Residents to challenge government white wash-Doolan
Published: 24 April, 2007
100's of residents from Ringsend and Sandymount are expected to make their
presence felt this evening at the ongoing An Bord Pleanála oral hearing into
the proposed incinerator for the Poolbeg Peninsula. Sinn Féin's Dublin
Environment Spokesperson & candidate for Dublin South East, Councillor
Daithí Doolan, has today welcomed, "the community mobilisation against this
attempted government white wash."
Speaking from Ringsend this morning, Dublin, Cllr. Doolan said:
"Buses are being organised to accommodate the people who want to attend this
oral hearing and expose it for what it is. The whole process, costing 10
million euros, has been an attempt to massage the community into accepting a
mass burning incinerator. Only under pressure did An Bord Pleanála accept
the need to allow those people who worked during the day to attend an
evening session of the hearing. If this demand was not made the hearing
would have continued without ordinary people having their say about this
crucial development. I am encouraging people to attend the protest but also
to come and have their say in front of the Bord."
Cllr. Doolan explains, "The proposal to build an incinerator on the Poolbeg
Peninsula area flies against any rationale thinking. The Programme for
Government dictates that an incinerator must be built in Dublin, but the
Department of Environment have failed to take into account the 10's
thousands of people who plan to move into the area as part of the
development of the Poolbeg Peninsula, the Point Village and Dockland
Development. The City Council have failed to take into account the fact that
having built the Port Tunnel this proposal, if it goes ahead, will now be
bringing 100's of trucks right back through the city centre into a part of
the inner city that is already gridlocked. This incinerator is clearly a
political trade off, Poolbeg Peninsula must take an incinerator while the
people of Lusk must take a super dump in return. Both are unacceptable.
No one doubts that Dublin faces a waste management crisis, but simply
burning and burying our waste is not the solution. Communities are committed
to defeating the failed strategy of burning and burying our waste. The
incinerator must be opposed and the plans abolished. A strategy of tackling
the waste crisis at source must be implemented, a strategy that aims at
reducing, reusing and recycling, with the ultimate objective of Zero Waste
for Dublin."
Cllr. Doolan continued
"At a time when the world is facing massive climate change and global
warming we can not allow An Bord Pleanala to do a Pontius Pilot. Our
planning decisions must take our global commitments & environmental
responsibilities into consideration. Mitigation, taking strong actions to
reduce carbon emissions, must be viewed as a planning issue. Ireland is only
allowed emit 7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide yet this proposed
incinerator will generate 600,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. This clearly
flies in the face of our commitments under the Kyoto agreement."
In conclusion Cllr. Doolan, called on, "An Bord Pleanála to take their
responsibility seriously and to reject Dublin City Council's request for
planning permission for the proposed incinerator here in Ringsend."
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