How do I object ?

You need to send a letter to the planning office.  The details are below.  Click here for an example.

What are the reasons for objecting ?

1 Public Health - Dioxins and Furans

Did you know that the health impact assessment document that was submitted by Rose Energy uses the word cancer 160 times ? Why not watch the videos (1 through to 4) of Dr Paul Connett speaking about incineration and public health to learn more.

4 Green Belt/High Scenic Value, Special Scientific Interest

Did you know that the Glenavy site came joint 32nd out of 46 sites in terms of best choice from an environmental perspective ?  So Rose Energy openly admit that 31 of the 46 sites are as good or better than Glenavy in terms of positioning their monster incinerator.

The proposed building will be a monstrous imposition on a landscape designated as being an Area of High Scenic Value. If permitted it will fly in the face of this important designation – our landscape is one of our most important natural resources and it will undoubtedly affect the tourism potential of the area. The location is a rural area and should not be made subject to this massive-scale industrialisation.

• The whole area covered by the proposed ROSE plant (and also by Ulster Farm By-Products) is not only Green Belt but also AOHSV.

• BMAP, Vol. 1, Part 3 states:  “Within AOHSV all proposals will be assessed against prevailing regional policies for development in the Green Belt.  In addition the Department will consider how proposals will conserve and enhance the landscape of the AOHSV.  Particular regard will be paid to the siting, massing, scale and design, materials, finishes and landscaping of proposals in order to ensure that development will integrate well into the topography and landscape and respect the scale of, and materials used, in existing vernacular buildings in the surrounding area.  The scale of any proposed development will be considered to be of particular importance, in order to protect the metropolitan setting, and take account of any site that is exceptionally prominent.”

Lough Neagh and Lough Beg - RAMSAR Site

On the 5th of January 1976, Lough Neagh and Lough Beg were nominated as RAMSAR sites.  RAMSAR sites are recognised as Wetlands of International Importance

The sections below are lifted from the RAMSAR application.  Lots of other information is provided within the application document.

Overview

Lough Neagh is situated in the centre of Northern Ireland. It is the largest freshwater lake in the United Kingdom covering an area of 383 km2 with a longest length of 30.5 km and narrowest width of 12.1 km across the middle. The lake is very shallow for its size, with a mean depth of 8.9 metres.

At its deepest point it extends down to 34 metres. The 125 km shoreline is mostly exposed with wavebeaten rocks and stones but there are also some sheltered, sandy bays with better-developed marginal vegetation including some reedbeds.

This site also contains a smaller lake, Lough Beg (1,125 ha) to the north, as well as a small satellite lake, Portmore Lough (286 ha) which is situated to the east of Lough Neagh. Lough Beg (meaning 'little lough') is essentially a widening of the Lower Bann River just downstream from where it leaves Lough Neagh. Lough Beg is very shallow, with a mean depth of 1-2 metres and a surface area of km2.

About 200 hectares of the west shore is unimproved wet grassland that is largely inundated with floodwater each winter.

Rivers flowing into Lough Neagh drain about 43% of Northern Ireland, plus part of County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland.

Ramsar criterion 1

A particularly good representative example of natural or near-natural wetlands, common to more than one biogeographic region. The site is the largest freshwater lake in the United Kingdom. Lough Neagh a relatively shallow body of water supporting beds of submerged aquatic vegetation fringed by associated species-rich damp grassland, reedbeds, islands, fens, marginal swampy woodland and pasture. Other interesting vegetation types include those associated with pockets of cut-over bog, basalt rock outcrops and boulders, and the mobile sandy shore.

