Seventh delay in planning a farce - Incinerator ‘indecision is final’

AN Bord Pleanála is rarely given to hyperbole, but remarks by its spokesperson, in the wake of yet another deferment of a decision on an incinerator in the Cork harbour area, is straight out of the Donald Trump book of quotable quotes.

The board has deferred for the seventh time a decision on whether to allow an application from Indaver Ireland to build a large waste-to-energy facility at Ringaskiddy.

By way of explaining this, the spokesperson said the Indaver case was unusual in its “sheer, super-complexity”.

Maybe so, but it still doesn’t explain how matters have been allowed to drag on for almost 16 years, from when the first planning application was made. An Bord Pleanála was originally due to announce its decision on July 12 last year. It was deferred to October 26, 2016, then January 24, March 22, August 10, September 12, and October 24.

Whatever the merit or otherwise of allowing the construction of such a facility, the ongoing postponement shows very little regard for the people of Cork Harbour.

The application has already gone through a long process. It was the subject of a 17-day oral hearing last year, with more than 220 submissions, including objections from the then planning minister, Simon Coveney, and Fianna Fáil leader, Micheál Martin.

The next decision date is December 5. It would be super-fantastic if that actually happened.