Council turns down Roadstone expansion plans

Plans by Roadstone for a major extension to their existing sand and gravel pit at Ballykilmurray, on the outskirts of Tullamore, have been refused by Offaly County Council.

The expansion plans would have resulted in limestone excavation and blasting being carried out at the facility for the first time, but the local authority refused the planning application on a number of grounds, including the proposal to use blasting at the site.

Roadstone, Ireland's leading supplier of aggregates, construction and road building materials, lodged a planning application with Offaly County Council on December 22 to extend its existing pit to extract sand and gravel over an area of 23.4 hectares and limestone over an area of 14 hectares.

It also sought permission for the use of industry standard blasting techniques for limestone fragmentation; for the use of a mobile processing plant (crushing and screening) located within the extension area and a number of other works on the site, including perimeter screening berms, landscaping and final restoration of the extraction area and all related ancillary works.

The planning application attracted a large number of submissions, including one from residents of Kildangan and Coleraine, which was signed by almost 150 residents.

Council planners ruled that the proposal to use blasting in close proximity to a large urban centre would have a “disproportionate effect” on a significant number of people “due to noise, vibration and dust” and would “seriously injure the amenities and depreciate the value, of property in the vicinity of the site.”

The proposed development was also found to contravene the objective of supporting the development of “Strategic Employment Zones in Tullamore,” which is contained in the Offaly County Development Plan. As the existing Roadstone facility at Ballykilmurray is located in close proximity to the Strategic Employment Zone at nearby Ballyduff, the council ruled that the use of blasting and quarrying operations at the site will result in “negative economic, environmental and amenity impacts on the Strategic Employment Zone”.

The council also refused the development on a number of environmental grounds, citing the fact that the development site is “hydrologically connected” to Clara Bog, which is a Special Area of Conservation and is dependent on water table levels to maintain a healthy eco-system. The proposal to lower the water table “could have a negative effect on the habitat” and pose a risk to the “healthy functioning of the Special Area of Conservation” said the planners.

The proposal by Roadstone to remove the overburden material and underlaying rock by blasting along with excavation below the water table was also one of the five grounds for refusal used by the council. It said this technique would have “adverse effects” on the lower ground water quality, composition and water levels. The planners pointed out that the ground water in the area of the proposed development is used for domestic and public water supplies which include the Tullamore Arden area, Tully and Sillogue Spring. “It is therefore considered that the proposal has potential to cause serious water pollution” the planners stated.

The proposal to discharge to the Silver River would “pose risks from dewatering of the excavated area below the water table” and would “increase the possibility of pollution and risk the status of the river” and was found to be in contravention of the Offaly County Development Plan.

The submission from residents of Kildangan and Coleraine listed a large number of concerns, including increased traffic; dust pollution; road safety; adverse effects on surrounding dairy and sheep farms from noise pollution; the impact on the water quality and supply from the Silver River, and the dangers posed by 'Flyrock' which they said “can be launched a considerable distance from a blast area” and has to potential to “cause more than property damage, such as a fatality and serious injuries.”

Roadstone now has a four week timeframe within which it can appeal the decision of Offaly County Council to An Bord Pleanála.