The following is a letter from the Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment (CHASE) regarding the latest proposal by Indaver Ireland for an incinerator in Ringaskiddy.
The developer Indaver have decided to submit a new planning application for a toxic incinerator plus an increased capacity municipal incinerator in Ringaskiddy. Their original planning for one incinerator having expired. This facility will be very visible from all parts of the harbour.
The stack would be 85 meters high, and there would be 212 extra truck movements on the roads bringing toxic and municipal waste to a site which is so small, it is meters from an eroding coastline, meters from the entrance to the Navy on Haulbowline, and meters from Hammond Lane foundries which has regular swarf fires. Worst of all it is so close to the new Maritime College that if an accident occurs the students will have 40 seconds to seek safety. A Senior Inspector has already put on public record that safety risks are at stake should the Toxic incinerator ever be built, on this site.
(1)Health
Our own Health Research Board has stated that respiratory problems will occur to residents living near an incinerator. Other in depth reports indicate that cumulative emissions from incineration cause cancers . Indaver have stated publicly that poisons that go into an incinerator come out of an incinerator.
Incinerators, (burning resources) are the biggest producers of dioxins, so agriculture is at risk, and our status as having the lowest dioxin levels in Europe will go up in smoke.
If another foot and mouth incident occurred or a similar recent dioxin incident , the carcasses would be burned in Cork Harbour, if a toxic incinerator were sited on this site. .
(2)Transport.
The Jack Lynch tunnel is already at capacity. This extra burden of bringing all the toxic waste from all over Ireland through it and down pass all the workers in Ringaskiddy, whose companies are moving towards cleaner bio technology, and who have their own in house incinerators, and are planning wind turbines to supply clean energy, makes nonsense of development plans, strategic plans, and common sense. These jobs in the harbour are valuable , but a clean environment to encourage them to stay here is more valuable.
(3)Tourism.
Cork Harbour is a source of revenue by virtue of its status as the best natural harbour in Europe, because of this , cruise liners come into the harbour bringing much needed revenue to Cork. The French Ferry also comes in weekly, should we ask that they berth beside a toxic incinerator?
The walk along Passage , Glenbrook, Monkstown, Shanbally (the heart walk) would become a hostile environment for all those walking or cycling along this route.
(4)Climate Change
These incinerators will add greatly to our CO2 emissions and costs us taxpayers money to buy from other countries CO2 credits, or to pay fines if we exceed our emissions.
The site chosen by the developer Indaver is on a flooding site, see OPW map of flooding. With any rise in sea level this will become a problem as the transport station , and any trucks parked on the road will leach toxins into the River Lee. Any trucks left parked for any length of time in heavy rain outside the Maritime College could have this problem.
(5)Heritage
The Harbour has five Martello towers and the biggest and most visible is Ringaskiddy Martello Tower. It is built on the skyline and again is meters away from this building which will change the perception of this tower as a piece of heritage. Gobbi beach which borders the site is the only recreation area for the people of Ringaskiddy and is renowned for its fossils because of its significance during the glacial period. UCC students come to study fossils on this beach – this will become a no go area if this facility gets planning on this site.
(6)Amenity use of the Harbour.
The historic amenity use of the harbour will be downgraded for fishing, boating, rowing, yachting swimming and all other recreations as the toxic chimney stack will be a reminder for the next 30 years that our health will be compromised to “sport or play” on the banks of the River Lee.
(7)Planning.
The planning laws have been breached in the developers site selection, as they were not adhered to in this planning.
The need for this facility is very uncertain, as only a small fraction of toxic waste will come from this area.So why the developer Indaver have chosen this site for the burning of all the toxic waste of the country is a mystery.
People wishing to object to this planning application should write to An Bord Pleanala in Dublin quoting PA0010, with a fee of 50 euros and post before the end of January, no objections will be accepted after that date. Residents can come together to cut down on costs.
Mamie Bowen,
C/o Chair Monkstown Passage Glenbrook branch of Chase.
More information can be found on the CHASE website
