Proposed new Naas dump causing controversy as environment group hit out at planners and Kildare Co Council

An environmentalist group in Naas have hit out at the plans to develop a dumping site near the town.

An application was made to Kildare County Council for the development of a landfill site in Thornberry, Kill, and the Clean Air Naas group have raised various concerns over the potential impact that it could have on the area.

The proposed site can be accessed via an agricultural road that crosses over the M7. Access to the road is from the Monread Road in Naas, which is already suffering from a volume of traffic that it is not designed to cater for.

An application was submitted to the Kildare County Council by David Boylan Limited to request permission to develop a landfill site that would see a total of up to 97,945 tonnes of waste imported into the site over a five year timeframe. It is also stated on the Environmental Impact Statement that there would be a minimum of 52 large trucks accessing the site each day, which would ultimately mean that there would be 104 extra truck journeys on the road going to and from the site during working hours. The number of trucks using the route would be subject to fluctuation also.

Spokesperson for the Clean Air Naas group, Joe Friel, said that they have serious concerns as to whether or not the applicants would ultimately stick to the stipulations of dumping under 100,000 tonnes of waste at the old quarry site. The applicants have applied for a waste permit, which permits them to dump up to 100,000 tonnes of waste, rather than a waste licence, which would allow them to dump more. Waste permits are easier to get as they come from the local authority, whereas a waste licence must be granted by the Environment Protection Agency, who have stricter guidelines.

CAN are concerned about the absence of a weighbridge in the area, saying that the company could dump much more than 100,000 tonnes in the site, which would increase the volume of traffic on the Monread Road even further.

KildareNow has also learned that the application for the landfill site has been left to one side by Kildare County Council after the applicant provided section drawings at the incorrect scale, while there was no consent letter from the land owner provided to the council. A new application must now be submitted.

CAN have hit out at Kildare County Council for failing to inform them of the planning application, saying that they were only made aware of the plans midway through the period in which objections can be submitted.

“We are particularly shocked with KCC’s failure to keep locals fairly advised of the proposed development. Only last year, we were told that Kildare County Council would take a completely different approach to granting Waste Permits. They have now fallen at the first hurdle and if this application is granted it will cause traffic chaos in Naas. We only have until Monday July 18 to submit objections” declared Brian McGeever of CAN.

“A recent KCC traffic report (2013) confirms that the Sallins Road and the Monread Road already exceed their design capacity. However the applicant is using data which is over 10 years old! Naas locals already know about the long traffic tailbacks on these roads and cannot be so easily fooled. We shudder to think of the additional delays which will be caused if KCC approve this new Waste Permit application” stated Joe Friel of CAN.

“This access route is completely crazy and is not suited to Naas which is now a busy modern district. Naas needs more professional developments such as Kerry Group, which we openly welcome, and let’s stop using our area as a dumping ground!” pleaded Brian McGeever of CAN.