Galway County Council has granted a 10 year planning permission for the continued operation of an Athenry quarry, along with a significant expansion.
Coshla Quarries Ltd sought approval for continued activities at its quarry at Barret’s Park, Athenry, as well as the expansion of extraction operations to an additional 6.7ha of landto the
The original application submitted by Coshla Quarries was for a 20 year permission, twice the length of what was granted by the county council in the end.
Five submissions objecting to the development were received by the county council from members of the public objecting to the plans, one of which was
The objections centered on concerns about noise and dust pollution, and the damage the quarry’s operation could do to the local environment.
Concerns were also raised about how the quarry could damage the local area by exacerbating flooding, damage to houses caused by blasting from the site, and the road traffic hazard of increased movement of heavy goods vehicles to and from the site.
A Natura Impact Statement and Environmental Impact Assessment Report were submitted with this application. A Road Safety Audit and Flood Risk Assessment were also carried out following a request for further information.
Planning permission was granted for the expansion and 20 year continuation of the quarry’s operation was granted by Galway County Council with a total of 13 conditions attached.
Before any work begins, the developer must pay a contribution of €25,000 for road improvement works to the L-7109 local road, both at the access to the quarry, and at its junction with the R339 regional road.
No more than 50 Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) may travel to and from the site each day in the interest of road safety.
A further €100,000 must be paid to the council for the reinstatement of the affected roads which may be damaged by the transport of goods to the quarry.
