PLANS for a major expansion of a piggery near Rosscarbery have been approved by An Coimisiún Pleanála despite a series of appeals from local residents and a community group.

BY DAVID FORSYTHE

The appeals board upheld Cork County Council’s decision to grant permission to Lisavaird Co-operative Creamery Ltd to demolish an existing piggery complex at Derryduff and replace it with a larger modern facility.

The development will involve the demolition of the existing piggery and the construction of two new pig houses with associated slurry storage tanks, feed storage bins, a plant room, loading facilities, rainwater harvesting and attenuation systems, and other associated works.

The new facility will accommodate up to 2,000 weaner pigs and 1,600 finisher pigs, an increase on the current operation which houses approximately 1,250 animals.

The decision had been challenged by a local residents’ committee and a number of nearby residents, who raised concerns about increased odour, noise, traffic, slurry management, groundwater contamination and the potential impact on nearby homes and the environment.

Objectors also argued that the scale of the development should have triggered a full Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR)  and questioned whether the proposed buildings could ultimately accommodate more pigs than stated by the applicant.

However, planning inspector Matthew McRedmond concluded that the proposed pig numbers could be controlled through planning conditions and found that the development did not require an EIAR.

The inspector noted that the facility would be subject to a condition limiting stock numbers to 2,000 weaners and 1,600 finisher pigs, with records to be maintained and made available for inspection.

In his report, he found that predicted odour levels at nearby homes would remain within Environmental Protection Agency guidelines and that noise levels from the operation would be well below acceptable limits.

The inspector also concluded that the expected increase in traffic would be minimal, amounting to an estimated one to two additional vehicle trips per day, representing around a 1% increase in traffic levels on local roads.

Concerns about groundwater and water quality impacts were also addressed in the decision.

The inspector found that slurry storage, drainage systems and mitigation measures proposed by the applicant, together with compliance with agricultural regulations governing slurry spreading, would protect water quality and nearby wells.

The board also accepted the applicant’s position that slurry spreading itself would be regulated under separate legislation and did not form part of the planning application under consideration.

An Coimisiún Pleanála further concluded that the development would not be likely to have significant effects on the environment and determined that neither an EIAR  nor a Natura Impact Statement was required.

The inspector noted that pig farming has operated on the site for decades, with planning permission first granted for a pig breeding facility in 1988 and further permissions subsequently granted by both Cork County Council and An Coimisiún Pleanála.

In making its decision on the planned expansion, the appeals board found that the redevelopment would modernise ageing agricultural infrastructure and that, subject to conditions, it would not seriously injure the amenities of the area or be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.