Ramsar criterion 2

Supports an appreciable assemblage of rare, vulnerable or endangered species or sub-species of plant or animal or an appreciable number of individuals of any one of these species. The site supports over 40 rare or local vascular plants which have been recorded for the site since 1970; the most notable are eight-stamened waterwort Elatine hydropiper, marsh pea Lathyrus palustris, Irish lady’s tresses Spiranthes romanzoffiana, alder buckthorn Frangula alnus, narrow small-reed Calamagrostis stricta and holy grass Hierochloe odorata. The Lough and its margin are also home to a large number of rare or local invertebrates, including two aquatic and two terrestrial molluscs, a freshwater shrimp Mysis relicta, eight beetles, five hoverflies, seven moths and two butterflies. Of the rare beetles recorded two, Stenus palposus and Dyschirius obscurus, have their only known Irish location around the Lough. The Lough also supports twelve species of dragonfly.

Ramsar criterion 3

This site is of special value for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of a region becuse of the quality and peculiarities of its flora and fauna. The site regularly supports substantial numbers of individuals from particular groups of waterfowl which are indicative of wetland values, productivity and diversity. In addition, this site is of special value for maintaining the genetic and ecological diversity of Northern Ireland because of the quality and peculiarities of its flora and fauna. A large number of plants and animal species are confined or almost confined to this area within Northern Ireland.

Ramsar criterion 4

This site is of special value as the habitat of plants or animals at a critical stage of their biological cycles. The site supports an important assemblage of breeding birds including the following species with which occur in nationally important numbers: great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus, gadwall Anas strepera, pochard Aythya ferina, tufted duck Aythya fuligula, snipe Gallinago gallinago and redshank Tringa totanus. Other important breeding wetland species include shelduck Tadorna tadorna, teal Anas crecca, shoveler Anas clypeata, lapwing Vanellus vanellus and curlew Numenius.arquata.

Ramsar criterion 7

The site supports a population of pollan Coregonus autumnalis, one of the few locations in Ireland and one of the two known locations in the UK (the other is Lower Lough Erne). It is one of the most important species in Ireland in terms of faunal biodiversity since it occurs nowhere else in Europe, and the Irish populations are all well outside the typical range – the Arctic Ocean drainages of Siberia, Alaska and north-western Canada, where it is known as the Arctic cisco.

5 Traffic Increases

The increase in traffic will cause a hazard both by way of pollution, emissions and safety on what are essentially country roads. The safety of pedestrians will be compromised along with other road users. This plant would double the HGV traffic currently entering and exiting the existing plant.  As such it will cause more pollution and put our pedestrians in danger.

Wouldn't it be so much better if they didn't need to truck this stuff in from all across the North.  If instead, they dealt with it in locally based anaerobic digestion units ?

9 Chicken Litter Today - Landfill Tomorrow

What will happen when the poultry industry changes.  What happens if this huge plant can't get enough 'litter' to have it run at 95% capacity.  well, you don't leave an investment like this sitting quiet, you go and you find other things to burn in it. What is there to stop the owners of this plan bringing in household waste and burning that instead !  Nothing !  The problem with a huge single plant like this is that it is not flexable in terms of capacity.  With other technologies such as anaerobic digestion you can easily add additional digesting units distributed across the countryside and increase or decrease your capacity as and when required.  With one, huge, single point of failure like this you are asking for trouble.

Did you know that the existing Ulster Farm Bi-Products plant is currently burning household waste ?  A pilot scheme in Belfast is sending their food based household waste to Ulster Farm where it is being added into their rendering units.

10 Protection of the Lough

The need for an alternative to land-spreading poultry litter has arisen due to the need to protect our waters. The location of this plant on the shores of Lough Neagh threatens the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland both via the particulate emissions which it will cause and by the returning of vast quantities of water at an elevated temperature to the Lough. This body of water is the largest source of drinking water in Northern Ireland and should be given paramount protection. Lough Neagh and its shores are home to a variety of flora and fauna indigenous to Ireland and its local, national and international importance is demonstrated by its designation as a Natura 2000 and RAMSAR site and therefore it should be afforded proper protection from the imposition of a large-scale incinerator.

12 Lack of Enforcement

A report released by Greenpeace, based on the Environment agencies own records of emissions breaches reported by incinerator operators, revealed that England's 10 operating incinerators had exceeded their 1999 and 2000 pollution limits 553 times. Only one Environmental Agency prosecution resulted.