Dairygold seek planning for Castle Farm site

Dairygold Mitchelstown has applied for planning permission to build a new link road from the production plant at Castle Farm to the Wastewater Treatment Plant onsite, which will involve realigning the Castle Park Road.

The Castle Park Road, which is the one to be realigned, is a section of public road with a number of houses alongside it which lies just beyond the old Mitchelstown Castle gates and extends as far as the entrance to the private Dairygold site.

The application comes as the EPA published the company’s most recent Annual Environmental Report (AER) at the beginning of April, showing that actions are required to address groundwater pollution at the site.

Several projects to protect groundwater are mentioned in the AER, including upgrading the Wastewater Treatment Plant yards and roads. According to Dairygold, the protection of groundwater is a ‘ high priority’ for the Castle Farm site, with the results of a recent testing programme submitted to the EPA last month. Another updated review of repair works is to be submitted to the EPA this month.

Wastewater treatment from both Dairygold sites is processed by their own wastewater treatment plant at Castle Farm. The water is treated before being released to the public council sewer, then on to the River Funshion.

16 COMPLAINTS RECEIVED

16 complaints were reported by Dairygold in the AER; 15 were made by one individual. The 16 complaints received in 2022 represented a significant decrease from 46 complaints in 2021.

12 complaints were made last year about noise; 10 of these related to the site at Clonmel Road. Noise reduction works have been carried out at Dairygold’s sites in Mitchelstown last year, at both the Clonmel Road and at Castle Farm, despite the company saying both plants are noise compliant.

There were another two complaints made about odour, both against the sludge trucks using public roads to the Dairygold site, and two other miscellaneous complaints.