Go-ahead for quarry project in South Mayo... but appeal is lodged

A decision by Mayo County Council to grant a 25-year permit for the deepening of a quarry in south Mayo has been appealed to An Bord Pleánala.

McGrath's Limestone Works applied for planning permission for a 19-hectare deepening of the existing permitted area for its limestone quarry at Cregaree, Cong.

The proposal also included landscaping and restoration of the site and all associated ancillary facilities and works.

The applicant said the total recoverable reserve of limestone from within the proposed extraction area has been calculated as circa seven million tonnes. It said the proposed development does not seek to alter existing access arrangements, traffic volumes, operating hours, security measures or extraction and processing methodologies and said the number of employees at the site would continue as present.

Several submissions were made raising concerns about the proposed development, including fears over the impact on residential amenities through nuisance associated with noise, dust and blasting. Health and safety concerns were also cited, including around a possible exposure to radon.

The objectors also said the 25-year permission being sought is contrary to Ireland’s climate change obligations and the reliance on rainfall and existing trees planted around the site are insufficient as dust suppressant measures.

The local authority gave the proposal the green light at the end of March, noting that the proposed development would not be “unduly injurious” to the amenities of the area or property in the vicinity. It said it would not be prejudicial to public health and safety and would be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

An objection was made to An Bord Pleánala and the case is now due to be decided by August 25, 2025.