Mr. Kevin Mahon:

There was a misunderstanding of what happened. First of all, we applied for a licence in January 2014 and that was returned to us because we had to confirm whether we needed planning permission or could confirm we would get a letter to say we did not. That was all up in the air at the time through the courts.

Subsequently, we know that planning permission is now required.

When the January 2019 peat regulations were enacted, and then struck out in September 2019, we set about applying for relief for substitute consent for our bogs. We submitted those applications in June 2020. In recent months, An Bord Pleanála has granted permission to apply for permission for retrospective planning permission.