A local councillor has said that a company with plans to construct and operate a biogas facility in Cootehill should withdraw from the town.
Cllr Stiofán Conaty has cautiously welcomed a ministerial response to a motion he tabled at Cavan County Council in January.
In their letter to Cavan County Council, a representative from the Department of Energy and Environment said that engagement with affected communities is important.
Cllr Conaty, however, has said that this has not happened in Cootehill.
The Sinn Féin councillor says that instead of attempting to engage with locals or achieve local buy-in, the company in question has excluded the community and has shown disregard for the town.
Cllr Conaty also raised concerns about the absence of national planning frameworks for the location of these Anaerobic Digestors. He says that he is encouraged to hear that that the Department is finalising a new Biomethane Sustainability Charter, outlining best practices for AD developers and for local authorities in terms of planning applications.
But Cllr Conaty says that these best practices have come too late for the Cootehill site.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Cllr Conaty said that the affair has gone too far and there is too much local opposition to the project.
