Council rejects bid for more time on Tipperary biomethane plant
An application seeking more time on a planning approval for an anaerobic digester in north Tipperary has been refused by the local authority.
Robert Clarke was previously granted permission to develop an anaerobic digestion (AD) biomethane facility on Sandymount Farms, Ballingarry, in Roscrea.
The AD plant would utilise 29,800 tonnes of agriculture feedstock to generate renewable energy, while a reception building with welfare facilities, staff and visitor car parking spaces, storage containers and a number of storage tanks would also be constructed.
Tipperary County Council granted planning permission for the development in 2021, with the grant of planning permission remaining valid until September 2026.
Planning permissions typically expire after five years if development has not begun.
However, planning law generally requires substantial works to have commenced before an extension of duration can be granted.
Now, Mr Clarke has applied to the council seeking an extension of duration of his planning application, with an agent working on his behalf saying that a lot of time, energy and money has gone into the proposed plant so far.
“The client has spent considerable time and money putting the original application together and has recently been successful in qualifying for grant aid under the recently released Biomethane Capital Grants Scheme,” the agent said.
The agent added that Mr Clarke is waiting on guidelines from the Government on biogas plants, which he needs in order to proceed with the AD plant.
“At the time of writing, the client, and all biomethane facilities, are waiting on the announcement of the Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO), as per the National Biomethane Strategy document.
“This RHO announcement is fundamental to the operational viability of the facility and as such, the facility cannot be constructed without it,” the agent said.
“The client has access to funding, has obtained the required permissions and validations, has made a previous successful capital grant application and is anxious to commence the development as soon as it is practical to do so,” they added.
Despite this, a planner from the council initially sought further information on the plans, asking for more details on the works that have taken place on the plant so far.
In order to get an extension of duration on planning permission, work on the development has to have started.
In a follow-up planners report, the council planner noted that Mr Clarke hadn’t started works on the plant yet.
“The details presented in the application state that the development has not commenced on site, although it is stated that ‘a lot of time, effort and money has been spent on meetings, consultants, conferences thus far’,” the planner says.
However, they said that “overall, it cannot be concluded that ‘substantial works’ have been carried out” on the site.
“The application, in its current form, therefore fails to satisfy the requirements” of the Planning and Development Act, the planner added.
Permission for the extension of duration was therefore refused by the council.