Planning permission has been granted for an expansion of a quarry in north Galway for the extraction of sand and gravel.
Finnegans Sands Limited have gotten the green light for an extension of their quarry to the southwest of Dunmore village.
The work will involve extending operations onto 2.7ha of land adjacent to the west side of the existing quarry
The planning application is for four years of operations, with an estimated 304,200 tonnes of sand and gravel to be removed each year.
The development will also involve upgrading 112m of the existing access track, and creating 63m of new road to facilitate the operations.
The developer also intends to create a 20m passing bay along a section of the local road the quarry is accessed from, to allow large vehicles to pass each other safely.
One submission was received from the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, which noted that the site is in the vicinity of a recorded Ringfort.
A Natura Impact Statement, Archaeological Impact Assessment Survey, and Road Safety Assessment were submitted as part of this planning application.
Planning permission was granted by Galway County Council with 14 conditions attached.
One condition of the planning permission is that it shall expire at the same time as the substitute consent for the parent quarry, in October 2026.
The council also stipulated that a suitably qualified Archaeologist must be employed to monitor all the works on the ground, and ensure a 40m buffer zone around the ringfort.
A special contribution of €35,000 is also required to be paid to the county council towards the maintenance of the proposed passing bay.
