Residents in Lusk, north Dublin have condemned plans by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant a licence for a 500,000-tonne capacity landfill at Nevitt, Lusk.
The EPA is proposing to grant the licence to Fingal County Council to develop the 210-acre site as a residual waste landfill which will receive 16 per cent of waste produced by the greater Dublin region.
Opponents of the dump have 28 days to object to the proposed decision or request an oral hearing before the board of the EPA decides to grant the licence as proposed, to make amendments to the licence, or to hold a hearing. The cost of making an objection against the proposed decision is €200. Calling for an oral hearing costs an additional €100.
The council must also receive permission from An Bord Pleanála before it can develop the site. Following a large volume of objections to the council's plans, An Bord Pleanála held an oral hearing on the development last October. A decision is expected in the coming weeks. The EPA has attached more than 130 conditions to the proposed licence which include the stipulation that only residual waste (waste that has been pre-treated) can be put into the landfill.
Other conditions relate to controls on emissions, the collection and treatment of any leached material from the site, and the collection and treatment of any landfill gases with a view to their use in electricity generation. However, ultimately the EPA said that it was satisfied that the landfill, if operated in accordance with the conditions, "would not adversely affect human health or the environment and will meet all relevant national and EU standards".
Fingal council yesterday welcomed the EPA's plans to grant a licence. "This is the first step towards getting a licence from the EPA which is obviously very positive and we now await development consent from An Bord Pleanála," a spokeswoman said.
The Nevitt Lusk Action Group, which has objected to the landfill to both the EPA and An Bord Pleanála, said the EPA's decision was "appalling" and "erroneous" and based on an inaccurate environmental impact statement (EIS). The group said the EIS failed to meet the criteria laid down by the EPA. The landfill would result in the "annihilation" of the horticulture and food processing industry in the area and 25 people would be evicted from their homes.
The landfill would result in the destruction of a clean ground-water source which, the group said, Minister for the Environment John Gormley has the power to protect under the new EU water framework directive.
The group said it would call for an oral hearing and was prepared to take legal action against the development of the landfill. "We will be lodging a serious comprehensive objection to this decision. An oral hearing is essential. The group will be filing for judicial review and will bring this case all the way to Europe."