Ruling welcomed on sludge-processing plant

Opponents of a factory which processes sewerage sludge in Geesala, Co Mayo, have welcomed a decision by An Bord Pleanála that the development requires planning permission.

The board ruled yesterday that the change of use from peat-drying processes to the drying of sewage sludge cakes to produce fertiliser at the Glancré Teoranta factory was a material change of use and therefore required planning permission.

Last year, Mayo County Council granted an operating permit for the process to Glancré, which is part of the Cork-based Oran Group.

The company uses sludge cake from sewerage treatment plants to produce fertiliser pellets for garden centres, mainly for export.

Previously, the site had been used by Norsk Hydro to dry peat for the manufacture of turf briquettes.

The council's permission was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by the Erris Action Committee in September 2001.

Locals complained of a smoke plume over the factory, after-hours deliveries by sewage-laden trucks and the presence of bad smells in the area.

In its ruling, An Bord Pleanála concluded that the new use of the site was "materially different" from the previous one.

The processing of sludge was not such that it could be carried out within a light industrial building and it was not therefore exempted, it said.

Mr Séamus Cafferkey, chairman of the action committee, welcomed the decision, saying: "We are delighted with the result. We put a lot of work, time, effort and money into this.

"The planning section of Mayo County Council needs to get its act together. In the space of a couple of weeks they have been proved wrong three times - the Corrib gas, the windmill at Glencastle and now.

"No wonder the people of Erris are frustrated with the planning process in the county."

A spokesman for the company said that it would discuss the ruling with its lawyers before deciding on its next move.

Residents say that they will campaign to have the factory closed down.