Private cemetery near Cork City given green light

An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission for a Cork cemetery, with 5,601 plots, which will be the first privately-run facility in the city or county.

The planned site is at 2 Clash Rd, Carrigrohane, on the western side of the city but within the county council administrative region.

A number of local objectors had raised a several concerns about the suitability of the site, particularly in its scale and claimed it would create traffic and public health problems.

The project developers are Martin Moloney and James Brennan.

Bord Pleanála inspector Philip Davis recommended approval and only attached 12 conditions — 20 fewer than Cork County Council demanded when it gave the original permission.

The inspector looked at a broad range of issues before making his recommendation, which was rubber-stamped by the board of Bord Pleanála.

Mr Davis said he noted that a number of private cemeteries around the country had been the subject of planning appeals in recent years and a significant number of them were refused because of potential public health/pollution hazards, “or to be precise, the failure by applicants to demonstrate that the lands are suitable”.

Bord Pleanála refused a private cemetery in Clogheen, Co Cork, last year for the reasons of an unacceptable risk of pollution of groundwater in the vicinity of the River Lee “having regard to the characteristics of the site in particular, the limited depth of soil cover over bedrock”.

Mr Davis said the Carrigrohane site lay on quite deep clay soil deposits, was well drained and there are no watercourses in the vicinity, or publicly-accessed wells.

He added the geology in the area was generally favourable for the natural breakdown of organic materials from whatever source.

The inspector said he believed the extra traffic generated by funerals would not cause any major problems.

He concluded: “The development is in accordance with the site zoning objectives, would not seriously injure residential amenities, would not cause traffic congestion or hazard and would otherwise be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”

He imposed 12 conditions, one of which states the developers must submit a management plan for the cemetery prior to its development. The plan will have to address such matters as nighttime security, control of exceptionally large funeral corteges, hours of lighting, and the maintenance of tombstones and plots.