Gardai advise residents to leave during quarry blasting

Property owners in Ashford, Co.Wicklow, have been advised by gardai to leave their property when blasting is taking place at a nearby unsanctioned quarry.

Ballylusk quarry does not have planning permission and An Bord Pleanala ruled in 2003 that the then level of operation at the quarry was not an exempt activity and that planning permission was needed.
Gardai then visited neighbouring landowners and warned them to leave their property as blasting was about to take place.
A spokeswoman for the Garda Press Office said that the quarry owners, the O'Reilly brothers, had appealed An Bord Pleanala's decision to the High Court.

Because the quarry operator intended to go ahead with blasting, which needs the co-operation of the Garda, the force had looked for legal clarification.
The Attorney General's office had advised that the Garda should go ahead with co-operation with the arrangements for blasting.

Wicklow Green Party Councillor Deirdre de Burca has since questioned if it is appropriate for the gardai to be involved when An Bord Pleanala had found the operation was unauthorised.
A public relations consultant, speaking for the O'Reilly brothers, said that he did not accept the board's level of operation was an intensification of use that needed planning permission.