This chapter identifies
the mineral resources that exist within the study area and assesses the impact
that the route options would have on these resources. Where mineral resources, whether potential or currently being
exploited are affected by the route options, the physical impact and resulting
economic implications are examined.
The extents of
the mineral resources within the study area are discussed later in the chapter
and an assessment made as to the impact the route options would have on
them. In assessing the impacts the
following significance criteria have been used:
|
Impact |
Significance
Criteria |
|
Severe
adverse impact |
Sterilisation
of extensive amounts of mineral resources by route. Creation of extensive areas of unworkable material due to division
of land by route. |
|
Major adverse
impact |
Sterilisation
of large amounts of mineral resources by route. Creation of large areas of unworkable material due to division
of land by route. |
|
Moderate
adverse impact |
Sterilisation
of moderate amounts of mineral resources by route. Creation of moderate areas of unworkable material due to
division of land by route. |
|
Minor adverse
impact |
Sterilisation
of small amounts of mineral resources by route. Creation of small areas of unworkable material due to division
of land by route. |
|
No impact |
No
significant effect |
|
Minor
beneficial impact |
Exposition of
new mineral resources. Creation of
new sites of geological/geomorphological interest. |
This assessment
has been compiled from the ‘Quarry Directory 2001’ published by the Geological
Survey of Ireland (GSI) and private submissions from parties within the study
area. Bedrock and drift geology mapping information from the GSI has also been
used, namely:
·
Bedrock
geology mapping for South Cork
·
Bedrock
geology mapping for Kerry-Cork
·
Six-inch
drift geology field maps
Mineral
resources within the study area are mainly concentrated within the Lee and
Bride Valleys. The Lee Valley area is
generally underlain by the Ballytrasna formation of the Old Red Sandstone. The Bride Valley area is underlain by the
Cork Syncline, a limestone outcrop comprising the Ballysteen and Little Island
Formations and Waulsortian Limestones.
The syncline plunges east-northeast to west-southwest through the
eastern end of the study area underlying Ovens and Crookstown.
Overlying the
bedrock are glacial sand and gravel deposits.
These vary in depth across the Lee and Bride Valley areas from several metres
to approximately 40 m thick. The sand
and gravel deposits form an extensive, high quality mineral resource for the
Lee Valley area. The underlying bedrock
in these areas also forms an important mineral resource.
A good quality
sand and gravel deposit is located in the Bride Valley to the west of
Ovens. It extends approximately between
the N22 to the north and the Killumney/Aherla road to the south. The deposit to the south of the Garryhesty
road is shallow.
Information on
the potential extents of quarrying operations was sought from the quarry owners
where it was deemed that the route options could affect short to medium term
operations. Meetings were also held
with some landowners, who own land with mineral resources that could be used in
the short to medium term.
According to
the ‘Quarry Directory 2001’ there are two active quarries and four active sand
and gravel pits within the study area. These are listed below:
|
Name |
Location |
Product |
|
Finbarr O’
Neill Ltd |
Clashanure,
Ovens |
Sandstone |
|
Castlemore
Quarry |
Castlemore,
Crookstown |
Limestone |
|
John A. Wood
Ltd (Classis) |
Classis,
Ovens |
Sand and
Gravel |
|
John A. Wood
Ltd (Garryhesta) |
Garryhesty,
Ovens |
Sand and
Gravel |
|
Killinardish
Pit |
Coachford |
Sand and
Gravel |
|
Macroom Sand
& Gravel |
Ummera,
Macroom |
Sand and
Gravel |
Additionally,
there are three more pits owned by John A. Wood Ltd within the study area not
listed on the quarry directory. These
are:
·
Classis
West
·
Donovan’s
Pit
·
Knockanemore
Pit
There are two
potential impacts the route options could have on the mineral resources within
the study area. These are:
·
The impact
on existing pits or quarries.
·
The impact
on potential areas of mineral extraction, which have been identified adjacent
to existing pits.
Given the
extent of the mineral resources throughout the study area, particularly the
extent of the sand and gravel deposits in the Lee and Bride Valleys, some sterilisation
of material or creation of unworkable areas due to land division by the route
options is unavoidable.
This assessment
focuses on existing mineral extraction sites within the study area and those
areas of land identified as potential extraction sites. This assumes that where route options
traverse areas underlain by mineral resources (e.g. areas of the Lee and Bride
Valleys) which are neither being exploited nor identified as short to medium
term potential resources the severity of any impact is greatly reduced. The importance of these long term sites is
taken to be marginal and although the road will be sterilising the underlying
deposits or portioning the land there will be either be no impact or a very
minor adverse impact.
Assessed below are
the impacts that the route options could have on the existing quarries/pits and
those areas of land identified as potential mineral resources.
·
Finbarr
O’Neill Ltd., Clashanure.
