Planning board denies incinerator objectors extra time

AN BORD PLEANÁLA has refused Cork harbour residents — who have spent nine years fighting against the construction of a €150 million Indaver incinerator — further time to investigate new documentation supplied by the waste management company.

An Bord Pleanála had described this supplementary information as “significant”.

In April 2010, Indaver requested an extension so it could work further on information requests from An Bord Pleanála and was granted an extra three months.

Cork Harbour for a Safe Environment (CHASE) chairwoman, Mary O’Leary, said the east Cork and harbour community needed more time to examine this new information, submitted by Indaver last August, “as they are volunteers with day jobs and families to rear” who cannot work on the campaign full time.

However Bord Pleanála has remained steadfast, stipulating that all submissions must be received by next Wednesday, October 27.

“We have never delayed the process. We have never requested a delay or caused a delay. Our request was very justified as we were only granted six weeks to consider and respond to what took Indaver over six months to prepare,” Ms O’Leary said.

Earlier this year, An Bord Pleanála requested that Indaver update its planning application by removing plans for the municipal waste incinerator and by submitting improved flooding and coastal erosion measures.

The submission, made in August, kept the municipal incinerator in place, with the company justifying its inclusion on the grounds of “future proofing and common sense, this revised and reduced scale of development does remain capable of accommodating such facilities [as a municipal waste incinerator] at this site”.

CHASE has concerns with the revised plans, submitted by Indaver, on the grounds that the nearby road has been raised without any consideration for the flooding consequences. The group was also horrified at the company’s approach to coastal erosion mitigation.

“Essentially, they want to dump a mound of boulders on Gobby beach to mitigate against coastal erosion. That will destroy half of a local amenity. That Ringaskiddy beach is regularly used by locals, with people walking that beach daily with their dogs,” said Ms O’Leary.

CHASE has accused the planning appeals board of “appearing to indulge the applicants in a manner that seems to suggest an abuse of process and or bias in favour of the applicant”.

CHASE has fought the planned incinerator on the grounds that the site is unsuitable, it is at risk of floods, a fire hazard and far too close to the Maritime College and surrounding populations.