Opponents of a proposed 150-acre private landfill site in Co Galway will have a chance to air their grievances next month when An Bord Pleanála holds a full oral hearing into the granting of planning permission for the development.
The developer, Greenstar, a Dublin company, is also expected to object to some of the stringent conditions attached to the proposed development at Killaghmore, Kilconnell, by Galway County Council last year.
Greenstar is seeking to have the capacity of the landfill site increased and to be allowed take in waste from throughout south Connacht, rather than just Galway city and county.
The hearing is set for Tuesday, March 9th, when submissions are expected from An Taisce, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, the Western Regional Fisheries Board, the Clarinbridge Oyster Fishermen and members of the Kilconnell, New Inn and Cappataggle Anti-Superdump Group.
Mr Tom Finn, of the Anti-Superdump Group, said local residents were enraged by the council's decision to grant permission for the development last October.
"We welcome the opportunity to present our case, but we have already submitted all our evidence and experts' reports to An Bord Pleanála," he said.
He claimed that the lack of a proper site-selection process by Greenstar was in stark contrast to Galway County Council's own protracted decision to locate a "superdump" just four miles away, at New Inn, after spending years examining three separate locations throughout east Galway for their suitability.
Mr Finn said the residents were dismayed by plans to locate a landfill site "on the doorstep" of five homes and within one mile of 70 others, as well as the impact which heavy vehicles attending the dump would have on traffic in the area.
Concerns have also been expressed at the impact the development would have on local waterways which run into the Dunkellin river, which in turn reaches the ocean near a fish-farm at Clarinbridge.
Yesterday a Greenstar spokesman said the company was confident it had met the needs identified in the Connacht Waste Management Plan, as well as the concerns of the Environmental Protection Agency and the council.