An Irish company, Thermal Waste Management (TWM), plans to build a large incinerator to process 100,000 tonnes of hazardous waste and a further 50,000 tonnes of municipal waste a year near Kilcock, Co Kildare.
The unit is proposed for a 20-acre site at Boycetown, half-a-mile west of the town, and is close to the N4 national primary route and a rail link. The land is currently used for agriculture.
The developers have secured outline planning permission from Kildare County Council to erect industrial and commercial units in the form of an adjoining business park, while An Bord Pleanala has ruled the site should be used for light industry purposes only.
TWM has appealed the refusal by the council of permission for the incinerator. North KildareSouth Meath Alliance Against Incineration, which has led the campaign against the facility, is also appealing the decision, which enables its representative to cross-examine TWM experts at the hearing which opened yesterday.
They are joined by Kilcock Community Council and residents' groups, while a large number of local business, farming and bloodstock industry representatives have been given observer status.
