The decision to refuse planning permission for a waste facility plant in Co Tipperary has been welcomed by the country’s leading racehorse trainer Aidan O’Brien.
Opponents to the bio-energy facility claimed it could put Coolmore Stud and Ballydoyle Stables out of business.
In a statement today, champion trainer Mr O'Brien said he was delighted at the decision by An Bord Pleanála and paid tribute to those who had campaigned against the development.
Maurice Moloney of Coolmore Stud said the decision represented a great result for common sense. "We all had a common interest in protecting the pristine environment in which we all live. Very many people have put in a lot of hard work on this issue over a long period of time."
At a hearing last February, the company behind the venture said that "Ireland's green credentials" would be seriously undermined unless the project got the go-ahead. Green Organics Energy Ltd (GOE), wanted to build the facility on a site at Castleblake, Rosegreen.
An earlier attempt to build an incinerator on the site was withdrawn five years ago following intense opposition - also led by the Coolmore group - with the support of local residents.
Tipperary South TD Tom Hayes also welcomed the decision saying the plant would have been totally unsuitable for the area due to its scale and potential damage to the local equine, agricultural and tourism sectors within the region.
Lawyers for John Magnier’s Coolmore group had argued that the site was "wholly unsuitable", and insisted that the facility "would be prejudicial to human and animal health".