The decision by Mallow Urban District Council last week to object to a quarry proposed for a site adjacent to the river from which the town derives much of its water supply means that once again Cork County Council is facing hard choices.
However, in the north Cork parish of Mourneabbey, the news was greeted with much acclaim, because on September 3rd the local authority must decide on a planning application which, if granted, could have far-reaching repercussions for the parish, situated between Bottlehill and Grenagh, halfway between Cork and Mallow. These are two of the three sites identified by the council as a suitable location for Cork's new superdump.
Bottlehill has been chosen for the dump and is still fighting that decision.
Mourneabbey is fighting its own battle, against a request by Readymix (South West) Ltd to locate a sand and gravel pit on an 80-acre site in what is regarded as a highly sensitive area of the parish.
By adding its weight to the campaign, Mallow UDC may tip the balance, local residents feel.
Mr Paddy Buckley is chairman of the Mourneabbey Concerned Citizens' Association, which represents some 800 people. The Readymix proposal, he says, would threaten local wells which supply water to many houses in the Mourneabbey precincts as well as endangering the Clyda river, the main water supply for Mallow.
The association has produced expert evidence, now before Cork County Council, suggesting that there would be a detrimental effect if the quarry was located at the intended site and that people would suffer from noise and dust due to the movement of heavy vehicles and the excavations to extract the gravel.
This evidence, provided by consultants brought in by the association, was also before Mallow UDC last week when members decided at an extraordinary general meeting to ask Cork County Council to turn down the application.
Readymix, which has declined to comment on the association's claims, applied for planning permission in April last year. Because of local objections and concerns, the application has been revised three times.
On September 3rd the council has the option of refusing or approving it, or it may seek further clarification. Mourneabbey residents are hoping for an outright refusal.
Central to the residents' objection is that Readymix wants to site lagoons on a raised area near the proposed quarry and extremely close to the Leapford stream which feeds into the Clyda. The lagoons would be used to wash the sand and gravel after extraction, and this process would result in a residue of heavy silt. What would be the effect of the silt on the stream, river and local wells? the residents are asking.
They also say that at two other Readymix sites, Carrigtowhill and Coachford in Co Cork, the company's record in terms of noise and dust control raises questions about its ability to operate successfully at the site proposed.
Readymix will only say that it is now operating these facilities in full compliance with the licence requirements set down by the council. A spokesman said that, while the official comment was "no comment", it should be pointed out that the most stringent licence requirements would be met in any new operation.