Call for inquiry into lack of minutes from waste incinerator meetings

Campaigners against a proposed €160 million waste incinerator for Cork Harbour have called for an investigation into the absence of any record of notes from two meetings in 2011 between executives from the company behind the project and civil servants. Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment (Chase) said it had learned through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request that the meetings took place between Indaver executives and officials from the Department of the Environment without any note of the meetings being placed in the planning file. According to the Chase spokeswoman, Linda Fitzpatrick, the campaign group had sought information from the department on any meetings between it and Indaver and the company’s agents or representatives in 2011.

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INDAVER APPLICATION MUST BE TREATED AS A NEW APPLICATION

Cork Harbour Alliance For A Safe Environment (CHASE) are disappointed at tactics used by Indaver Ireland who were asked by An Bord Pleanala to submit proposed mitigation measures in regard to coastal erosion and flooding at the Ringaskiddy site. Instead, Indaver have sumitted a completely changed physical structure. CHASE are of the opinion that this should constitute a new planning application, and that An Bord Pleanala should throw it out, or process it as such.

Indaver have had seven years to get their application right. Coastal erosion and flooding were highlighted by the community in 2003. This planning application should have been thrown out by An Bord Pleanala when Indaver still failed to adequately address these issues by the time of closure of the 2009 Oral Hearing.

CHASE Chairperson Mary O'Leary added "Indaver have reduced the size of their structure, but not the capacity. And nothing has changed in terms of the unsuitability of the facility for this site.

A large scale toxic incinerator and waste storage facility on this site is potentially a serious threat to the health and safety of all who live and work in Cork Harbour, including the students and staff of Coastal & Marine Resources Centre (CMRC), National Maritime College of Ireland (NMCI) and Naval personnel on Haulbowline.

The landscape however has changed enormously since indavers application in 2000. The area has developed as a populated education, training centre, with the NMCI directly across the road, and the CMRC recently approved for ?7 million in R&D funding under the Governments PRTLI (Programme for Research in Third Level Instutions). This is the type of development we the tax payers welcome and support as it will guarantee many high end jobs. The opening of Spike Island to the public as a cultural landmark compliments this positive development."

The proposal is detrimental to the long term strategic development of Cork Harbour and serves to exclusively support the short term economic gain and commercial advancement of the developer."

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