Kildare meat factory objects to new home being built

A MEAT packing plant in Kildare has appealed against the planning permission granted to a proposed new home more than a quarter of a kilometre away.

Moyvalley Meats in Tanderagee near the Meath Border, who employ 115 staff at its premises, has employed a planning consultant in Dublin to make the formal objection through An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP), formerly known as An Bord Pleanala, to the permission granted to David Bergin by Kildare County Council on 8 May.

The new house is planned alongside the L1002 Calfstown Road, approximately 280m from the existing meat plant, however, after the objection to ACP a final decision is expected by 7 October.

The original application to Kildare County Council called for a 1.5 storey property.

In a letter to Kildare County Council on behalf of the plant the director of the planning consultancy McCutcheon Halley said the area was sensitive to development as a “a review of the plant’s EPA licence reveals a significant number of complaints, primarily concerning noise and odour”.

“The history of complaints can be accessed on the EPA’s Licence and Enforcement Access Portal (LEAP) and our client promptly addresses all concerns, with the evidence of this also available on the LEAP."

The firm added: "We respectfully suggest that careful consideration be given to the compatibility of the proposed development with the existing, established industrial use which provides significant local employment."