Plans for a water treatment plant at Abbot in Cootehill have been appealed to An Bord Pleanála.
The owner of the Bellamont Estate says the pharmaceutical company doesn't have permission to take water from a lake on his land
Abbott Ireland had sought permission to replace the existing Water Treatment Plant with a new one within the existing Abbott Ireland Cootehill facility.
In the planners report, Abbott said the new wastewater treatment plant would be more efficient than the existing one.
Abbott Ireland claimed this would result in a 10% reduction in energy consumption and 14% reduction in the amount of water abstracted from Lake Dromore on a daily basis.
Monaghan County Council approved the plans, subject to six conditions.
An appeal has since by lodged by John Morehart, owner of the Bellamont Estate, which includes the Dromore Lake network of lakes
The appeal contends that part of the proposed development is on or across lands owned by Mr Morehart.
The appeal acknowledges Abbott Ireland's right to draw water from Dromore Lake under an agreement signed in 1974.
However, Mr Morehart claims that the terms of this agreement are of "very limited scale" and that the "intensification proposed in this application was never contemplated or authorised in the agreement".
The appeal states the development would involve a "major abstraction of water from lands which is owned by and under the control of John Morehart" - something which "requires the consent of the owner of the lands in such circumstances".
In absence of this consent, Mr Morehart says the application "is invalid".
A decision on the appeal is expected to be made in early April.
