News from down the country

national | environment | news report Friday November 21, 2008 21:25 by Contaminated Crow

Powerlines, landfills, incineration, a telemast, a marina and a Bio Park

A group of residents from Kentstown, Co. Meath, staged a sit-in last week at the EPA offices in Clonskeagh, Dublin, to highlight their dissatisfaction with the EPA’s failure to police the Greenstar landfill site at Knockharley, Kentstown, Co. Meath. Paddy Lawlor, chairperson of the residents’ committee, said residents were subject to a ‘disgusting odour’ daily from the dump. The EPA is to take legal proceedings against Greenstar on November 24th and promised to meet residents after the proceedings conclude. (Meath Chronicle 22/11/08, p.1)

BioPower Ltd. has withdrawn its planning application for a 4.5 million Euro Bio-Park at Swanlinbar, Co. Cavan, following a public meeting where local residents voiced strong opposition to the proposal. (Anglo-Celt 20/11/08, p.1)

The ESB briefed Donegal County Council members last week about a proposed 110 KV powerline from Binbane to Derrybeg for which it intends applying for planning permission direct to An Bord Pleanala under the Critical Infrastructure Bill. A previous application for the line was previously refused by An Bord Pleanala in 2001 following vociferous local opposition. (Donegal Democrat 20/11/08, p.3a).

College Proteins announced it is to submit a new planning application to An Bord Pleanala for its proposed meat and bonemeal (MBM) incinerator at Nobber, Co. Meath, having withdrawn its previous application. Christy O’Reilly, chairperson of North-East Against Incineration (NEAI), responding to the news, said ‘We cannot understand how this application can come under the Strategic Infrastructure Bill. We believe that it should be dealt with through the normal planning process through Meath County Council. For a number of different reasons, there is no need for this development. There are three facilities in Meath alone that either have or will have in the future the facility to process this material.’ (Meath Chronicle 22/11/08, p. 6).

The Ballina Marine Action Group (BMAG) is holding a public meeting at the Lakeside Hotel at 8PM on Thursday 27th November in opposition to proposals by Eclipse Development to develop the Derg Marina site at Ballina, Co. Tipperary. Eclipse Developments intend investing 60 million Euro in the site, where it wishes to build a 236-berth marina, an Irish Coast Guard base, retail units, over 50 apartments and several townhouses. Joe Cahalane, BMAG chairperson said ‘There is considerable unease here towards the marina development proposal. This project is masquerading as a marina development when it is, to all intents and purposes, a massive apartment complex rising to five storeys at its highest point. We are urging all those concerned with the developer’s proposals to turn out in force at the public meeting.’ David Lehane of Eclipse Developments claimed BMAG represents only ‘a very small number’ of Ballina residents, while the development will create jobs and economic activity locally. The BMAG website can be found at www.marina.ie. (Limerick Leader 22/11/08, p. 21; Nenagh Guardian 22/11/08, p.20).

Rathoath Combined Residents’ Association has expressed anger at the lack of information available to residents of Brownstown and Woodlands estates in Rathoath, Co. Meath, over proposals by Hutchinson 3G Ireland Ltd. to erect a 18 metre telemast on Skyrne Road and have called for a meeting with the company. (Meath Chronicle 22/11/08, p. 17).

The chairperson of the Usk & District campaign against the proposed Greenstar ‘superdump’ at Usk, Co. Kildare, Pat Higgins, said that Kilcullen residents should be concerned by the proposal: ‘Kilcullen has already suffered for years with the KTK facility to the north of the town, which has just recently closed. But if the one in our area goes ahead, Kilcullen is downwind of it and it could be even worse for a long time to come.’ (Kildare Nationalist 21/11/08, p.14)

EirGrid has filed a planning application with the An Bord Pleanala Strategic Infrastructure Board for its interconnector linking Ireland and Britain, coming ashore at Rush, Co. Dublin and then proceeding underground to Batterstown, Co. Meath, which is intended to connect with EirGrid’s controversial 400 KV powerline from Meath to Tyrone. Francis Lally, chairperson of North-East Pylon Pressure (NEPP), asked ‘Why has a company that has consistently opposed underground cables for the proposed North-South interconnector now filed a planning application for an underground interconnector running from North County Dublin to County Meath? There is deep anger in Co. Meath that EirGrid can put the east-west 400 KV interconnector underground as far as Woodland, yet when the 400 KV interconnector to the north comes out of Woodland, they want to put it overground on giant pylons.’ (Anglo-Celt 20/11/08, p. 7; Meath Chronicle 22/11/08, p.3).