Neill O’Neill
THE Department of of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has not received official notification of a challenge to Minister Eamon Ryan’s recent decision to refuse prospecting licences to Mayo’s Gold – a company which applied last year for eleven prospecting licences covering an area across 140 townlands between Westport and Louisburgh.
It was reported in national media at the weekend that legal action was one of the options the company was ‘actively and seriously considering’, with a High Court challenge also mentioned in the same article.
Yesterday (Monday), a spokesperson for Mayo’s Gold was not in a position to provide an update on this report, but an official from the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources stated: “The Minister’s decision is final in regard to deciding to grant or refuse a licence, but that decision is open to challenge, for example through a judicial review process.”
The official also stated: “I can also confirm that the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has not received official notification of a challenge to Minister Ryan’s recent decision,”
Plans by Mayo’s Gold to open a ‘small-scale mine project near Cregganbaun’ were met with strong opposition last year, despite attempts by the company to allay fears of objectors such as the Mayo Environmental Group and Westport Tourism.
Earlier this month Minister Ryan announced that having considered the concerns of all involved he was refusing the application by Mayo’s Gold.
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