Carlow Council slaughters application for abattoir

SLAUGHTERHOUSE was refused planning permission by Carlow County Council last week after residents vehemently objected to the building. The proposed abattoir would have been situated in Rathornan, Leighlinbridge. Furious residents feared that their properties would have been devalued if the slaughterhouse went ahead.

Local man Gerald Cullen along with Darren O’Gorman applied to the council on November 20, 2006, to build a “purpose-built shed for usage as a slaughter facility for cattle, sheep and pigs”. They also sought permission for “a new entrance, security palisade, fencing and associated ancillary works”.

Over 45 residents attended a meeting in July to voice their upset at the proposed abattoir. They claimed that if the abattoir went ahead it could pose a pollution hazard if effluent from the building seeped into the nearby Rathornan river.

They also claimed that the slaughterhouse would be built on a narrow secondary road and lorries going to and from the abattoir would become a traffic hazard. Along with this the affected residents were extremely concerned that if the slaughterhouse were to go ahead it would cause house prices in the area to plummet.

After reviewing the application, Carlow County Council agreed with the Rathornan residents and refused to give planning permission.’

“The proposed development, by reason of its nature and location, would be prejudicial to the residential amenities of this rural area, would increase the risk of a traffic hazard, would militate against the preservation of the area’s rural environment, and would be more suitable to an edge of town location,” the council stated in its official refusal.

Despite their jubilation at the council’s decision, the residents warn that they will oppose any developer attempting to seek planning permission for an abattoir in the area or any development, which they feel would devalue their property or create a nuisance in the area.

Mairead Wilmot
© Carlow Nationalist