Operations at a quarry in a proposed National Heritage Area (NHA) in Wicklow will be "redirected" following a request from Wicklow County Council.
At a special meeting of the council yesterday, councillors voted to ask An Bord Pleanála to examine the planning status of the quarry at Arklow Rock, Rockbig, in the south of the county.
Councillors had also voted to call on Roadstone to cease work at Arklow Rock, pending a decision by the planning board.
However, they decided against threatening the company with a High Court injunction if they failed to cease work on the rock.
Arklow Rock visually dominates the coast at the seaside town. It is a maritime reference point, has connections with the 1798 Rising and is seen as an important visual amenity in the area.
Roadstone has operated a quarry there since before 1963 which was not covered by the planning codes. Legislation introduced in 2000 required all quarry owners to register their quarries.
Under the legislation, the council has told Roadstone to apply for planning permission for the quarry at Arklow Rock and submit an environmental impact statement by April 2007.
Locals, however, fear that the rock will disappear before then. According to members of the Arklow Rock Preservation Association, an ordnance survey obelisk has been removed from the summit of the rock and it has been stripped in preparation for quarrying.
They said they were told by Roadstone representatives that the company intended to intensify works at the rock and remove it entirely within the coming weeks to remove the valuable stone it contains.
County manager Eddie Sheehy told councillors yesterday they did not have any evidence at present to prove that works at the quarry had intensified.
"Earlier this year, complaints relating to traffic and quarrying in a proposed NHA were investigated," he said.
"These complaints were fully investigated. The complainants were informed that in the opinion of the planning authority no evidence was available to suggest that unauthorised development was taking place."
Pat Doran (FF) asked if council staff had not seen the digger on the top of Arklow Rock. Tom Cullen (Ind) said if Roadstone would not undertake to cease work on the rock, "the only real safeguard" was to seek a High Court injunction.
George Jones (FG) said he did not want to be part of any court action and called on councillors to back a request to the National Parks and Wildlife Service to speed up the designation of the site as an NHA.
A spokesman for Roadstone said yesterday evening that following discussions with the council, it "has agreed to redirect immediate activity from the top of the quarry for one month pending further discussion with the council.
Arrangements for initial meetings are being put in place."
He said that the company has at all times operated within the appropriate legislative and regulatory frameworks.
"There has been an acceleration in activity recently to meet the needs of the Gorey bypass," the spokesman said.
"They are quarrying further back and into the hill, which is part of their property."
The Roadstone quarry at Arklow Rock yesterday and, inset, the south face of Arklow Rock, which locals fear will be defaced by further intensive quarrying.
