News from down the country

national | environment | other press Monday January 05, 2009 03:04 by Contaminated Crow

A slightly busier week -a quarry, a marina and a landfill

The day before Christmas Eve the West Askeaton Action Group (WAAG) heard that its objection against an appeal to An Bord Pleanala by Cemtex for a 35.9 hectare quarry at Ballyclogh, Co. Limerick, had been upheld. WAAG had first opposed an application for the quarry in 2007, when 318 people objected to Limerick County Council against the proposal. In January 2008 another application was submitted which led to WAAG calling a public meeting in opposition, after which more than 300 objections were lodged. When Limerick County Council refused Cemtex permission, it appealed to An Bord Pleanala, where it faced some 20 objections, including one from WAAG. WAAG PRO Jimmy Kelly said the news of the refusal ‘was great for all the people living here. I would hope it is the end of the line now.’ (Limerick Leader 3/1/09, p. 1).

People living close to Oxigen Environmental Ltd.’s landfill at Corranure, Co. Cavan complained that the closure of the site over the past few weeks has not dealt with the odour problem and some residents dismissed it as a PR exercise. Meanwhile Oxigen has announced it will re-open the site to waste material in the New Year, following consultations with the EPA. (Cavan Post 30/12/08, p.7; Anglo-Celt 1/1/09, p.1)

Verbal battles continue between Eclipse Developments, who are proposing to build a marina development at Ballina, Co. Tipperary and the Ballina Marina Action group (BMAG). In the latest exchange, BMAG accused the developers of failing to undertake meaningful consultations with local residents, of belittling community objections and of ‘issuing misleading and contradictory statements surrounding its planning application to develop the marina site’, all of which claims the developers reject. (Tipperary Star 3/1/09, p.1.3; Limerick Leader 3/1/09, p.19)