Glanbia Ireland has reacted with disappointment to the news that An Taisce is to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court in relation to its challenge to the granting of planning permission for the Belview cheese plant – the latest twist in a long-running saga.
In a statement reacting to the news today (Monday, August 9), Glanbia Ireland said it “notes with disappointment” confirmation that An Taisce has applied to the Supreme Court seeking leave to appeal the decision of the High Court upholding An Bord Pleanála’s grant of planning permission for a cheese processing facility.
The continental cheese production facility planned for Belview is a joint venture between Glanbia Ireland and international dairy firm, Royal A-ware.
Glanbia outlined the timeline of the project to date, noting:
- Kilkenny Council granted planning for the new cheese facility at Belview in November 2019;
- An Bord Pleanála refused an appeal and granted permission in June 2020;
- On April 20, 2021, the High Court upheld the planning approval granted by An Bord Pleanála;
- On July 2, the High Court also refused An Taisce’s application for Leave to Appeal this decision to the Court of Appeal.
Commenting, Glanbia Ireland chief executive Jim Bergin said: “We are committed to bringing this project to fruition in conjunction with our partners, Royal A-ware.
“This project, which is line with government policy, is critical to our market diversification post Brexit, will support rural Ireland’s post-Covid recovery and is of huge importance to the 4,500 farm families supplying milk to Glanbia Ireland,” the CEO said.
Glanbia Ireland chairman John Murphy also spoke, adding:
“The combined impact of An Taisce’s four consecutive challenges to this project has been a two-year delay – and this latest proposed appeal could delay the project even further.
“This would be bad for farmers, bad for rural communities and could hurt Ireland’s reputation internationally as a location for much-needed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).”