Decision to grant 90,000t Mitchelstown AD plant appealed

The latest proposed anaerobic digestion (AD) plant from Nephin Renewable Gas is set to go before An Coimisiún Pleanála following an appeal against a decision to grant planning permission.

Cork County Council had granted permission for the 90,000t AD plant at Corracunna, near Mitchelstown, subject to 57 conditions.

The large-scale facility is designed to produce biomethane, liquid CO2 and digestate from grass and wholecrop silage, dairy, drink and food processing residues, poultry litter and pig and cattle slurry and manure.

Appeal

The decision was appealed by a group of approximately 15 local residents, all of whom have addresses in Mitchelstown.

In the appeal documentation, submitted by Dublin-based Marston Planning Consultants, the firm argues that the proposed development would cause serious injury to the existing residential and visual amenity of nearby properties.

Among multiple other grounds, the firm contends that the site is a greenfield location within an area designated as a high value landscape, rather than a brownfield site.

Nephin will now be required to submit a response before An Coimisiún Pleanála makes its decision.

In a statement, the recently formed Mitchelstown Biogas Concern Group said that currently there are no regulations regarding distance and buffer zones of AD facilities from residential dwellings.

“In Europe there is a required distance of anything from 250-400 metres and greater depending on the size and density of the houses.

“One residential dwelling is right at the edge of the site, even closer than the one at 63m,” the statement from the group said.