arc21 hits out at ‘unwarranted claims’ about possible Lough Neagh pollution risk from proposed Mallusk incinerator

Indaver, the European waste management company proposing to build the infrastructure on the site of the former Hightown Quarry, made the comments in the wake of concerns being raised about potential discharge from the site causing pollution in Lough Neagh.

The £240m scheme was originally turned down in 2015 by the then Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan.

arc21, set up on behalf of councils in Belfast, Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ards and North Down, Lisburn and Castlereagh, Mid and East Antrim, and Newry, Mourne and Down, then secured approval from the Planning Appeals Commission.

Civil servants agreed to give the plant the go ahead following a collapse in the Stormont Executive. But the High Court subsequently ruled there was no power to approve the incinerator without a minister being in place.

The Department for Infrastructure announced in September 2017 that full planning permission had been granted for the facility. However, in 2018 the Court of Appeal ruled that Stormont officials did not have the legal authority to grant permission for the facility.

The plans were also refused in March 2022 by then Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon.

However, that decision was quashed by High Court judge Mr Justice Humphreys in May 2023.

Members of No-Arc21, the community group established to highlight residents’ concerns over the plans drew attention this week to a report from the Water Management Unit (WMU), an arm of the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), claiming that foul waste discharged from arc21’s proposed waste incinerator at Hightown Quarry could end up in Lough Neagh.

Chair of No-Arc21, Colin Buick, said: “I think that there will be grave concerns when people learn that arc21’s proposed waste monster has the potential to not just damage the environment in its immediate vicinity, but also pollute Lough Neagh when it is already in such a bad way.

"As has been well documented in the past year or so, the Lough’s biodiversity has come under serious threat, fishing has become impossible in places and people have become detached from this vital resource.

"For arc21 to then come along and potentially make this dire situation even worse, by discharging foul waste from its proposed waste monster which could then end up in Lough Neagh, is simply unacceptable.”

Responding to the claims, Jackie Keaney, commercial director at Indaver, stated: “During the long running planning process over the last 10 years, the project has received no objections from over 70 statutory consultee responses including from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Public Health Agency and DfI Roads Service.

"The project has also previously been recommended for approval now four times by both the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Strategic Planning Directorate and by an independent Planning Appeals Commission review.

“As part of the planning application, arc21 has prepared a comprehensive drainage assessment for the proposed site which has been accepted and agreed with the Water Management Unit (WMU) within NIEA on a number of previous consultation responses. The previously accepted proposals to manage water and drainage included a package treatment plant to deal with foul sewerage and a separate stormwater regime flowing into existing reedbed ponds on site.

"Following the submission of updated Further Environmental Information (FEI) last September that updated the planning application for this important public infrastructure project, arc21 has since received a number of responses, with the majority of consultees continuing to have no objection and no observations as to the proposed development as it interacts with their areas of interest.

"Any observations raised by statutory consultees are now being responded to and this includes working through WMU’s latest response to understand what is needed to secure a consent to discharge into a water course that is subject to a separate statutory process. We are confident that just as in previous consultations that constructive feedback from statutory consultees will be acknowledged and addressed to their satisfaction.

“We hope that following this latest round of consultations that we are nearing a point where we can receive a robust and evidence-based planning decision to allow this critical public infrastructure to be delivered. We need to remember that the Becon project is designed to deliver a sustainable solution for the six councils’ black bin waste and will directly contribute to Northern Ireland’s ambitious recycling and landfill diversion targets while also recovering energy from our non-recyclable waste locally.

"Economically, this project gives the six local councils a robust and sustainable solution for their waste at a time when public finances are under severe pressure. Currently the costs of both landfill and waste export are paid for through local rates and this project will redirect those costs to deliver a more sustainable solution with many local economic and environmental benefits. It also has the potential to deliver a revenue share opportunity for arc21’s councils from the sale of energy and recycled material generated by the project.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for arc21 added: “It would be unfortunate if the unwarranted claims to link the proposed development of much needed modern, easily regulated waste treatment infrastructure to the historic and on-going ecological degradation of Lough Neagh raised anxiety in anyone who read such claims.

"The statutory planning process addresses land use issues against Northern Ireland’s statutory planning framework. However, there are several other statutory consents that need to be secured, including permits to discharge to air and water courses.

"The proposed development is at the head of a natural river drainage catchment system passing through existing industrial and residential areas. The development is aligned with the Mills Report recommendations following the large-scale illegal landfilling at Mobuoy to reduce the number of waste movements that leaves Northern Ireland exposed to waste crime that can damage Northern Ireland’s environment, including Lough Neagh.”

The NIEA has been asked for comment.