BREAKING: Tipperary community in shock at proposed development at quarry in rural area

Concern has been expressed over a planning application in a rural Tipperary community. 

Roadstone Limited submitted planning on the 13th of January for a large anaerobic digestor at Killough Quarry, near Holycross, Cashel and Thurles.

The proposed anaerobic digestor plant itself will be on 6.3 hectares within the current quarry at Killough.

READ MORE: Revealed: Planning lodged for massive facility at busy quarry in rural Tipperary

The community understand the plant will process approximately 180,000 tonnes of waste feedstuffs which may also include food and animal waste.

The finished biofuel will be used to power the plant and machinery at Killough and also at other Roadstone centres around the country.

In addition to methane, pellets of biodegradable material will be produced which can be sold as fertiliser pellets.

The proposed site is located within metres of homes and a rural school and the historic Gaile Church.

Local residents are worried that the facility would pose a danger to the health of their families, wildlife, water quality and the environment if planning is granted.

Speaking on behalf of residents from the community, Alice Coman of the Killough Community Association said: "Our main concerns are air quality, noise, traffic, odour and methane escape, an inevitable part of the production process, and water quality.

"We feel recent change in the planning legislation creates an imbalance which facilities and protects big business, not the rural dweller and environment.

"Our local roads and water infrastructure are not viable for this digestor. The activities of the quarry have decimated forestry in a proposed Special Area of Conservation, yet Tipperary County Council and the national parks and wildlife services are not supported to protect the Killough proposed Special Area of Conservation and area of outstanding natural beauty.

"The anaerobic digestor will be located over an aquafer, which is a lake underneath the quarry, supplying water throughout Tipperary and said to be of ‘Regional Importance’ according to the Geological Survey of Ireland. Roadstone have provided no guarantee with regard to the protection or contamination of water quality in the area, which is a source for a large number of homes in the immediate and wider Tipperary community.

"This will of course be impacted by proposed water treatment issues on the surface of the quarry. Based on information received by An Garda Siochana to the local community by way of an Access to Environmental Information “AIE” request, 500 tons of explosives have been detonated on the site.

"Furthermore, how Tipperary County Council consider that it is a good location to combine both methane gas and an active quarry using large quantities of high explosives that when used, register on the Irish National Seismic Network, beggars belief.

"The children in Gaile playschool can tell you gas production and explosives are a bad combination. It is disappointing that Tipperary County Council have no cohesive plan for the county with appropriate locations earmarked or minimum safety planning guidelines.

"The productive Golden Vale has been especially targeted with solar farms here in Killough and Dualla. There seems to be little concern for food and fodder production now, despite annual claims of crisis.

"The quarry has been refused permissions for applications in the past, due to concerns with dust depositions not meeting the required standards by the EPA in 2008.

"While we welcome progress and renewable energy, we respectfully ask our politicians and councillors to put these industries in the right place- brown field sites with no families inhaling methane from flaring or production. We urge for proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

"This is simply a matter of location, location, location: and this is the wrong one."

The local community group, Killough Community Association, has appealed to locals to research for themselves the implications of this application, get in touch with the active community group and have their views considered by Tipperary County Council.

Please contact Killough Community Association at killoughbiogasconcerncommittee@gmail.com or @Killoughbiogasconcerncommittee on Instagram.