Tribunal hears CRH took 500,000 tonnes of sand from site

A tribunal has heard that the Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH) subsidiary which purchased 145 acres at Glen Ding Wood, Co. Wicklow, from the State for £1.25 million in 1990, has extracted less than 500,000 tonnes of sand and gravel from the site.

Minerals expert John Barnett said that five million tonnes of material had been withdrawn. Responding to this, CRH executive Donal Dempsey said that CRH subsidiary Roadstone Dublin Ltd had planning permission for 15 acres of the site. Under 500,000 tonnes had been taken.
Mr Dempsey is a former purchase financial director of Roadstone Dublin. He agreed with Mr Healy that some of the material extracted had got Roadstone into trouble over planning issues. The land was sold without permission for sand and gravel extraction.

Jerry Healy SC asked Mr Dempsey about an environmental impact statement which referred to withdrawing not more than 800,000 tonnes per year over a 15-year period. Mr Barnett told the Department of Energy that at the time of the sale in 1990, he estimated that the 85 acres of the site had 6.7 million tonnes of usable material.
Mr Dempsey stated that the 800,000 figure did not mean that the company believed the 80 acres had 12 million tonnes of sand and gravel.