Planning appeal lodged against Banagher meat plant approval

Offaly County Council's decision to grant planning permission to a proposed €25m meat processing facility in Banagher has been appealed to An Bord Pleanala.

Desmond Kampff, Ballyeighter, Coolfin, Banagher, and Gwen Wordingham, Cummeen Lodge, Banagher, have lodged an appeal to the planning board, backed by a number of other signatories, seeking the overturning of the council's grant of planning permission.

PHOTO: The appellants have queried the level of local employment the proposed facility will bring to the Banagher area (pictured).

Banagher Chilling Ltd. was given planning approval on July 26, by Offaly County Council, subject to 21 conditions, for what's described as “a single storey extension to the existing abattoir” and the construction of a food processing factory of 4,925 square metres, on a 19.6 hectare site at Boheradurrow and Meenwaun, Banagher.

In their joint appeal, Mr Kampff and Ms Wordingham cited a number of grounds including concerns over the licensing status of the facility, the applicant company's experience in the industry, the need for the facility, whether the local authority had adhered to government policy and whether the proposal would provide the suggested local jobs dividend.

They say that it is not the case that the facility is ‘currently used as an abattoir’ or that it holds an ‘existing licence’.

They say that the Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed to them that there is no active licence in place for the site.

“We have also confirmed with the relevant bodies that licences related to the operation of any previous abattoir on the site are non-transferable to a new facility, and the applicant will need to apply for such once construction is complete.”

They argue that that the possibility that such licences would not be granted should be considered in the planning process.

They express concern that the plant has been "misrepresented" as a development which will bring a big employment bost to the local area.

Instead, the appellants point out that the meat processing industry is well known for its dependence on migrant labour, with migrants reported to account for 58% of the workforce.

“We do not believe that the county planning authorities have taken into consideration the unlikelihood that local people will take up jobs in a meat processing facility, or the lack of local housing or transport links in the local area for migrant workers, most of whom would be on low wages.”

They also say that in light of a recent presentation by SIPTU at the Oireachtas Committee on COVID-19 regarding living arrangements for migrant workers in the meat industry, “planning authorities should demand evidence of how meat plant employees will be accommodated, and that such accommodation provides acceptable living conditions under law.”

Kampff and Wordingham also question the applicant's claim that the plant will help to provide retraining and upskilling opportunities for former peat industry workers, stating that the focus of the retraining of former peat industry workers is largely supported by the Just Transition Fund which has a specific focus on jobs in the renewable energy sector and not in meat factories.

In their appeal, they also contend, that as part of the planning process, “any company which applies to develop a facility that poses a high risk to the environment, should be able to demonstrate their experience, competence and track record in the relevant sector, and to the community where they intend to operate.” They say “very little has been revealed to the local community or general public about Banagher Chilling Ltd’s competence and experience in the meat-processing industry”.

They argue that Banagher Chilling’s proposed Odour Management Programme did not take into account that the ‘nearest settlement’ is Eliza Lodge nursing home, directly opposite the site at a distance of 110m away.

“Elderly or terminally-ill nursing home residents should be considered as highly sensitive to odours or other pollution (noise, exhaust fumes from traffic, etc.) and it is reasonable for residents of a nursing home that was built with the permission of the planning authority to expect that their life is not negatively impacted by bad odours and noise due to a planning decision that now appears to ignore their existence."

They noted media reports that that proposed investors for the development had been refusal approval for Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP) visas, was it was not current government policy “to pursue the development of additional plants where there is no established deficit in capacity”.

The objectors argue that it unclear whether the council had taken this government policy into account in granting planning permission.

Although that IIP decision is now being appealed according to a local TD “we consider that such a policy should have also been taken into consideration by the planning authority”

“The grant of planning permission is now being used as the basis for appeal to the IIP committee which is highly concerning if such permission was granted without due consideration of the policy in question.”

They also query the need for this facility given that existing plants are currently operating at or under capacity.

“If this plant was to operate at a viable capacity, it would lead to the failure of one or more of the existing plants under current conditions. Considering international pressure to decrease the production of beef as a driver of climate change, the herd is likely to continue to decrease in numbers locally and nationally, rendering plants such as this one highly likely to fail.”

They also query whether the water supply on site is “of the quantity and quality required for a plant of this scale” and express concerns over the potential impact of the proposed development on the environment and on biodiversity.

They also state that they consider it important to note “that the local community has not been afforded an opportunity to engage with Banagher Chilling Ltd. regarding this planning application.”