Tag Archives: Community

A significant battle won, but the war continues

A significant win

The people of south Galway remain jubilant after their recent victory against An Bord Pleanála (ABP) during a Judicial Review in the High Court. Gort Biogas Concern Group and the Burren lowlands jointly took this action against the flawed decision of ABP to grant permission for the developers to go ahead. The legal case was funded entirely by the community and local businesses. From receiving the news in 21^st Nov 2023, it took until late March 2024 for the case to be officially concluded, ending our successful Judicial Review against ABP. We will seek to have the recoverable portion of our legal costs returned to the campaign. This was a significant victory for the campaign against the national planning appeals board.

Another battle looms

The developer (not involved in the JR case but a notice party) has been granted remittal by the High Court. This means that they, the developer, does not need to restart the planning process. Instead, they can ask ABP to reconsider the same application again. One of the key points that ABP conceded on was the road realignment at the entrance of the site. Access to the site, as outlined in the application, was from the old Galway Road (R458), this road is a restricted regional road. Creating access for development of this nature onto a restricted regional road contravenes planning law. The developer is now back trying to argue the same application again with ABP, faults and all.

We are now waiting for ABP to contact Gort Biogas Concern Group, Burren Lowlands and all those who sent in observations. They must inform all parties that the application is again back on the desk of ABP. How long will this take? We don’t know. The wheels of planning law are slow, but our community is on its feet and ready for another battle.

Are we deterred? Not at all, we are in a significantly stronger position now than we were back in 2020 when the case first appeared before ABP. Are we frustrated? Yes, but we remain steadfast, with a clear mandate from the people of south Galway, underpinned by the full support of our elected representatives. We have a war chest raised by the community and this will be put to work to fight any battles that come our way. We will continue in our efforts to deter the developers from being able to create any kind of foothold in this area and we have a few things in progress and we hope to update you soon !

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Gort Biogas Concern Group

ABP concedes the Gort Biogas case – a win for Gort and South Galway

1 Reply

A case brought to the High court by the Gort Biogas Concern Group CLG and the Burren Lowlands CLG against the decision of An Board Pleanála to grant permission to build an industrial scale Biogas Facility in the town of Gort has reached conclusion, with An Board Pleanála conceding.

The case is the culmination of five-year campaign fought by the people of South Galway against this development, and has been received with great joy by people from the town. Gort Biogas Concern Group member Ciaran O’Donnell said “this is a win for common sense, industrial developments of this scale belong in industrial settings. Galway County Council got it right, and refused planning, it took ABP a bit longer to reach the same thinking, and we had to fight it all the way”.

Gort Biogas Concern group, composed entirely of volunteer effort, raised the funds from donations from the community to mount the legal challenge. The group has been clear from the onset that there is a place for Anaerobic technology, if scaled to the local area and with local needs considered. Industrial developments of this scale would financially benefit a few individuals but impact everyone living in or visiting the town. The scale of the proposed plant matched the size of our neighboring town of Kinvara and would be located just 800m from Gort’s town square. The potential impact on the environment was too great given the importance of local area and karst landscape, feeding into the pristine Coole-Garryland SAC complex. The long term viability of the town was also at stake, being unable to realise the full potential of local heritage and to capitalise on its position in the Burren Lowlands. The people of Gort support a vision of long term stability and viability, driven by input and engagement.

O’Donnell continued “the unrelenting and endless support of the people of south Galway made this happen and we will remain vigilant for this and other such similar developments that threaten the local environment and the viability of the town to thrive and prosper into the future”.

Gort Biogas Resistance Flairs

Poetry Protest!

We have our own portest poem Gort Biogas Plant vs. W.B Yeats from Leo Smyth

Biogas Begone!

A song from local Legend Niall Finnegan! (Lyrics from Richard Joyce and Niall!)

“This just shows that the resolve of the people in South Galway holds true. Too much is at stake for the people of Gort and the fragile local environment to let this development go ahead. The impact and legacy of this development on the entire area weighted by the economic benefit to a few private developers is simply too much to ask the people to bear. One thing the global pandemic has taught us is to value our local surroundings. Local amenities such as the Gort River Walk have been a lifeline during these times.

The people of Gort fully support the decision of Galway County Council to refuse planning permission for this development and it is hoped that An Bord Pleanála uphold this ruling.

On behalf of the Gort Biogas Concerns Group, I would like to thank everybody for the support we are getting – from the artists to the sign-hangers, to the people and businesses who have supported us in our mission to stop this disastrous development
Ciaran O’ Donnell, Chair Gort Biogas Concerns Group

An Bord Pleanála’s decision is due on April 20.