State urged to purchase Tipperary mining sites

Photo © Fianna Fail

Concerns have been raised over the ownership of a number of former mining sites in North Tipperary.

The Department of the Environment is being urged to honour previous commitments to acquire the site at the Gortmore Tailings Facility and other mining sites in the Silvermines area.

Over €10 million was spent remediating these sites over the last decade.

Fianna Fail representative John Carroll raised the issue at this weeks meeting of Tipperary County Council.

The government signalled its intention to purchase the tailings pond in 2013 – however Councillor Carroll says there seems to have been no progress on this of late.

Tipperary County Council will now make contact with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment asking that the CPO process be concluded with the Gortmore site brought into State ownership.