed “the Ballinode chainsaw massacre”, Councillor Aughey said that an incident had taken place in the Ballinode area following the recent Storm Éowyn. Using the storm as cover, a load of trees had been cut down and some natural habitats destroyed in the process. The local authority had been contacted but seemingly there was nothing they could do.
Councillor Aughey said that infill had taken place and timber was taken off the site. The residents in Ballinode were very unhappy at the incident, and apparently no felling licence was looked for. “It is completely a bare site at present with not a blade of grass on it,” Councillor Aughey added. “It is like a development site ready to go.” Re-emphasising the displeasure of local people, he asked if there was anything that could have been done to stop what happened. The Cathaoirleach (Seán Conlon, Sinn Féin) said there could be an issue in discussing the matter if proceedings were being issued or considered, but the Municipal District executive indicated that this would not be…
