Plans for an incinerator in Rathcoole, Co Dublin, have been rejected by An Bord Pleanála, which said it would pose an "unacceptable risk" of polluting the environment.
The planning authority said it had turned down the plan on three grounds, which are detailed in a statement issued this morning.
The incinerator had been opposed by South Dublin County Council, the National Roads Authority (NRA), local politicians and more than 200 residents.
The proposed incinerator would have burned 365,000 tonnes of rubbish a year, just over half the amount of waste that would be processed in the Poolbeg incinerator for which permission was granted by An Bord Pleanála last year to burn 600,000 tonnes annually.
The council has told An Bord Pleanála that the incinerator is not required for the Dublin region and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area. The NRA in its submission said the incinerator should be refused as the applicants had failed to demonstrate how the additional traffic generated could be accommodated on the existing road network.
In its ruling, the planning authority said that, having regard to the approval already granted for an incinerator at Poolbeg, it considered an additional incinerator would be in conflict with the waste management plan for the region.
It said a new facility would be “contrary to the development plan for the area and to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area”.
An Bord Pleanala also ruled out the development of a new and large-scale industrial facility on the grounds of the associated heavy traffic that would have direct access onto the N7, a national primary road.
Giving its third reason for refusal, the board said it was not satisfied that sufficiently accurate data had been provided to reliably predict the effect of emissions from the incinerator on air quality in the area.
It noted that the site of the proposed development was on “hilly” terrain and that there were constraints on the height of the planned stack because of its proximity to Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel.
“The proposed development would constitute an unacceptable risk of pollution of the environment and would, therefore, be unacceptable on environmental grounds having regard to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.”
The applicant, Energy Answers International Ltd, must also pay costs of more than €77,000 to the board, plus a sum of €15,000 to the local authority and a total of nearly €50,000 in costs incurred by other parties during the course of consideration of the application.
Local Fianna Fáil TD and Minister of State John Curran welcomed the rejection of the incinerator plan.
"Every single person and group who contacted me on this issue was opposed to this development. Not one person rang or contacted my office in support of this project," he said.
"The proposed development would be in conflict with Dublin’s Waste Management Plan, already set out by all four Dublin local authorities. This plan specifically identifies the requirement for one waste recovery facility which is to be located at Poolbeg with a capacity of 400,000–600,000 tonnes per year," Mr Curran said.
Labour Party TD for Kildare North Emmet Stagg welcomed the rejection of the plan for the incinerator at Behan`s Quarry.
“This is a victory for people power. I would like to congratulate the various groups and people in Kill who mounted a strong campaign against this proposed incinerator, and would like to praise in particular the campaign organised by Carole Collins from The Stables in Kill.
“The proposal is now dead in the water and the residents of Kill, Johnstown, Eadestown, Rathmore and Kilteel should celebrate their victory.”
Dublin Mid-West Green Party TD Paul Gogarty and local councillor Dorothy Corrigan said if the facility had got the go-ahead it would have had a "serious impact, not just on these towns, but also [on] much of the greater Dublin area”.
"The decision follows a long planning process which included three weeks of oral submissions in November. Key arguments made against the plan included an inadequate Environmental Impact Statement, non-adherence to Dublin Regional Waste Management Strategy and recent changes to Government policy on incineration."
Mr Gogarty said Minister for the Environment John Gormley had been "working hard over the last 18 months to reverse the policy on incineration originally voted through by the Fine Gael and Labour rainbow government and supported by Fianna Fáil".
“Although he was legally unable to get involved in the planning process, his responses to our many queries since the application was first submitted provided us with valuable information which helped inform our detailed submission."