It was third time lucky for the Ballinasloe Says No group which took legal action against the operation of a waste transfer station at the edge of the town.
The High Court quashed Galway County Council’s decision to grant a permit for the facility near the town.
The Ballinasloe Says No group first took legal action last year to prevent the County Council from granting a permit for the facility.
Cllr Evelyn Parsons said that the High Court order is a welcome decision which vindicates the people of Ballinasloe and shows the commitment of our BSN community group.”
“I am currently working on the Ballinasloe Local Area Plan for our town and it’s clear this proposal is in contradiction to our goals and objectives,” said Cllr Parsons.
“I’m also happy to have had my proposal for a specific policy objective for a remediation plan for Poolboy Landfill included in the agreed draft County Development Plan with full support from my colleagues this month.”
Cllr Parsons, who is also a member of Climate Change and Biodiversity Strategic Policy Committee (SPC), has raised environmental concerns on a number of occasions.
“Ballinasloe has a real fighting chance now to develop positively and prosper,” she said.
“Throughout the CDP process I’ve championed the guiding principle of Environmental Justice for ‘fair’ distribution of environmental benefits and burdens to enable communities such as ours equitable opportunities to prosper within the county in terms of environment, quality of life, health and future economic growth opportunities including attracting investment and sustainable tourism.”
