The controversial toxic waste incinerator proposal for Ringaskiddy in Cork Harbour has been re-opened by the decision of Bord Pleanala to look again at the project proposed by the Indaver company.
The latest situation has developed from a High Court decision which quashed previous planning permission for the project because of “objective bias” involving a board member of Bord Pleanala over work done by him for a firm of consultants engaged by Indaver to make submissions to Cork County Council. The Judge ruled that the case should be remitted back to the Bord for further consideration.
The Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment had sought to have the case dismissed altogether. There has been widespread community opposition throughout Cork Harbour to the project
Bord Pleanala says the issue is not a new application but a “remittal of the previous application for a fresh decision.”
This has been set for May 13.
Indaver has previously described the project as a “waste to energy facility” while Bord Pleanala describes it in a post on their website as a “resource recovery centre — including waste-to-energy facility”.
“It’s an incinerator and a toxic one, in more ways than one,” was the response in Ringaskiddy today as news broke of what local people described as “the reawakening of what we have been fighting for decades.
“Maybe they think they’ll wear us out through age as we’ve been at it a long time, but we’ll fight again. This incinerator is not welcome in our community.”
The latest situation has arisen from a High Court decision which quashed previous planning permission for the project because of “objective bias” involving a board member of Bord Pleanala over work done by him for a firm of consultants engaged by Indaver to make submissions to Cork County Council. The Judge ruled that the case should be remitted back to the Bord for further consideration.
The Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment had sought to have the case dismissed altogether.
Bord Pleanala says the issue is not a new application but a “remittal of the previous application for a fresh decision.”
This has been set for May 13.
Indaver has said: “We look forward to engaging with the Board on the next step of this planning application process in due course.”
The first planning application for the Indaver project was lodged with Cork County Council in November 2001.
Renewed opposition and more controversy over the project can be expected.
