The decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant in Gort looks set for a challenge in the High Court.
Local campaign group the Gort Biogas Concern Group recently announced that they have been granted leave to seek a judicial review of the decision.
The group says that this is a significant hurdle to overcome in the legal battle against the plant.
The proposed plant, being developed by Sustainable Bio-Energy Ltd, would be located near Gort.
The plant would accept up to 90,000t per year of materials, including silage, cattle slurry and organic waste, from the agri-food industry, producing renewable biomethane.
Under the 2023 Climate Action Plan, between 150 and 200 AD plants will need to be built by the end of the decade.
Submissions
However, the plans have drawn much attention from the local concern group, as well as attracting nearly 400 submissions. A date will be set for the case in the near future.
The process of bringing a planning case to the High Court is a significant task and can run into costs in excess of €100,000.
By January of this year, the local concern group stated that it had raised over €80,000 to fund the case.
A meeting organised against the plant by the group earlier in the year gained national attention after a local farmer threw bags of cow dung at local TDs Anne Rabitte (FF) and Ciaran Cannon (FG).
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