Galway Bay fm newsroom - Representatives of the owners of Lackagh Quarry have addressed the oral hearing of the Galway City Ring Road
The sixth day of the oral hearing is continuing in the G Hotel.
Submissions and objections to the proposed road are still being heard.
Solicitor Dermot Flannagan addressed this morning’s hearing for over two hours - on behalf of his clients the McHugh Property Group.
The group owns the Lackagh Quarry, at Menlo, which has been one of the most widely discussed sites throughout the oral hearing.
Mr Flannagan questioned the experts from ARUP consultants regarding a number of ecological and hydro geological concerns his clients has regarding the proposed development.
One of the most significant of these was the planned mitigation measure to develop 7.1 hectares of grassland within the quarry - to counteract the loss of limestone pavement.
Mr Flannagan argued that the recreation of this amount of grassland at the quarry was in excess of the amount required under planning guidelines.
Aebhin Cawley of ARUP consultants said it was necessary to create a biodiversity gain due to the loss of a significant quantity of limestone.
Mr Flannagan then questioned whether it’s necessary to develop the entire grassland habitat at the quarry - adding that his client had previously offered sites in Castlegar and Terryland as alternatives.
Ms Cawley responded by saying that other sites had been considered but they were not in accordance with habitat recreation principles.
The hearing continues this afternoon.
