Battle of the Boyne looms over proposed incinerator

A NEW battle of the Boyne looms over plans to build a waste incinerator on the site of King William's historic victory of 1690.

Among those lined up in opposition to the plan is former Taoiseach John Bruton, who yesterday expressed concern that it would damage agriculture in the area: "East Meath is one of the most fertile areas in Ireland and this incinerator would generate a lot of harmful dioxins. It is also near a very highly populated area."

The incinerator is being built by the Belgian company Indaver, which is also behind a similar plant at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork. Approved by Meath County Council, and now under appeal to An Bord Pleanala, the proposed location of the incinerator is also close to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Newgrange and Bru na Boinne and right on the 'footprint' of the Battle of the Boyne between Drogheda and the village of Duleek, itself the site of an ancient monastic settlement.

According to Brian Hanratty, who is leading local opposition to the proposal, the risks posed by the incinerator are avoidable and unacceptable: "Its outline and chimney would be visible over a wide area, and as yet, it has not been announced where and how the promoters would dispose of the 50,000 tonnes of toxic ash which it would produce annually."

Those who have a joined the fight include Mr Bruton and former attorney general John Rogers. A cross-Border forum has also been established to kill off the proposal. Called Battle for the Boyne, the forum says the incinerator would be "an outrageous visual intrusion on an ancient and historic landscape and river".

According to the group, the River Boyne is also threatened by further pollution. It is strongly critical of Duchas, the heritage service, for not submitting an objection to the planning permission. "Duchas may have just published a management plan for Bru na Boinne, but plans are of little value if they are not supported with key actions to protect this area of enormous archaeological importance," said the opposition group.

A spokesman for Duchas, which is in charge of the Neolithic site, pointed out that the location of the incinerator was outside its area of operation.

However, Mr Hanratty said it was incredible that Duchas was not among those who appealed the grant of planning: "It's incredible that Duchas are not among the appellants and indeed the absorption of Duchas into the Department of the Environment is a bad omen for the protection of sites of archaeological and historical importance, such as Carrickmines Castle, Bru na Boinne and the site of the Battle of the Boyne.

"Imagine the Pyramids. Then imagine building a large cement factory close by. Follow that by planning to build a power station, and for good measure, a municipal waste incinerator. Would the Egyptians seriously consider doing this and would the world community allow it? Well that's exactly what's happening in the Boyne Valley which is world-renowned for its wonderful heritage that stretches back 5,000 years."

If the incinerator proposal were allowed to proceed, this would be an act of cultural vandalism on a scale never before seen in Ireland, he said. One of the grounds for appealing the decision is that it contravenes the council's own county development plan. A regional survey was carried out and, according to John Bruton, another location for an incinerator was recommended.

According to Indaver, more than 75% of what they term Waste-to-Energy plants, with an annual capacity of almost 12 million tonnes of waste, have been built in Western Europe during the period 1999-2002. This year alone, a further 14 European plants expanded, installing extra annual capacity of 1.4 million tonnes.