Objection, clarification submissions on Kilsaran project

Residents of Lui na Greine have submitted an objection to the planning application by Kilsaran to extend activities at their facility at Silliot Hill, writes Brian Byrne.

And Kilcullen Community Action has put in a submission requesting clarification from Kildare County Council on noise and dust concerns about the project.

The matter was discussed at a recent KCA meeting which heard that the inclusion of a Tile Factory on the site would double the existing workforce, working in two shifts. Currently the sand and and gravel extracted at the site is sent by truck to a factory in County Louth.

Following an information meeting with the company, in association with a representative from the Lui na Greine Residents Group, it had been ascertained that the project would mean no change in the overall level of truck traffic from the site, all of which goes through Naas.

The gravel pit at the facility has a life expectancy of 20 years, and will be returned to agricultural land when the pit closes, in line with the current permission attached to the operation.

The meeting heard that there was no requirement for an EPA licence for the proposed factory as there would be no emissions. There would also be no use of chemicals in the water used to wash gravel.

A decision on the application is expected by the end of February.