An Bord Pleanála has rejected an appeal lodged against a plan to extend a calf house on a farm in Co. Tipperary.
The proposed development at Moanour, Kilross comprised of the extension to the existing calf shed, along with with an effluent tank and ancillary works.
In June, Tipperary County Council granted permission to Monour Farm Limited for the proposed development, subject to four conditions.
Appeal
That local authority decision was appealed to An Bord Pleanála by Cork-based environmentalist Peter Sweetman, on behalf of Wild Ireland Defense.
In his appeal, Sweetman said that there is no mention of how slurry is to be disposed of and no appropriate assessment has ever been carried out on the existing slurry.
He also claimed that the Water Framework Directive Assessment on the file does not comply with a Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) judgement.
In response, the farmer stated that the proposed development is within a 93ha farm on which numerous planning permissions have been granted in the past.
The existing calf house was built by the farmer’s father in the late 1970s and is too small for current stock numbers.
The farmer consulted with his agricultural advisor and a building contractor and it was decided that the best location for the building was adjacent to the existing calf house.
Inspector
An Bord Pleanála inspector Emer Doyle noted the concerns raised by Peter Sweetman regarding the issue of appropriate assessment, and in particular in relation to land spreading.
She said that the council had carried out screening for appropriate assessment and concluded that there would be no potential for significant effects on any designated European site.
The inspector pointed to the enclosed nature of the development site, the limited scale of development and the presence of a significant distance between this existing dairy farm complex and the Lower River Suir.
She said that the proposed development “would not be expected to generate impacts that could affect anything but the immediate are of the development site”.
The inspector added that land spreading does not form part of this application and is regulated under the European Union (Good Agricultural Practice for Protection of Waters) Regulations.
An Bord Pleanála
An Bord Pleanála decided to grant planning permission for the proposed development, subject to a total of six conditions.
The board noted that the proposed development is within an established agricultural farmyard.
If the conditions are adhered to, the board said the development would not seriously injure the visual amenity of the area and would be acceptable in terms of public health and environmental sustainability.
It added that the proposal is in accordance with the provisions of the Tipperary County Development Plan 2022-2028 to support a sustainable, diverse and resilient rural economy.
The board concluded that the plan would be in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.