ONE OF the largest waste companies in the country has withdrawn its application to An Bord Pleanála seeking permission to more than double the amount of waste it takes at one of its landfills.
A scheduled oral hearing next week by the board into the application – by Greenstar North East Ltd – has been cancelled.
The company wanted permission to increase what it accepts at its landfill at Knockharley, Kentstown, Co Meath, from 88,000 tonnes a year to 200,000 tonnes a year, which would allow it to develop an anaerobic digestion facility. It also proposed to increase the amount of electricity recovered at the site, and to feed this into the national grid.
Confirming the company had withdrawn the application, Jerry Dempsey, commercial director with Greenstar, said: “Policy change is driving a lot of uncertainty. It was a difficult decision to make.” Possible changes to the collection of household waste as well as the uncertainty over future Government policy on waste had contributed to the decision.
He said the planning process had cost the company “a lot of money”, and if it had gone ahead the development would have involved a €20 million investment and created 60 jobs during the construction period, and 10 full-time jobs afterwards.
The decision to withdraw the application was welcomed by local community groups, who were against increasing the amount of waste accepted. Fergal O’Byrne, chairman of the Knockharley and District Residents’ Association said: “This is fantastic news.”