An Taisce Press Release

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Dublin City Council in a letter of 11 August 2005 has supported the appeal by An Taisce against the decision by Wicklow County Council to accommodate Roadstone with a 12.5 hectare extension to the existing large scale quarrying at Deerpark, Blessington.

The existing quarry site is the location of the large scale unauthorised dumping which was the subject of a special Wicklow County Council meeting this morning.

An Taisce appealed against  the quarry extension on the grounds that it did not address or resolve the illegal dumping on the existing quarry site and posed a threat to groundwater and drinking water.

Dublin City Council, which manages the Poulaphouca Reservoir, has endorsed these concerns in a strongly worded submission to An Bord Pleanala which concludes as follows:

“The development proposed by Roadstone Dublin Ltd is for the extraction of sand and gravel from 12.58 hectares of their lands at Deerpark, Blessington, Co Wicklow. The applicant has not shown that the development will not affect the water quality in Poulaphouca Reservoir. No detail has been provided on the groundwater levels and the cover to be left in place over the groundwater. The information submitted by the applicant was insufficient to determine the effect on the groundwater and the Poulaphouca Water body.

“Consideration of this application by Wicklow County Council should have been deferred until the issue of the unauthorised landfill at Dillonsdown, Deerpark, Newpaddocks and Santryhill Townlands has been resolved. This has been the subject of an application under the Waste Management Acts to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The proposed development poses a risk to the water quality in Poulaphouca Reservoir. Please arrange to keep us informed of the progress of this appeal”.

ENDS