by Caoimhinn Barr, Inishowen Independent
DONEGAL County Council has spent €1,112,000 on the
Moville, Greencastle sewerage treatment plant in the
past six years without laying a single pipe. That’s
enough money to pay a Social Welfare Christmas bonus
to everyone in Inishowen.
The controversial plant now looks highly unlikely to
ever get the green light at Carnagarve after local
county councillors voted unanimously to seek a
suspension of the project’s planning application
pending an independent investigation.
The Inishowen public representatives rejected the
€140,000 Donegal County Council tidal modeling
system favouring a report by an independent
oceanographer, who found that effluent would
regularly wash up on the Moville shoreline if a pipe
was sited off Carnagarve.
A sum of €478,000 was spent on a preliminary report
and oral hearing last year while €341,000 was
required for an environmental impact assessment of
the area.
Calling for an investigation into the process,
councillor Martin Farren said it was time to send
out a clear message.
“I have major concerns with the way this project has
been handled. I have listened to this for twenty
years and too many things remain unclear. It is time
to deal with this now and stand up to be counted.”
“It is my job to ensure that effluent won’t come
back on the shore. This is a beautiful area and to
think that we could pump sewage into it is terrible.
I am very angry and this whole process has been very
unprofessional from the start,” added Cllr. Farren.
Cllr. Padraig MacLochlainn said the entire process
was a scandal.
“I am totally outraged. The whole process is a total
insult to the collective community of Moville and
Greencastle. The fact that €278,000 was spent on an
oral hearing is a damning indictment. During that
hearing I watched an army of senior counsel and
consultants take on a small group of residents, who
weren’t even offered a glass of water. I want that
sum of €278,000 broken down to every last cup of
coffee,” he said.
“Somebody has to put their hands up and say this is
a mess. I have never heard anyone acknowledge. The
€140,000 spent on the modeling process may as well
have been put out the back and set on fire in a tin
can.”
Cllr. John Ryan said the figure was a ‘gross misuse’
of public funds while Cllr. Bernard McGuinness said
it was his position from day one was that the plant
and pipe should be located north of Greencastle.
Cllr. Charlie McConalogue said it would be a
‘disaster’ if sewage was allowed to wash up on
shore. Cllr. Michael Doherty said many questions
remained unanswered. |
