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22nd May 2012 • Volume 19, Issue 17 • Leader House, North Street, Swords, Co. Dublin. • ISDN 8139966 • Tel: 8•400•200
Lusk Targeted For Monster Sewage Plant A new groundswell of anger has emerged in the North County, with the naming of the three sites, which are shortlisted for the proposed new Monster Sewage Plant. The proposed sites are at Newtowncorduff, 1km west of Lusk; Annsbrook, 2.7km west of Lusk; and Clonshaugh, 2.2km east of Dublin airport. Local resident and Minister for Health, James Reilly was unavailable for comment, despite promises to facilitate the meeting late last year. The news comes as a particular disappointment to locals, many of whom believed from the outset that ‘their man’ Reilly would come to the rescue and they would not have to endure the misery of having such a monster plant being located in their backyard. They find this particularly hard to understand, particularly as the minister himself is resident in this area. Local coucillor and prominent anti-sewage plant
Ugly End Of Term Scenes At Skerries School By Peter Kearney End of term celebrations at Skerries Community College turned ugly last Tuesday morning, when it was reported a group of 6th year students went on a rampage and damaged school and private property. The so called “celebrations”, which necessitated the calling of the Gardai to the school, resulted in students being sent home and the school graduation being cancelled. End of years celebrations are quite the norm at the Skerries school. The celebrations mark the end of year for sixthyear students, due to sit Leaving Certificate examinations. Students typically engage in the odd prank at this time of year, which always passes in great spirits. For some unknown reason, this year’s celebrations passed with an ugly twist. One of the students, who did not wish to be named told the County Leader, “Students were asked to leave the school at 11.30am on Tuesday, to avoid any further incident in the school, as there had been minor disruptions in previous weeks. A text message was
By Kieran Dunne campaigner, Ken Farrell (Lab), was furious when he told the County Leader, “It was always the policy of the Council to divide and conquer the community in regard to the sewage plant. I believe that this is the very ground that will win this fight for the people of the northern part of the county. There is more determination now than ever, to mobilise and be motivated to resist any attempt to have this massive sewage plant here. This proposal has the effect of uniting the people in all of the towns and villages in the area,” he said. Lusk Waste Watchers Group spokesperson, Lorcan O’Toole told the County Leader, “The County Council seem to think that they can use and abuse the locality of Lusk. This area has suffered more than most at the hands of this sent to parents, informing them of this. This is usual for each year, as the school attempts to avoid disruption as much as possible. Students left the school and returned home.” “A number of students then returned to the school, armed with eggs and water balloons, some of which were masked or disguised. These were then thrown at school property, cars and other students as they were leaving during their lunch break. The Gardai were called by a concerned neighbour, as the school is in a residential area. Egg-throwing has resulted in a requirement for an industrial cleaning of the school. The result was that the graduation was cancelled,” the source concluded. Unfortunately a small group of students returned on Wednesday night to inflict further damage on the school. Students not involved in the events are understandably upset, as a lot of work was put into the ceremony, though there seems to be a general consensus of understanding. An alternative ceremony, completely independent of the school, was arranged and held at the Bracken Court Hotel in Balbriggan. Those connected with the school are shocked at what happened and disappointed that the graduation was cancelled. When the County Leader contacted Skerries Community School they said they had “no comment” to make on the matter. The Parents Association were unavailable for comment and attempts to contact the Students Council were unsuccessful. It is hoped that this matter will be closed shortly and to everybody’s satisfaction.
Michael Savage of JC’s Supermarket, Swords is pictured with Liam Fletcher, the winner of the Renault Fluence in last Saturday’s car draw at JC’s. Also in the picture are his wife Viola and baby daughter Amelia. See our picture special of the draw day on page 6
council. This latest plan will be too much for many of us to bear and there is going to be a very strong reaction. The local authority continues to ignore the legitimate concerns of the people they are supposed to serve,” he said. Two of the three shortlisted sites are within a short distance of the village. Either of these would require a massive pipeline connecting the plant to the sewage network of Dublin city and onward to a coastal outfall near Loughshinny. O’Toole continued, “The pipeline alone will create a massive scar the length of the North County and cost a fortune. Pumping millions of litres of sewage this distance and then into the sea at Loughshinny is possibly the most inefficient solution possible. This plant is not even intended to process our sewage; it’s sewage from outside the area that will be dumped on us. This is a disgrace.” The decision to develop a huge industrial plant to handle sewage from outside the North County area and site it in prime agricultural land has dismayed local residents, many of whom have been unable to obtain planning permission for houses on their own land. “They have consis-
tently refused permission for any form of development in the area, due it’s sensitive rural nature. This proposal is a real slap in the face for us all. Despite 10,000 objections, they are carrying on regardless. They just don’t listen,” concluded O’Toole. Meanwhile, the County Leader contacted the office of the Minister for the Environment, Phil Hogan, seeking his comments on the shortlisting. A spokesperson for the Minister said, “It would be inappropriate for the Minister to involve himself in these statutory functions of the local authorities. There is no role for the Minister in these proceedings, until such time time as the local authority has concluded the site and route selection processes and then gone through the statutory processes under the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Act, 2006 ,” the statement concluded. The County Council will accept submissions on the sites until 6th July and will host information meetings in County Hall, Swords, on 30th May and 14th June – from 2pm to 8pm and on 16th June from 11am to 4pm.
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