AMAZON is set to bring its sub-sea cable ashore at Owenahincha after securing marine consent and planning permission for the project.

The planning approval clears the way for the tech giant to build a cable landing station at Tullyneasky West, near Lisavaird. With Marine Area Consent also just granted, it means the large-scale project is moving closer to becoming reality.

The company plans to lay a 6,300km fibre-optic cable, called Fastnet, between Maryland on the US east coast and Owenahincha beach, near the car park by Hayes’ Caravan Park.

From there, the cable will run 5km north to connect it with the cable landing station.

The cable’s onshore route is classified as exempted development and was not included in the planning application for the cable station.

An Coimisiún Pleanála upheld Cork County Council’s decision from April to grant permission for the station.

The council’s decision was appealed in late May by neighbours who raised concerns over the environment, light pollution, safety, the station’s potential impact on their quality of life and on property values.

The commission rejected those grounds, stating that property value was not a planning matter and that the appellants’ home was 125 metres away with fields inbetween serving as buffer.

On visual impact, An Coimisiún Pleanála inspectors concluded the site’s use as a technology facility would not be more obtrusive than the existing buildings from Wychbro Coppersmiths, based there for many years.

Planning permission for the cable station was granted subject to 18 conditions, including that all cables on the site must be laid underground, the submission of a Resource Waste Management Plan and a Lighting Reality Design Report before any construction work starts. 

The inspector said Amazon had taken appropriate precautions in the plans to address fire and environmental risks.

Fuel tanks at the site will serve backup power only and meet dangerous-substances regulations, planners said.

Generators will only operate during national-grid outages, with a 30-minute monthly test during working hours.

Noise at nearby homes is expected to stay within acceptable limits.

The cable landing station will have no staff on-site, except for weekly visits by one or two maintenance workers. Specialist engineers will attend only as needed. Planners expect little traffic and few deliveries, noting that the public road already handles heavy use, including trucks serving Lisavaird Co-Op.

An Coimisiún Pleanála’s report said Amazon will not have to pay a development contribution to Cork County Council because the site’s existing designated use ranks higher than a cable landing station.

A separate Maritime Area Consent (MAC), this month granted by the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), covers the sub-sea cable and its landfall. Amazon will pay an annual levy of €122,724.24 for a 30-year consent that covers installation, operation, maintenance and eventual decommissioning of the fibre-optic cable, as well as rehabilitation of the maritime area.

In its application for Marine Area Consent, Amazon said Fastnet has a 25-year design life, with the 30-year term for the licence allowing two years for planning and construction, 25 years of operation and three years to decommission.

MARA warned that the use of Owenahincha beach may be disrupted during the construction phase once the cable is brought on land. It is understood that Amazon has already appointed a contractor for the construction stage of the project.

Amazon describes Fastnet as ‘next-generation, high-capacity, scalable, diverse and secure connectivity between Ireland and the USA’.

The next step in bringing the cable project over the line is an application to An Coimisiún Pleanála for installation of the cable. 

The tech giant is also pursuing another Irish sub-sea cable from Kilmore Quay, Co Wexford, to St Bride’s Bay in Wales, with a planning application submitted to the local planning authority in May.