Lindsay Woods: An Bord Pleanála has sealed the fates of half-a-million residents in Cork City and county

Imagine having to fight for your right to breathe? On May 31, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission to Indaver for construction of an incinerator at Ringaskiddy. They overruled the oral hearing planning inspector and his recommendation to refuse permission, writes Lindsay Woods.

This is the third time that An Bord Pleanála inspectors have recommended refusal. Instead of it being a case of ‘Three strikes and you’re out’, An Bord sealed the fates of half-a-million residents in Cork City and county.

By granting planning permission, they closed off any avenue for appeal. It now falls to the people to fight this via a judicial review. The only avenue is legal and the clock is ticking. There are just three weeks left for the legal team to submit the request to seek the review. It is a costly process, being funded by the people.

A few weeks ago, I sat in a room with four hundred people at a meeting organised by CHASE (Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment), the group spearheading the campaign to stop the construction. When the seats filled, people sat on floors, in stairwells, and in hallways. We listened as people involved in the campaign for the past 17 years, broken and exhausted, vowed to see it through.

The three key issues carried over in the inspector’s final report, in relation to his recommendation to refuse planning, were:

- Compatibility with emerging campus and heritage: The proposed development is not compatible with recent development in the area: ie rejuvenation of the area as a hub for tourism, for education, and for R&D, supported by Local Area Plans and backed by government investment.

- Evaluation of alternatives: No new evaluation of alternative sites was carried out, as required, and evaluation was simply carried over from prior proposals.

- Over-development of the site: Because of the configuration of the site, the inspector concluded that it would constitute over-development, which would seriously injure the amenities of the area and property in the vicinity.

Another notable point of contention is the strategic implications the Indaver facility will have for the State, in relation to the Department of Defence.

The proposed site is extremely close to the Haulbowline Naval Base and would impact Irish Air Corps helicopter operations by creating a flight safety hazard.

Then, there are the people. The people who were in that room. Fearful. Fearful for their families. Fearful of false promises from junior ministers and TDs, who assured us that they, too, would stand alongside us.

Yet, no-one could answer how this had happened? How had a planning applicant been afforded such an extensive, pre-consultation period by An Bord Pleanála, with the public excluded from same? A consult of over three years, before their application in 2016? Why, on February 6, 2018, did the Government state its intent to reduce the time limit to seek judicial review of a SID decision by An Bord Pleanála from eight weeks to four weeks, with further restrictions to eligibility criteria for NGOs seeking same?

Why? Why? How? How?

No-one knows. Except the ones who shook on it.

Those same ones who said, “Yes, by all means, go right ahead and erect a 240,000-tonne incinerator in the second-largest natural harbour in the world!”

Those were not the same ones who spoke, in a crowded room, of their fears for their children and grandchildren. Nor the ones who spoke of the impact it would have ecologically, economically, and upon the health of the population.

These were the people who chose to fight. Who want better solutions. Who demand more of our government. Who stood and offered their time, resources, and financial means to secure the safety of our people and our harbour. They stood and spoke, apologising for stilted dialogue, due to nerves and the size of the crowd, yet they spoke.

They queued to leave their contact details, as the meeting concluded, to offer help in any capacity. They donated in buckets, bought t-shirts, car stickers, raffle tickets. They deserve the right to fight. They deserve the right to breathe. They deserve better than the hand they have been dealt so far. We all do.

I’m in. Are you?

Information in relation to CHASE can be found at www.chasecorkharbour.com