A Bord Pleanála public hearing was held yesterday on an appeal by a company in Co Monaghan against the refusal by the local authority to grant permission for an incinerator close to the Co Tyrone border, at Killycarren, near Emyvale village.
Monopower Limited, established by two brothers, Aidan and Maurice McCarron, was granted the hearing on its appeal against the decision by Monaghan County Council to refuse permission for the plant.
When the hearing opened in Monaghan yesterday, Michael O'Donnell, for the appellants, said that in the light of High Court proceedings that were issued, he was asking the chairwoman, Mary Cuneen, to adjourn pending the outcome of the case.
However, Jarlath Fitzsimons, representing Monaghan County Council, and Oisín Collins, on behalf of Truagh Development Association, Town of Monaghan Co-Op Society, and Truagh upper and lower branches of the Irish Farmers' Association, who were listed as third-party objectors, opposed the application to defer the hearing.
The inspector refused to adjourn, advising the appellant that he could still take the matter to the High Court, if he wished, while the hearing continued.
Mr O'Donnell, making the case for the contentious plant, said it would be located in an area that was heavily dependent on poultry and mushroom production, and where producers were already facing serious difficulty in disposing of waste, especially in the light of the recent EU nitrates directive.
Maurice McCarron said the plant would be invaluable for dealing with the high levels of poultry and mushroom waste.