Meath County Council says it will consider whether to take legal proceedings against a Navan businessman if he continues to excavate stone at Boyne Woods, a proposed Natural Heritage Area at Dummoe, Navan.
However, An Taisce has criticised the council's handling of the situation as "inadequate".
An enforcement notice was served on September 30th by the council to Mr Loughlin Goodwin of Navan Building Services under Section 154 of the Planning and Development Act 2000.
The notice was followed by letters from the council's law agents in January and May warning Mr Goodwin to cease excavation at the open cast quarry between the N51 and the River Boyne.
"A letter was written to the developer on April 25th requiring cessation of work on the development involved. If we achieve compliance, so be it," said a spokesman for Meath County Council. "If necessary we may need to decide whether to proceed further. Unfortunately these procedures take time."
The forest has a mixture of native and exotic species including rare swamp meadowgrass and is regarded as one of the most scenic areas of the Boyne.
An Taisce says investigation through local sources has established the stone is being sold commercially. Mr Kevin Mulligan of An Taisce said excavation of the stone "is causing huge devastation to the woodland".
An Taisce has called on Meath County Council and the Department of the Environment either to take injunctive proceedings under the Planning and Development Act 2000 to curtail further the removal of stone, road construction and tree felling on the site or to resolve an ecological reinstatement plan for the site.
"There is a facility for third party legal proceedings and in a letter the local authority more or less told us to take it on ourselves, but legal action is costly and we don't want to until absolutely necessary. The problem with the law agents is that nothing really happens until they are pushed." When contacted, Mr Goodwin said he had "no comment whatsoever" and that it was "a planning matter".
