The £240 million plant was being proposed by waste management company Indaver and arc21, the umbrella waste management group for six local authorities in the east of Northern Ireland.
The construction of the 300,000 tonnes per year plant and waste sorting plant was proposed on the Boghill Road, Mallusk.
Due to the facility’s scale, the final decision was with the minister, who refused the planning application on Sunday (27 March).
This comes after ten cross-party MPs wrote to the minister in May last year urging her to reject the plant, which has received planning permission (see letsrecycle.com story).
Concerns
Minister Mallon said: “I consider that this development for a residual waste treatment facility in the former Hightown Quarry of Boghill Road should be refused.
“I have carefully considered all the information before me, and I have listened to the concerns of local people and their public representatives.” She added that there have been more than 5,000 objections to the application.
“My priorities for this assembly mandate were to improve lives, connect communities, grow a balanced economy and tackle the climate emergency,” the Minister continued.
I am committed to climate action, and promoting recycling is an important aspect
- Minister Mallon
“In respect of the latter, I am committed to climate action, and promoting recycling is an important aspect in that regard. This development could result in an increased market for waste disposal and to maintain a facility such as this, in addition to the other approved waste facilities, could discourage recycling”.
Landfill
arc21 has consistently commented on Northern Ireland’s waste statistics saying they prove the need for an EfW plant in the country.
In February 2022, the Northern Irish government published data which showed that for the first six months of the 2020/21 financial year, the amount Northern Irish councils have sent to landfill has jumped by 12.7%, from 112,654 tonnes between April and September 2020 to 126,948 tonnes between April and September 2021 (see letsrecycle.com story).
Indaver has said the plant will process this waste, and also much of that which they say is exported abroad.
‘Clear need’
A spokesperson for arc21 said: “There is still a clear need to develop new, modern waste infrastructure for the one million people who live in the arc21 region.
“Our current reliance on exporting waste overseas and landfill is contrary to the recommendations of the Climate Change Committee and the Northern Ireland Executive’s ambitions to achieve net zero, green growth and energy diversification.
“arc21’s facilities would boost recycling by up to 10%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 57,000 tonnes compared to landfill and generate 18MW of green electricity whilst providing financial certainty for ratepayers.”
They concluded that it is essential that arc21 has an opportunity to review the planning reasons behind the Minister’s statement and will carefully consider today’s announcement in that light over the next few days.
Arc21 represents the councils of: Antrim and Newtownabbey borough; Belfast City; Ards and North Down borough; Lisburn & Castlereagh City; Mid and East Antrim borough; and Newry, Mourne and Down district.
‘Clear recommendation’
A spokesperson for Becon Consortium, a consortium lead by Indaver behind the project, said: “We note the announcement made by the minister for infrastructure which goes against the clear recommendation given by the Strategic Planning Directorate to approve the arc21 Residual Waste Treatment project.
“We will now work alongside arc21 to understand the Minister’s rationale for deciding to refuse the planning application before considering our next steps”.
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