The developer of a major new shopping centre in Newbridge, Co Kildare, is to issue a statement today outlining how it has disposed of contaminated soil on the site.
The White Water Centre, reported to be the largest shopping complex outside Dublin, is being developed on the old Irish Ropes factory site in the town.
It is due to open in two years and is expected to attract major retailing names from Ireland and abroad. It will also house a six-screen cinema, residential units and 1,700 car-parking spaces.
In recent weeks contaminated and non-contaminated soil on the site has been cleared from the site in preparatory work.
Some industry sources have expressed concern about the disposal of the waste, but the site developers insisted yesterday that all contaminated waste had been disposed of according to the strictest environmental guidelines.
Spokesmen for the developer of the centre, Newbridge Investments Ltd, and sub-contractors Cara Environmental, said some soil was lightly contaminated with diesel and some metals.
This material was removed by licensed contractors and taken to licensed facilities, the spokesmen said.
One industry source said he believed that up to 2,000 tonnes of material was highly toxic and could only be disposed of abroad, but this was rejected by Newbridge Investments Ltd yesterday.
A spokesman said the contractors were following a process that was "beyond scrutiny"and described these claims as totally unfounded and mischievous.
A spokesman for Kildare County Council said the council was happy that the contaminated material was disposed of in the correct way. The contaminated soil was going to three licensed sites in Cos Kildare and Dublin, he said.
The Environmental Protection Agency said the site was no longer within its jurisdiction since it had commissioned an independent exit audit in February 1999 after the closure of Irish Ropes. The site was now a matter for the local authority.
