Approval for reinstatement of quarry to agricultural land

Approval for reinstatement of quarry to agricultural land

Westmeath County Council planners have granted approval for a project to restore an area of land that had been in use as a quarry.

Brian Harton made the application for the reinstatement of the worked out quarry at Williamstown, Finea, Westmeath.

The development will consist of the importation of inert soil and stone of approximately 45,000 cubic metres to the 1.79-hectare area over a five-year period. This includes all ancillary site works and services including installation of a temporary weighbridge.

The planning file indicates that Mr Harton proposes to reinstate lands at Williamstown to use for agricultural purposes.

An engineering report states that the proposed restoration scheme provides for direct use of the imported soil and stone, without further processing.

It states that that allows for the classification of greenfield soil and stone as a by-product, and means the material does not become waste: “Keeping materials in use is one of the fundamental elements of a circular economy and enables useful soil and stone materials from one site to potentially be reused for landscaping, re-profiling of land and other similar uses.”

That report said: “The only material requirements in respect of the proposed restoration scheme are the inert soil, stone and rock used in backfilling the existing void. Clean, inert soil and stone are likely to be sourced from green field development sites which have the benefit of planning.” There is a proposal that measures are taken to preserve a protected bird species: “Before each nesting season, a suitable space for sand martins will be set aside. This should ideally be a different space than one used in previous years and should be away from the main quarrying areas to avoid any potential conflict.” The local authority planners granted permission to the application subject to 11 conditions.