High Court Judicial Review of Banagher Chilling Plant gets underway

The Judicial Review of the Banagher Chilling Plant case has got underway in the High Court.
On Monday July 3 the court was told that Desmond Kampff and Gwen Wordingham were calling on An Bord Pleanála to concede its case on the basis that it stopped contesting a similar point in another Judicial Review planning action.
  Mr Kampff and Ms Wordingham are challenging the planning board's permission for a €40 million Chinese-backed meat factory near Banagher.
  The board's counsel, David Browne, told the court that the board does not accept that it should concede in the case. Reference was made to the Attorney General Rossa Fanning's point that the State should act in the public interest and consider the broader public interest before taking certain procedural steps in litigation. The point was also made that the Attorney General's new litigation principles do not "create rules of law," "do not have any binding legal effect" and "are not intended to radically change how the State conducts litigation."
  In their Judicial Review case, Mr Kampff and Ms Wordingham, represented by barrister John Kenny, instructed by FP Logue solicitor Eoin Brady, said they are "critically concerned" about the potential environmental impact of the proposed processing plant at a site three kilometres southeast of Banagher. The facility would discharge its wastewater into the nearby Feeghroe stream which, they say, would not be able to attain an environmental good status qualification as a result.
  Banagher Chilling Limited was granted permission by An Bord Pleanála in June 2022 to expand a pre-existing disused abattoir. This followed an appeal lodged by local residents Mr Kampff and Ms Wordingham against Offaly County Council's grant of permission.
  The new plant will have a capacity to slaughter 36,000 animals a year and will employ 110 people.