An Bord Pleanala has overturned a decision by Leitrim County Council to grant retention planning permission to a forestry company for an entrance to extract timber from a plantation in Kilangross.
The company had originally been granted permission in June of this year, despite several objections, including from a number of Leitrim County Councillors.
An appeal to the planning body was lodged by a couple who lived within metres of the entrance who claimed they had serious concerns of noise, disturbance and damage to the local road.
The Planning Inspector also noted that the company was aware of an existing entrance one-kilometre east of the landholding in question but the company claimed to use this would cause an increased risk of environmental damage and to highway safety.
Responding to the objection, the firm said that they would only be using the planned entrance for periodic work at the plantation and the entrance had already existed at the site - as evidence by a 2009 Google Street View image.
The inspector recommended that permission should be refused due to its close proximity to the entrance of a residential property and the development did not meet Government guidelines and would be contrary to Leitrim County Development plan policy which the Board agreed with.
