DUBLIN, Ireland: A west Cork whiskey manufacturer may have to cancel its plans to open a large storage facility in a rural area about seven kilometers from Kinsale after An Coimisiún Pleanála refused to give it permission for four bonded warehouses over fears of the consequences in case of a fire.

The Commission overturned a decision by Cork County Council that had approved West Cork Distillers' request to keep using a farm building as bonded whiskey warehouses at Ballinreenlanig, Nohoval, County Cork.

The council had also allowed an open steel tank to be used as a firefighting water tank for three years and approved the building of a fire pump house.

A planning inspector's report said the site owners were given an enforcement notice in 2023 for using a farm shed to store whiskey without permission. However, the Commission did not accept the inspector's recommendation to allow the warehouses and firefighting system to remain in place.

Planning commissioner Mary Rose McGovern said the company did not provide enough information about how firefighting water and rainwater would be drained from the site. Because of this lack of detail, she said the Commission could not be sure the development would be safe for public health.

The Commission also raised concerns about possible harm to the environment. Ms McGovern said it did not agree with the inspector's view that changes proposed by West Cork Distillers would prevent spills or leaks from reaching nearby waterways.

The Commission noted that the storage facility, which can hold 4,320 tonnes of whiskey, does not meet the EU threshold for a high-risk industrial site. Even so, Ms McGovern said the Commission shared Cork County Council's concerns about the facility's unmanned and remote nature.

She said that if there were a fire or spill, it could take a long time for emergency workers to reach the site. Because there were not enough details on how spills or runoff would be controlled before firefighters arrived, the Commission said it could not be sure the facility would not pose a risk to public health.

The council's decision had been appealed by a resident, Helen O'Dowd, who said the warehouse was a fire risk and that heavy trucks using the site created traffic dangers.

West Cork Distillers denied that an environmental impact report was required and rejected claims that the facility would harm the area's rural character. The company said it would fully comply with environmental and fire safety rules and that any spills during a fire would be directed into a retention tank via drainage systems.