Council admits buying from quarries that breach planning laws

A LOCAL authority has admitted buying material from a number of quarries that were not complying with planning regulations.

Kerry County Council, which is also a planning authority, has come under fire after its admission.

Independent councillor Brendan Cronin, who raised the issue, said the practice was not good enough from a public confidence point of view.

“We cannot be the police officers and be purchasing from them [quarries] at the same time. It’s sending out two different messages and undermines public confidence,” he said.

Mr Cronin had tabled a motion requesting full details of all unauthorised quarries in Kerry that were the subject of active enforcement proceedings. He also inquired if any of the quarries were supplying the council.

He said some of the quarry operators supplying the council had been in serious breach of planning in certain operations.

The council admitted issuing warning notices to the quarries in recent months, and a small number were the subject of enforcement proceedings.

But, senior officials said the council would stop purchasing materials where serious breaches continued.

The quarries, however, would be allowed some months grace as regulations requiring the registration of all quarries only came into force in 2004.

Director of planning Michael McMahon said there were 20 quarries — a fifth of those now registered in Kerry — to which warning letters had been issued over the past number of months.

The warning letter followed visits to sites by planning officers, checking planning conditions laid down by the council on registration in 2004.

There were various levels of non-compliance, Mr McMahon confirmed. He said there had been a positive response from the majority of the quarries but a small number of those would be the subject of enforcement proceedings.

“There are people out there at the moment, from whom we are purchasing material, not in 100% compliance with planning conditions,” Mr McMahon told the council meeting.

He pointed out the requirement that all quarries registered with the planning authority was comparatively recent. Effectively, quarries had been unregulated since 1964 and had only been brought into the process in 2004, councillors were told.

Mr McMahon said planning officers would re-visit quarries to check compliance with conditions and it was reasonable to allow people time to get their houses in order.

Head of finance John O’Connor told Mr Cronin he was “preaching to the converted” and that the council should be buying from people who respected the planning process.

Mr O’Connor said where the planning office found a serious breach, in the future, the council would stop purchasing material from the operator and there would be no period of grace.