Judge surprised at quarry breaches

A High Court judge has expressed surprise that serious breaches of planning permission by a quarry operator went unnoticed for years by Meath County Council.

While the council may not have got resources from central government to bolster its enforcement role, Mr Justice Michael White said he hopes, in future, “a blind eye will not be turned to this degradation of the environment”.

The council was not a party to the case before him but there was “undisputed evidence” it did not follow up on planning conditions it had laid down for Keegan Quarries Ltd. Had the council taken its enforcement responsibility seriously, the breach of the water table would not have arisen, he said.