News from down the country

national | environment | news report Thursday May 07, 2009 20:12 by Contaminated Crow

An airport, a quarry, a compost yard, an illegal dump, powerlines (and an apology for late publication due to circumstances...)

An Bord Pleanala has granted permission to Sligo Airport to provide more hangar and apron space at the airport despite objections on environmental grounds from An Taisce and the Dorrins and Cummeen Strand Conservation Group. (Sligo Weekender 28/4/09, p. 8).

Cavan County Council is to meet with the EPA in relation to continuing obnoxious smells from a mushroom compost yard at Ormard, Kilnaleck, Co. Cavan, following representations from the Kilnaleck Environmental Group. Speaking at the Council’s April meeting Councillor Pauline McCauley said problems with the yard have occurred since the Monaghan Mushrooms-owned plant extended the operation eleven years ago without planning permission. When the company applied for and obtained retention An Bord Pleanala stipulated a waste management licence should be obtained. A draft licence was issued in 2003 but the company then said they didn’t need a licence as they intended to close the operation. The yard is currently operating without a licence. (Anglo-Celt 30/4/09, p. 9).

An Bord Pleanala has granted permission for continued quarrying operations at Ardnacrusha, Ballycar South, Co. Clare, following an appeal by local residents against the initial granting of planning permission by Clare County Council. (Clare Champion 1/5/09, p. 20).

Kildare County Council is reported to have removed some 2,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from an unlicenced dump on the route of the proposed M9 motorway at a cost of some millions of Euro (Kildare County Council has refused to disclose the cost) and is pressing the landowners to remove the rest of the waste. An An Taisce spokesperson welcomed the removal, adding ‘it is probable that extensive damage to the environment has already occurred with unknown poisons and chemical leaching from this dump into the soil and the water table.’ (Leinster Leader 30/4/09, p. 8).

Over 200 landowners and another 200 householders attended North-East Pylon Pressure (NEPP) information and advice meetings in Kells, Co. Meath last week. NEPP has set up a Helpline and ‘text update service’ for those concerned about EirGrid’s activities at 085 281 1285. (Northern Standard 30/4/09, p. 14).