A PRESSURE group opposed to the building of a controversial chicken waste incineration plant on the shores of Lough Neagh believe their campaign is gathering steam following a meeting with Antrim Borough Council.

Communities Against the Lough Neagh Incinerator (CALNI) met the council on Thursday, and Rose Energy – the company behind the proposals – are due to make their presentation on August 28. Both groups are then due to meet with Lisburn City Council on September 10. 

A representative of the group, Sheila Davidson, said they were very pleased with the meeting.

"The fact is that we are a community group and we don't have the time and resources to put into answering the questions regarding the plant that Rose Energy has.

“However, we have demonstrated that questions do need to be asked, and we believe the public mood is moving towards a full review of these plans. We intend to commission a full professional scientific review of the whole proposal and its environmental impact.

“Local councils have a duty of care to their constituents to investigate and challenge these proposals,” she added.

SDLP South Antrim MLA, Tommy Burns, has thrown his weight behind the campaign, and is calling for a public enquiry into the plans.

“Glenavy is completely the wrong location for this plant. It should be sited in an industrial estate, but the current plans are to build it in the middle of the green belt, and an area of Special Scientific Interest.

“There are serious problems with the effect it will have on the water supply in the area. There are just so many questions that they can only be answered by a full public enquiry.”

Tommy also plans to ask for a meeting with Environment Minister Sammy Wilson to outline his concerns about the plant.

Local farmer James McAllister said he was concerned about dioxin emissions from the plant because he discovered an existing planning permission for a small incinerator at a nearby farm included the requirement “to agree a plan with the Department to allow for the sampling of dioxin levels in milk in the area surrounding the site both before and subsequent to the operation of the incinerator”.

“If that incinerator was built tomorrow all milk in the area would have to be tested,” he said.

 “That is a matter of fact. Our simple question is, what are the implications for testing for an incinerator ten times that size?”

Civil Engineer Michael High also questioned the claims for visibility, road traffic impacts and water requirements.

“Rose Energy is perfectly entitled to make its best pitch, but it cannot go unchallenged. To date no-one has had the money to make that challenge, and our government departments seem to be accepting without question the claims that are being made.

“We intend to challenge those claims with independent specialist evidence but we need time. Their claims should be subject to full public scrutiny and that is why we are calling for a public inquiry into this proposal.

“An incinerator will have massive implications for our community in terms of farming, tourism and local quality of life, and that is before we even enter into a detailed examination of their technology claims.

“They cite expert reports on energy generation as evidence of the importance of their plant but we believe the fact is that these refer to combined heat and power outputs which this plant will not have.

“If this debate is simply held in the media and the council chambers we will not have a full and independent evaluation of their proposal and our community deserves to be convinced beyond all reasonable doubt that this will not have massive negative impact on us.”