OPPONENTS OF a proposed €150 million twin-incinerator development at Ringaskiddy in Cork Harbour have welcomed a decision by An Bord Pleanála to refuse planning permission for part of the project dealing with municipal waste.
However, the developer, Indaver Ireland, said it remained confident of progressing the project after Bord Pleanála indicated it was considering granting permission for both a hazardous waste incinerator and a transfer station for storing and sorting waste if certain concerns were addressed.
An Bord Pleanála said Indaver should make amendments to its environmental impact statement (EIS) to address concerns over flooding, coastal erosion and revised emissions if it wished to obtain planning for the hazardous waste incinerator and transfer station.
Indaver Ireland had applied under the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act 2006 for a 100,000 tonnes hazardous industrial waste incinerator, a 140,000 tonne municipal waste incinerator and a transfer station at the 12 hectare Ringaskiddy site.
Chairwoman of Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment Mary O’Leary welcomed the news that An Bord Pleanála had refused planning permission for the municipal waste plant and paid tribute to Cork County Council which had opposed such a facility.
“It’s good news for the community and huge credit is due to Cork County Council for defending their waste management plans so thoroughly,” said Ms O’Leary, before questioning An Bord Pleanála’s position with regard to the proposed hazardous waste plant.
“The board states that the EIS is ‘deficient’ in regard to flooding of the public road, coastal erosion and their impacts, and therefore we are adamant that this should have been turned down outright, rather than giving the developers a second bite of the cherry.”
A spokesman for Indaver Ireland said the company had been informed by An Bord Pleanála that it was considering granting planning for both the transfer station and the 100,000 tonne hazardous waste incinerator subject to receipt of additional information within three months. “We will now proceed to meet this request....Indaver is pleased to have progressed our application to this point.”
Regarding the municipal waste incinerator, An Bord Pleanála had ruled that planning was not appropriate “at this time having regard to both layout and the limited size of the site and current strategy of the Cork local authorities in respect of waste management”.
Asked about the financial viability of the hazardous waste incinerator without a municipal waste incinerator, the Indaver spokesman said that the preference remained to build both of the units.