Nobber locals pledge to fight College plans again

With the oral hearing into the proposed College Proteins meat and bonemeal incinerator due to start in less than a fortnight, the local community says it is determined to fight the proposals every step of the way, according to the North-East Against Incineration group. The Bord Pleanala hearing is due to get underway in the Nuremore Hotel in Carrickmacross on 6th October and, according to NEAI spokesman Keogan, the people of the area will be there in numbers to make their case. College Proteins is seeking permission for a biomass combined heat and power plant at College Road, Nobber. Mr Keogan was critical of the choice of location for the hearing, describing the venue as a lovely hotel but said it would be very inconvenient for a lot of members of his group. He said the people of the community were eager to get their voices heard and were all prepared to fight again, despite the fact that it was an expensive process for them. "It cost us €140,000 to fight this last year and, this year, we are really trying to keep costs down and have been holding a lot of fundraisers," he said. The NEIA group held a concert in the Headfort Arms Hotel, Kells, recently and a drag racing event is planned for Nobber at the end of October. "We will do whatever we can to fight this," he pledged. An earlier enquiry into the proposed incinerator was called off last October when it was discovered that the College Proteins application was for land the company did not own. The company had to resubmit its planning application. The hearing is expected to last up to seven days. It will start on Tuesday 6th October and will continue on the Wednesday and Thursday, resuming again the following Monday for a further three to four days. A final decision on the application is due by 4th November.