No route option
passes through the existing works, however, the green route (section G/06
between nodes 9 and 14) passes through adjoining land which has already been
purchased. This would sterilise the
resources directly beneath the road construction and divide the purchased land
into two parts possibly creating unworkable sections and therefore additional
sterilised land. There would be a
severe adverse impact on the future operation of the quarry due to the route
option.
·
Castlemore
Quarry, Castlemore.
No route option
passes through the existing quarry. The
yellow route (section Y/09 between nodes 11 and 12) runs to the north adjacent
to the existing N22 and the blue route (section B/03 between nodes 11 and 12a)
runs to the south adjacent to the quarry boundary.
The proximity
to the existing N22 and the presence of the River Bride mean that constraints
to expansion of the quarry to the north already exist. The impact of the yellow
route on mineral resources must therefore be assessed as minor impact.
The blue route
to the south of the quarry runs over potential limestone resources, sterilising
them and restricting possible future expansion. The presence of the road could also hinder current operations due
to the possibility of flyrock from blasting landing on the carriageway thus
sterilising an area within the existing quarry boundary. The blue route is assessed as having a
moderate impact on the quarry.
·
John A.
Wood Ltd, Classis.
The green route
(section G/07 between nodes 14 and 16) passes through the south-western edge of
Classis Pit. At present this area is
submerged but potential sand and gravel reserves may exist beneath the
water. The road would sterilise any
mineral resources beneath it and would also create a land division within the
pit. For this reason the road is assessed as having a major impact on the pit.
Adjacent to
Classis Pit is Classis (West) Pit. This
is also affected by the green route (section G/07) which runs through the pit,
running directly over an area currently being worked. The road alignment also creates a land division within the
pit. John A. Wood have advised that the
area affected by this route could be substantially worked out prior to
commencement of construction. These
factors are assessed as having a major adverse impact on the pit.
·
John A.
Wood Ltd, Garryhesty.
The present pit
workings are not affected by any of the route options, however, the yellow
route (section Y/10 between nodes 12 and 15) does cut across land owned by John
A. Wood Ltd associated with the pit.
The route option would sterilise a strip of mineral resources and create
a pocket of unworkable land. It is
therefore assessed as having a major adverse impact on the pit.
·
Killinardish
Pit, Coachford.
The nearest
route option to the pit is link 3 between nodes 9 and 13. It is highly unlikely that the road would
have any effect on the pit or surrounding mineral resources and is therefore
assessed as having no adverse impact.
·
Macroom
Sand and Gravel, Ummera.
No route option
passes near this pit therefore there is no adverse impact to the mineral
resources in this area.
Also to be
considered are the additional areas of land owned by John A. Wood Ltd., viz.
Donovan’s Pit and Knockanemore Pit.
·
Donovan’s
Pit.
The blue route
(section B/03 between nodes 11 and 12a) and link 6 approaching node 12a would
both cut through Donovan’s Pit. This
would sterilise the mineral resources underlying the road construction and
divide the pit into two parts. The road
is assessed as having a major impact on the pit.
·
Knockanemore
Pit.
The yellow
route (section Y/10 between nodes 12 and 15) and the blue route (section B/04
between nodes 12a and 15) both cut through the now worked out Knockanemore
Pit. Therefore, no adverse impact is
anticipated on the pit from these route options.
Along the
length of the routes, the effects are assessed as follows:
No impact.
No impact.
Route is close to Cronin concrete at Rockgrove but not likely to affect
workings.
Major
adverse impact. Affects Classis and Classis West quarries.
No impact.
Minor impact.
Some sterilisation of Castlemore quarry.
Major impact.
Some sterilisation of reserves along the Bride valley.
No impact.
No impact.
No impact.
Moderate
impact. Some sterilisation of Castlemore quarry
Moderate
impact. Some sterilisation of shallow reserves along
the Bride Valley
No impact.
No impact.
No impact
Minor impact.
On shallow resources in Bride Valley.
There are no quarries
located to the west of Macroom therefore no impact.
To the east of
Macroom, the order of preferred routes is
·
Red
·
Green/Link3/Red
·
Green
·
Blue
·
Yellow/Link
4/Blue
·
Yellow/Link
6/Blue
·
Yellow
Red,
Green/Link3/Red and Green route would all have an affect on the current
reserves at Classis West, however the Green route would also sterilise proposed
extents of O’Neil’s quarry at Clashanure.
The Blue and Yellow routes will similarly sterilise some reserves
through the Bride Valley but the Yellow route will affect more existing and
potential quarrying activity including some deep gravel reserves close to
Knockanemore.
The three main
quarry owners at Clashanure, Castlemore and Garryhesty/Classis have expressed
concern over the loss of existing or potential reserves. The construction of the scheme will possibly
be undertaken in phases. Once a
detailed programme for the scheme has been finalised it should be included in
the planning process enabling extraction of potentially sterilised reserves up
to the programmed start of construction.
The programmed construction start date should be reviewed regularly in
order to monitor and revise the planning date(s) for mineral extraction
accordingly.