Cork businessman faces having to demolish part of workshop following planning decision 

A steel manufacturing company owned by well-known Cork businessman Noel C Duggan faces having to demolish part of a workshop after losing a planning row about noise from its plant in Millstreet.

An Bord Pleanála has upheld an appeal by the Church Street Residents’ Association against the decision of Cork County Council to grant retention permission to Noel C Duggan Structural Steel Limited for an extension to a workshop at its factory near the centre of the North Cork town.

The company sought retention permission for the extension after the local authority took enforcement action against it for allegedly building a shed and polluting the site with noise and odours.

The firm warned that the workshop was necessary to maintain the operational efficiency of the plant, which employs about 50 people.

However, the ruling by An Bord Pleanála clears the way for the local authority to recommence enforcement proceedings against the company if it continues to operate from a building without planning permission. The extension, for which planning permission was refused, is used for welding, cutting, drilling, cleaning, and the fabrication and processing of steel to be used in construction.

It covers an area of around 800sq m within the three-hectare site occupied by the plant, which normally operates between 7am and 5.30pm from Monday to Saturday.

People living in the area had complained about the level of noise and environmental pollution from the plant, which they claimed had been “an extreme nuisance” for residents of Church St since the early 2000s.

They claimed the construction of the extension in 2018 had resulted in the noise being exacerbated to “almost unbearable levels”, with additional fumes and toxins from the spraying of steel girders.

An Bord Pleanála ruling 

In its ruling, An Bord Pleanála said the retention of the extension to the workshop would seriously injure the amenities of properties in the vicinity “by reason of noise”.

The board said that in making its findings it had taken into consideration the close proximity of the extension to residential dwellings.

It also claimed there was a lack of sufficient information on noise, as well as inconsistencies in identified noise sources and a lack of clarity about proposed mitigation measures.

The company claims it is the oldest family-run structural steel manufacturer in Ireland and now in its fifth generation, following its establishment in 1875.

Noel C Duggan Structural Steel maintained noise levels from the factory were well below limits set by Cork County Council and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The company also clarified that no painting process was carried out on the premises and said it was willing to take a number of measures to address the concerns of residents, including the installation of a noise barrier.

In its appeal, the Church Street Residents’ Association claimed that the row of terraced houses, which dates from the late 1800s, predates the development of the steel manufacturing plant.

The residents’ association complained that the Millstreet plant was generating both noise and environmental pollution, with noise levels regularly exceeding 100 decibels.