Anton McNulty AN application to further develop a controversial quarry near Newport which has been idle since 2006 was refused by the board of An Bord Pleanála.
Michael Geraghty of Rehins, Castlebar, made the application to An Bord Pleanála in respect to a rock quarry in the townland of Cartron which is approximately 5km east of Newport and close to the Newport to Castlebar Road.
The sandstone rock quarry which produced crushed stone and aggregate ceased operating in June 2006 on foot of a High Court decision that the quarry was unauthorised and is currently ‘mothballed’.
Mr Geraghty proposed to extend the quarry and continue extraction to a depth of 15m below the natural surface level.
Approximately 240,000 tonnes of rock have been extracted from the site to date.
Mr Geraghty also lodged a separate application for substitute consent with An Bord Pleanála (ABP).
The application by Mr Geraghty was opposed by Mayo County Council who claimed the existing quarry is unauthorised development and as a result the applicantion was invalid.
Some local residents also voiced their concern over the access road to the quarry and over what they perceived as a lack of regard for the local community in past operation of the quarry.
Future development in the quarry, the applicant argued, will not have any significant future impact on the landscape or the nearby houses and will comply to all recommendations regarding noise and vibration.
This he said would not represent an undue threat to residential amenity but stated the minor road is not fit to carry the traffic that would be generated by the proposed development.