PLANS to build 12 whiskey warehouses at Tullig, in the parish of Rosscarbery, are back before An Coimisiún Pleanála after the High Court overturned an earlier refusal for the project.
Cork County Council originally granted Skibbereen-based West Cork Distillers permission for six whiskey warehouses in January 2023.
But an appeal by locals and an environmental group, Friends of the Irish Environment, resulted in An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) overturning the council's decision.
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ACP upheld locals’ concerns that the development was not suitable in a rural setting, and would not support the movement of heavy goods vehicles.
West Cork Distillers sought a judicial review in the High Court on the basis that it had gone against the opinion of its own inspector.
The ACP inspector had stated that the development was supported by an agri-food projects policy in the National Planning Framework 2040.
The inspector also held the view that the development would not have a detrimental impact on the landscape, would not harm residential amenities or ecological habitats, and would not cause unacceptable traffic hazards.
In September 2025, the planning and environment division of the High Court granted an order – called an order of certiorari – which quashed the decision made by An Coimisiún Pleanála.
The order was made after ACP elected not to contest the original judicial review. This resulted in the appeal by West Cork Distillers being sent back to An Coimisiún Pleanála to be reconsidered.
Now, 11 months later, the matter has been given a new case number (reference 21905).
The new appeal, which was lodged with ACP on August 10th, will go through the entire process again and a decision is expected to be made on or before December 14th.
When contacted by The Southern Star, locals opposed to the proposed development said they had yet to receive formal notification of the latest development.
At this stage, they believe they cannot make any further submissions and that the appeal will be reconsidered based on the original submissions.
The Southern Star also contacted West Cork Distillers for comment.
