Wicklow residents to oppose 'superdump'

Co Wicklow residents were last night preparing for a High Court challenge to An Bord Pleanála's decision to grant planning permission to Celtic Waste for a "superdump" on a 300-acre site east of Wicklow town.

The residents, who are members of the Ballynagran Coolbeg Action Group, have opposed the siting of the dump, which has a core landfill area of about 50 acres, for more than a decade and had previously been successful in a challenge in the High Court to Wicklow County Council's own plans to establish a dump on the site.

The council was subsequently unsuccessful in an appeal to the Supreme Court.

While An Bord Pleanála's decision is subject to a number of conditions which relate to the prevention of leachate and environmental issues, residents say that they are particularly disappointed that An Bord Pleanála "appeared to have overturned the recommendation of its own inspector in the case".

The permission allows Celtic Waste, now known as Greenstar, to import up to one-third of total waste from outside Wicklow.

When the county council attempted to develop the dump itself in the early 1990s it maintained that the dump would only handle waste from Wicklow.

During that protest members of the group also picketed every meeting of the council for five years and complained to the Comptroller and Auditor General when it emerged that the council management had spent up to €1 million advancing the project after councillors voted against the proposal.

Opposition to the dump centres on the contention that it is too big for Wicklow, is located just four miles from the internationally famous Brittas Bay, in a scenic and environmentally sensitive area and is sited on an important aquifer.