Plans by Dublin City Council to extend the waste treatment plant at Ringsend have been condemned by local politicians.
The Labour Party, Greens and Progressive Democrats have joined in attacking the expansion plans for the €300 million facility in Dublin Bay. The plant is capable of dealing with 500 million litres of waste water per day.
The Government is facing censure from the European Commission over the smells emanating from the plant. Dublin City Council has insisted work will not begin on the plant until the odour problem is addressed.
But Labour Party TD Ruairi Quinn TD said he had no confidence a new plant would bring any improvement in conditions for local residents. "The existing plant has been running for three years now, and the City Council and the operators of the plant have so far failed to rid the area of the appalling stench of the waste which is being treated," he said.
"We are now being promised the most modern, up to date and efficient incinerator at Poolbeg, which will be built to the highest standards - what should we expect this time?"
Progressive Democrats councillor Wendy Hederman said the problem of foul smells - which are "overpowering" local people - must be resolved before any new development.
"Teething problems are one thing, but having teething problems three years after the opening of the plant is unacceptable and gives residents no confidence in the ability of the City engineers to run this or any other utility in Poolbeg," she said.
The Green Party Dublin South East TD John Gormley has called for Minister for the Environment Dick Roche to begin an inquiry into the storage of sludge from Ringsend in Tullow, Co Carlow.
The sludge sold as agricultural fertiliser. Carlow County Council is planning to sue over the unauthorised storage of the waste, claiming that the large sheds at Thornhill, near Tullow, Co Carlow, do not have the required planning permission to store the material, following a decision by An Bord Pleanála in July 2002 to refuse the facility planning permission to operate as a commercial facility.
Mr Gormley also said that Environment Protection Agency reports showed the sludge had a concentration of zinc more than twice the permitted level in 2003 and lands where it was used showed massive levels of toxic chemicals.
Dublin City Council are also planning to build a waste incinerator at nearby Poolbeg. Significant objections from local residents are expected.