Council seeks more information about major extension to Slieve Bloom quarry
THE owners of a quarry in the Slieve Bloom Mountains have been asked by Laois County Council to provide the local authority with more information as part of an application to extend their quarry.
Breedon Materials Limited (trading as Breedon Ireland) is seeking permission to make a major extension at their existing quarry in Glendine.
Glendine is one of the valleys which form part of the Ard Erin area. Ard Erin is the highest mountain in the Slieve Blooms and in Laois and Offaly.
The County Council announced its decision about the application a few weeks ago, about a month after the opponents of the extension held a public meeting.
Kathy Phelan of the “Say no to Glendine Quarry” group said they are opposed to the plan to extract 800,000 tonnes of gravel and sand from the site.
The existing quarry is located in the townlands of Mounthall and Cummer, Camross. Breedon say the plan doesn’t include any blasting and it would see 51,000 tonnes of topsoil removed and stored before being replaced once the quarrying is complete.
The site doesn’t have existing planning permission for sand or gravel extraction at present but it is registered as a quarry under Section 261 of the Planning and Development Act 2000.
The existing gravel pit measures 1.2 hectares and Breedon wants to extend the quarrying area to cover around eight hectares of the total 12 hectare site.
Kathy Phelan said 28 submissions have been made by members of the general public about the proposal. “We in the group believe that this development will have a number of bad effects on the area," she remarked. "It will mean the loss of a beautiful, natural habitat for wildlife and the loss of a recreational area for people; it will be bad for tourism. The roads are not suitable. The development will mean busier roads for locals and visitors and extreme damage to the roads. It will mean noise pollution. It could also mean that our local water sources will be contaminated. The quarry site will also be on the edge of an SPA, a Special Protection Area.”
Hannah Flynn who runs Roundwood House is also concerned about the proposal. “I run a country house hotel, Roundwood House, at the foot of the Slieve Blooms,” she said, “and many of our guests enjoy walking in the mountains while staying with us. Glendine is a particularly popular spot and it would be such a shame if I could no longer send our guests that way due to the visual degradation of the landscape, as well as the noise and dust pollution, should the quarry be granted planning permission.”
The development will include a mobile processing plant, weighbridge and portacabin.
Breedon Materials Ltd are seeking “1) The continued use and extension to existing permitted sand and gravel pit registered under Section 261 of the Planning & Development Act 2000, as amended (site ref. QY05/10) within an overall application area of c. 12.2 hectares. 2) Extraction of sand and gravel (dry working) over an area of c. 8 hectares with processing and washing of material on site (closed loop water recycling system with associated silt storage lagoons 1,952.25m2), and all ancillary works and structures.
“3) Facilities consisting of mobile processing plant, portacabin site office (6.25m²), portacabin welfare facility (18.9m²), serviced portaloo toilet, bunded fuel storage and refuelling pad with hydrocarbon interceptor, weighbridge, wheelwash, water supply borehole, perimeter berms, vegetation planting and fencing. 4) Access to the site will be via the existing sand & gravel pit entrance; 5) Restoration of the site to agricultural lands; and 6) The proposed extraction operational period is for 10 years plus one year to complete restoration (total duration sought 11 years).”
A spokesperson for Breedon Materials said they couldn’t comment on the plans.