Appeal made to stop backfill at Calary Quarry
DIVING expert Albert Kerr is calling for an appeal regarding the Calary quarry to be held as an oral hearing.
Mr Kerr has appealed the decision of Wicklow County Council to allow Roadstone to backfill its water-filled quarry. The company said in its application that it intends to establish a grassland habitat, similar to that which existed prior to quarrying. The application includes filling the lake with over 3.2 million tonnes of waste material over up to 20 years. Bray man Albert Kerr has submitted his application as a representative of a group of ‘environmentally concerned’ local people, and activity, adventure and sporting groups who say that the granting of the application will mean the loss of an opportunity for the north Wicklow community. Among the points Mr Kerr makes in his appeal, he said that the amount of tonnage, means up to 40 further trucks per day, for 13 to 20 years. He said that the quarry, rather than being a ‘void’ is a scenic lake with its own ecosystem.
‘It has the potential to become an ideal all year round public recreational facility to support all kinds of sporting activities.’ His application makes the point that the site is located in a rural landscape designated ‘Mountain and Lakeshore Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ (ML-AONB) within the current county development plan.
‘ There are several listed views and prospects within a 5km radius of Calary Quarry and the quarry is visible within a number of them.’
The application also reads that ‘ the establishment of any waste disposal site requires a centre of gravity analysis’. Other concerns include impact on flora and fauna, including a protected frog, newts and buzzards.
‘If Calary Quarry did not exist and an application for a waste recovery facility was submitted to Wicklow County Council for such a facility, would such an application be granted? The answer is undoubtedly no,’ said Mr Kerr. ‘I ask the public and all our local politicians to urge An Bord Pleanala to hold a public hearing to ensure transparency on the issue,’ he said.
The decision by An Bord Pleanala is due to be made by August of this year.