Mine company says jobs and house-building at risk over Environmental Protection Agency’s slow licence process

International construction materials firm, Saint-Gobain, says the EPA is putting jobs and house-building at risk by refusing to consider the licence application before planning permission for the mine is granted.

The EPA says it has to prioritise ­licence applications from projects that are most ready to proceed.

The row centres on plans by Gyproc, which is owned by Saint-Gobain, for the new gypsum mine in Co Monaghan.

In letters to the EPA, the company said: “We wish to highlight the importance and time-sensitive nature of this application. A delay will mean the loss of jobs and disruption to the supply of building material which is vital to support the resolution of the current housing crisis in the country.”

The new mine would be where an old Gyproc mine collapsed beneath Magheracloone GAA grounds, ­destroying pitches, a clubhouse and community centre.

Gyproc, which has provided alternative lands for the sports and community facilities, wants to create a large open-cast mine there to scoop out the remaining gypsum which is used to create several building materials.

The council granted permission early this year but that decision has been appealed by locals to An Bord Pleanála on environmental and safety grounds.

In correspondence, Saint-Gobain says its current mine, at nearby Drummond, will be exhausted in 2027.

Saint-Gobain says the new mine must be in production by July 2027 so the licence assessment must be complete by December 2025 to give time to get it ready.

Saint-Gobain says it has legal advice which states there is no regulatory reason for the EPA not to begin the licence assessment straight away.

The EPA has replied saying it wants proof of final planning permission before it will begin. In a statement, the EPA confirmed a company could make a licence application once it had applied for planning permission.

However, it said it had 88 industrial and waste licence applications on hand.

“For operational reasons the EPA currently operates an application prioritisation system which takes account of the completeness of each application and its readiness to be progressed,” it said.

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan this week got cabinet approval to draw up legislation to streamline and shorten EPA licensing assessments by providing definite timeframes for decisions.