Permission refused for Gleneely quarry

Planning permission has been refused for a quarry in Inishowen after 36 objectors, including some mica-affected homeowners, raised concerns.

Donegal County Council this week declined to grant permission for the proposed development of a slate/stone quarry with a mobile stone breaker at Baskill, Gleneely.

Developer James Carey also sought the go-ahead for a batching plant with two silos, a conveyor belt, five aggregate hoppers and a weighbridge.

He had also planned for a change of use to an existing dwelling into an office facility with a small alternation and also the change of use of two domestic sheds to commercial storage.

Among the objectors was a local woman whose home is affected by mica and is worried about the impact of the proposed quarry.

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The woman, who points out that the outside of her house and perimeter walls are showing cracks, said in a letter to Donegal County Council: “The effects of a steady HGV flow of traffic could collapse the wall where my young children play. The vibration from these lorries will certainly speed up the deterioration of my mica-infested home.”

She was one of several objectors to raise concerns about deleterious materials.

One submission implored the council to carry out inspections to rule out the presence of materials 'that could further extend the pandemic of defective concrete products in Donegal'.

“It is extremely concerning that the proposed quarry site sits on the same bedrock as another quarry that has been supplying concrete products containing deleterious materials,” a letter to the local authority said.

“It has been widely publicised that the stone for the concrete is being hauled from another source from washed gravel, begging the question what they are going to extract and what quality will it be.”

Another concerned resident said that the rawness of the community towards the mica scheme represented an “elephant in the room”.

They said: “It would be an insult to homeowners of the surrounding area to go ahead with this.”

“If the council does not consider that a moral quandary, then they must do their due diligence and perform rigorous tests on the rock to ascertain if there is a significant presence of deleterious materials and iron sulphates like pyrite, mica or pyrrhotite.”

Several submissions blasted the lack of public consultation while other concerns were raised about the potential safety impact of heavy traffic on narrow roads in the area, the possible health impacts of dust from the quarry, the risk of noise pollution, the possible impact on plants and wildlife, the lack of public consultation, and the possible impact on quality of life for residents of the area.

A couple who live nearby said the proposed quarry would ‘put a couple of jobs created and profit for some well above the well-being and safety of local people, protected species, waterways, flora and fauna in importance’.

Other concerns raised include the proximity to sites of historical significance, such as Carrowmore Crosses, Temple of Deen and Cloncha Church.

A previous application for the same development was ruled as invalid. When the proposed site was inspected on December 22, 2022, no site notice was erected, meaning the application was deemed not in accordance with the provisions of Article 20 of the Planning and Development Regulations, 2001.

On April 20, 2023, Donegal County Council refused permission.