Controversial waste facility in North Offaly gets planning approval

Offaly County Council planners have granted conditional planning approval for a controversial waste processing facility that attracted more than 100 objections from local residents.

The project at Derryarkin, Rhode, which is due to handle up to 90,000 tonnes of household, commercial, industrial and construction waste per annum, is being planned by Oxigen Environmental which has a company address in Dublin.

Oxigen lodged its planning application with Offaly County Council in September 2022 and further information on it, which had been sought by the local authority, was submitted on behalf of the company in July.

In a decision made on Tuesday of this week the council granted permission for the development, subject to 23 conditions.

At the time of writing, it was understood that a local committee opposing the development would be holding a meeting this evening (Thursday) to discuss its next steps in light of the planning decision.

Rhode resident Claire Murray, speaking on behalf of the group, said it "100%" intends to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanala, as it felt the concerns that were raised by locals were not adequately listened to by the council when making its decision.

According to Oxigen's planning application, the waste facility will require the demolition of agricultural sheds and the construction of a "materials recovery facility" for "the acceptance and processing" of waste.

The materials recovery facility is to span 2,850 square metres, and the development also includes provision for 24 staff car parking spaces, a two-storey administration building, and an on-site wastewater treatment system.

Oxigen stated in its planning application lodged with the council earlier this year that the proposed lifespan of the waste facility in Rhode would be "between 25 and 50 years".

It said the waste plant in North Offaly would accept up to 50,000 tonnes of waste per annum during the first phase of its operations, under a waste facility permit from Offaly County Council.

The company is then planning to increase the capacity of the facility to 90,000 tonnes of waste per annum during the second phase of operations, which would require the granting of an industrial emissions licence from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

There was strong opposition to the plans locally, with well over 100 submissions to the council opposing the development. These cited a range of concerns including a lack of consultation with the community, the capacity of the local roads to handle a large volume of trucks and heavy goods vehicles, and the smell that would potentially be generated from the waste facility.

A number of politicians also made submissions in relation to the project, including TDs Barry Cowen and Carol Nolan, and councillors Liam Quinn, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Noel Cribbin, Mark Hackett and Emily Wallace (Westmeath).