An oral hearing gets under way in Cork today into a proposed quarry development at a 100-acre site in the townland of Rossmore in Carrigtwohill.
Residents of south Carrigtwohill are mounting a challenge to what they claim is "saturation quarrying" in their area.
Peter Thompson, of Carrigtwohill Environmental Alliance, said that the proposed quarry was just 300 yards from the back gardens of 12 houses. Homeowners had become increasingly concerned about traffic and dust implications, the effect on property values, the impact on the environment and conservation issues.
Cork Environmental Alliance said that Cork County Council, Ireland's largest local authority, had a register of 97 of the estimated 400 quarries in the State, a disproportionate number of which were in the Carrigtwohill area.
Five quarries are operating at present on land between the N25, linking Cork and Midleton, and the North Channel, which forms the inner reaches of Cork Harbour.
The developers of the proposed quarry, Healy Bros, have gone on record as saying that they are deeply committed to the area and are prepared to talk to anyone who has concerns about the project.