Save Tullig community representatives Jean Dignan and Marcella Sexton met with Green Party MEP Grace O'Sullivan on her visit to Union Hall on Monday. They discussed the issue of West Cork Distilllers' inappropriate industrial development in West Cork's rural hinterland, and our broader concern around the undesirable precedent this decision would set.

By facilitating the encroachment of industrial development on un-zoned agricultural lands to appease influential corporate interests, Cork County Council has essentially endorsed a trend that threatens to undermine the integrity of rural communities across Ireland.

Ms O'Sullivan was very receptive to our community's concerns, and while she understandably didn't want to get into the specifics of the individual case, she agreed that her team would look into it further. She was very supportive of the community's assertion that industrial developments of this nature do not belong in the heart of Ireland's rural communities.

Our thanks to Rory Jackson, Green Party Local Area Representative for Skibbereeen and proprietor of West Cork Ocean Tours, for arranging the meeting.

Background

In January 2023, after a protracted and controversial application process, Cork County Council approved planning permission for West Cork Distillers' proposal for a huge industrial warehousing complex on low-cost agricultural land in the rural West Cork townland of Tullig, Leap. The decision was appealed by the local community to An Bord Pleanála and is currently under review by the board, with a recently revised decision date of 01 September 2023.

The video below summarises the current position -- and you'll find more background information, links to the planning documents, and our community concerns and objections elsewhere on this website.