No costs for Nobber incinerator objectors

There has been an angry reaction in north Meath to the news that residents who objected to the proposed incinerator at Nobber will not receive their costs. It emerged this week that Bord Pleanála has rejected requests for costs from various parties involved in the Nobber College Proteins oral hearing. The planning application by College Proteins for the proposed meat and bonemeal incinerator near Nobber was withdrawn last year when it emerged that a portion of the site wasn"t owned by the company. The North-East Against Incineration group said this week that while they were disappointed at the decision, it only increased their resolve. 'Over 170 people sent in submissions to Bord Pleanála the last time and we intend to double that if a new application is made,' said spokesman, John Keogan. 'During the oral hearing, we showed quite clearly, there was no need for this development,' he said. Mr Keogan said they had raised the money to fight the development before and they would raise it again. 'We are determined to fight this,' he said. Deputy Shane McEntee reacted angrily to the news and said that Bord Pleanála had effectively awarded costs to themselves by deciding to hold onto the €100,000 fee lodged with them by the developers when the original application was made. 'The people of Nobber have done nothing wrong, but they are now out of pocket,' he said. 'They paid out a lot of money to fight this development and they are going to have to go back and fight again. They have to be refunded and I will pursue every angle to ensure they are refunded,' he said. Deputy Thomas Byrne said he, too, was very disappointed by the decision. 'I had called for not only the costs of the legal and environmental experts to be paid, but that members of the community should be recompensed for the time taken off work and for the effort and preparation they undertook for the oral hearing. This decision is wrong and unjust and I am calling on a collective public effort to overturn this,' he said. 'A huge number of submissions were lodged by concerned local residents against this proposal, including my own submission. There were important health and environmental considerations to take into account and I was pleased that so many members of the public actively engaged with the planning process,' he added. 'So many people attended the hearing and with loss of earnings incurred and time taken off, they must be recompensed for this.' Deputy Byrne said he had written to Bord Pleanála to express his anger and asked that the decision be reversed.