Planner for Kilkenny county council Claire Kelly has recommended granting Glanbia permission to extend processing facilities at its plant in Ballyragget, subject to certain conditions.

One of those conditions involves paying the council over €94,000 for public infrastructure and facilities benefiting development in Kilkenny County Council’s administrative area.

This is to be paid once building works commence. The planning is for a new milk powder processing building as well as alterations to the existing milk powder processing building and site development such as drains, a new truck marshalling area and realignment of an existing road development.

The Ballyragget GIIL facility is the largest multi-purpose integrated dairy plant in Europe, processing up to 1bn litres of whey and 180,000t of dairy ingredients annually.

Belview

Meanwhile, Glanbia has sought permission for a new dryer and to extend the administration building, car park and truck loading and unloading bays at its Belview site. A decision has not yet been made on the new dryer but the planner has recommended that permission be granted for the other works.