The EPA's preliminary refusal of a licence for a new superdump in Silvermines, Co Tipperary, does not guarantee the landfill will not go ahead, it has emerged. But it sends a clear signal to the developer, Waste Management Ireland, part of one the world's biggest waste companies.
The Tipperary (North Riding) County Council has already refused planning permission for the landfill. On Monday An Bord Pleanala will consider that rejection at an oral hearing in Nenagh, following an appeal by WMI.
Next month another hearing is due to be held to consider the county council's decision to refuse a licence to drain water from the site, a large disused opencast mine.
Local residents are confident the EPA's decision has set the tone for these hearings. "The bottom line is that we have won this victory. It's all over bar the shouting," said Mr Eamon de Stafort, spokesman for the Silvermines Environmental Action Group. "We read the report as an emphatic No for the future development of the dump."
WMI does not see this as the end of the road and is lodging an objection to the EPA's proposed decision. The agency must consider all valid objections received by September 12th before issuing its final verdict. Mr Mark Gilligan, WMI development manager, said he was satisfied the company could address the areas of concern and could still go ahead with the landfill.
The £16 million landfill was expected to receive waste from several counties, by means of an adjacent rail-track. It would have the capacity to cater for as much as 450,000 tonnes of waste each year for 25 years.
The EPA rejected the plan for eight reasons but mainly because of instability of the site and the risk of subsidence and groundwater pollution.
The Department of the Environment denied the decision was a setback to finding regional solutions to the Republic's growing waste management problems, although it reflects the extent of difficulty in developing large new landfills, which are envisaged by most regional authorities.
"Absolutely not," said a spokesman for the Department of the Environment. "This was a private landfill. It wasn't any part of the waste management plans for local authorities in this area. In fact, it shows that the whole licensing system works," he said.