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22/06/2009
Belfast Incinerator Debate Hots Up
Things are hotting up at Belfast City Council as decision day has arrived on whether or not to approve an incinerator waste treatment facility at the former main rubbish dump at Belfast's North Foreshore.
A Belfast City councillor, Robin Newton, (pictured) has urged a speedy resolution at a special meeting tonight, 22 June.
It follows councillors appearing to have rejected the plan by one vote earlier this month.
However it was later revealed the votes had been wrongly counted and it was actually a tie so the decision to reconvene the meeting was taken at a special meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.
Arc 21, a group of councils in the east of Northern Ireland, wanted the council to accept the plan so the facility could be built by 2016.
The incinerator would have been an Energy from Waste (EfW) plant which Arc 21 said could have provided power for 40,000 homes.
A consultation survey with Belfast ratepayers had also indicated that more than 90% were in favour of it being built on the site.
The matter is very pressing as, without such waste treatment facilities, in 2012/13 the city council will be liable for penalties of about £3.7m a year, rising in following years.
Commenting, the long-serving Belfast City councillor, Robin Newton, who is also an MLA, said there will be dire consequences for ratepayers if Belfast City Council fails to approve the siting of the 'Energy from Waste' facility at the North Foreshore. Councillors would not be forgiven if they chose to ignore public opinion and the interests of ratepayers, he insisted.
"There is another opportunity for Belfast Councillors at the reconvened special council meeting on Monday night, after the last vote two weeks ago was considered null and void as a result of a voting irregularity, to do what the vast majority of ratepayers are demanding from them.
"I was extremely disappointed when the council decided not to support the Energy for Waste plant and I am relieved that we have this second opportunity to make the right decision.
"The fact is that we are in the most difficult financial times for a generation and the council, as with all public sector organisations, will have to operate within stringent budgets," he said.
"Failure to approve the plant will have crippling financial implications for the council and it will be the ratepayers of the city who will have to carry that burden.
"To impose such a situation at a time when people everywhere are facing financial hardships will be unforgivable.
"I also believe that the reputation of Belfast City Council has already been damaged by this process.
"If we continue flying in the face of 90% of public opinion then we are on the road to nowhere," the DUP man continued.
"I urge everyone on Belfast City Council, regardless of political party or what area of the city they are from, to do the right thing for all our citizens and vote for this plant to go ahead," he concluded.
See: : Survey Backs Belfast Waste Incinerator
(BMcC/JM)
A Belfast City councillor, Robin Newton, (pictured) has urged a speedy resolution at a special meeting tonight, 22 June.
It follows councillors appearing to have rejected the plan by one vote earlier this month.
However it was later revealed the votes had been wrongly counted and it was actually a tie so the decision to reconvene the meeting was taken at a special meeting of the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee.
Arc 21, a group of councils in the east of Northern Ireland, wanted the council to accept the plan so the facility could be built by 2016.
The incinerator would have been an Energy from Waste (EfW) plant which Arc 21 said could have provided power for 40,000 homes.
A consultation survey with Belfast ratepayers had also indicated that more than 90% were in favour of it being built on the site.
The matter is very pressing as, without such waste treatment facilities, in 2012/13 the city council will be liable for penalties of about £3.7m a year, rising in following years.
Commenting, the long-serving Belfast City councillor, Robin Newton, who is also an MLA, said there will be dire consequences for ratepayers if Belfast City Council fails to approve the siting of the 'Energy from Waste' facility at the North Foreshore. Councillors would not be forgiven if they chose to ignore public opinion and the interests of ratepayers, he insisted.
"There is another opportunity for Belfast Councillors at the reconvened special council meeting on Monday night, after the last vote two weeks ago was considered null and void as a result of a voting irregularity, to do what the vast majority of ratepayers are demanding from them.
"I was extremely disappointed when the council decided not to support the Energy for Waste plant and I am relieved that we have this second opportunity to make the right decision.
"The fact is that we are in the most difficult financial times for a generation and the council, as with all public sector organisations, will have to operate within stringent budgets," he said.
"Failure to approve the plant will have crippling financial implications for the council and it will be the ratepayers of the city who will have to carry that burden.
"To impose such a situation at a time when people everywhere are facing financial hardships will be unforgivable.
"I also believe that the reputation of Belfast City Council has already been damaged by this process.
"If we continue flying in the face of 90% of public opinion then we are on the road to nowhere," the DUP man continued.
"I urge everyone on Belfast City Council, regardless of political party or what area of the city they are from, to do the right thing for all our citizens and vote for this plant to go ahead," he concluded.
See: : Survey Backs Belfast Waste Incinerator
(BMcC/JM)
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