Incinerator opponents ready to go to court

A FURIOUS row has broken out after Environment Minister Edwin Poots gave the go-ahead for the construction of a controversial biomass power plant in Glenavy.

This week the Minister approved the plans by Rose Energy Ltd for an energy plant fuelled by chicken litter.

But the approval has been greeted with anger in the local community, with locals vowing to challenge the decision in the courts.

Residents in the Glenavy area have long campaigned against the energy plant and CALNI, Communities Against Lough Neagh Incinerator, said their campaign is far from over.

Making his announcement this week the Minister insisted the incineration plant would create jobs and be of enormous benefit to local poultry farmers.

He acknowledged it was a "hugely controversial decision" and that it would "probably cost myself and my party votes in the next election."

However, he insisted it was the right decision to make and that, given the current waiting list, a public inquiry could not have been held for at least two years.

"The power plant facility will create in the region of 300-400 construction jobs and approximately 30 permanent jobs in the operation of the facility once constructed," said Mr Poots. "It will also have indirect employment and investment benefits in connection with Belfast Port and the haulage industry in Northern Ireland."

The Minister concluded: "I am fully aware of both the opposition and support for the power plant, and that I have a judgement to make between the benefits of the proposal to the poultry industry and the Northern Ireland economy and the potential adverse impacts on residential amenity and the landscape setting. Having given the proposal careful consideration, including visiting the site and viewing it from Lough Neagh, I am satisfied that on balance it should be approved."

The Minister's decision has been welcomed by the company behind the scheme, Rose Energy Ltd. Company Chairman Tony O'Neill said they were now looking forward to the next stage of the project. "We have spent over six years researching and developing our proposals and have worked with planning and environmental experts to ensure our planning application was robust and thorough. Throughout this period we have maintained that our proposal represents the best solution for Northern Ireland's agri-food sector, and for achieving our renewable green energy targets, and we are delighted that the Minister has recognised its merits."

However, residents are outraged and have labelled the announcement "one of the worst planning decisions ever made in Northern Ireland."

CALNI have vowed to begin legal proceedings to have the approval overturned "within days."

CALNI President Danny Moore said: "The fact that it has been made by a locally elected Minister in the face of such overwhelming opposition marks a complete failure of both planning policy and the democratic process.

"Almost 7,000 people submitted objections to the application – the highest number of objections ever submitted against a planning application in Northern Ireland. Objections were also made by prominent local employers such as Randox Laboratories in Crumlin.

"At the very least, there is irrefutable evidence that this planning application should go to a Public Inquiry. Lisburn City Council, Antrim Borough Council, South Antrim MP Rev William McCrea, DEL Minister Sir Reg Empey and Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew have all called for a Public Inquiry. Minister Poots' own Lagan Valley DUP Assembly colleagues and Jeffrey Donaldson MP have also all called for a Public Inquiry into the application.

"CALNI has consistently warned Minister Poots and Rose Energy that if they chose to pursue this incinerator proposal at Glenavy, CALNI would fight them every step of the way, for years if necessary, all the way to the European Court of Justice.

"We have retained Barristers, Planning and Environmental lawyers and legal action will be initiated within days.

"The Minister's decision does not mark the end of this process, but only the end of the beginning," concluded Mr Moore.

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