Concern at waste facility proposal

A large building materials firm has moved to ease fears about plans to develop a construction and demolition waste recovery facility near one the country’s largest housing estates.

Roadstone insisted last night a proposed facility at its existing operation outside Ballincollig, Co Cork, will operate to the highest environmental standards.

The comments come ahead of a public meeting in the town’s rugby club tonight amid growing fears the site will store hazardous material.

Resident Shirley Griffin — who last year was unsuccessful in the local elections as a People’s Convention candidate in the Ballincollig Carrigaline area — said the new operation will stockpile and process waste materials including blacktop, or old tarmac. She said the material could be carcinogenic, a claim rejected by the company.

“There will be air pollution and noise pollution and increased traffic,” she said. “Near the large Classes Lake housing estate with approximately 500 houses is not the place for this.

“It is also close to Coolroe Meadows and Greenfields — also a huge residential area. I will be lodging an objection and I will be starting up a petition in Classes Lake against the granting of permission.”

Roadstone, which employs 20 people at the Classis facility, submitted a planning application to the county council on December 8 to establish the new facility.

“If granted, the new facility will allow for the storage and first stage recycling of construction and demolition waste including mixed concrete, blacktop, bricks, tile and ceramics on site within its existing landholding,” a company spokesman said.

“The Oven’s facility operates under permit to limit noise, dust and water discharge at the site.”

The company said blacktop was not carcinogenic and that the material will only be stored on the site. It is understood there will be no melting process undertaken at the facility. The company declined to comment further pending the planning decision due in mid-February.

It has been estimated there are about 20,000 truck movements every year to and from the Classis site.