Landfill plan at historic Summerhill battle site sparks objections

Residents of Drumlargan, Summerhill, are objecting to a proposal for a landfill site which would take in 120,000 tonnes of chemically inactive waste to a 27-acre site over a five-year period. Historians and archaeological enthusiasts are supporting the residents, saying that a hill in the area of the site is the location of the Battle of Dungan's Hill in 1647 in which between 3,000-5,000 men died. The main objection from the residents is that trucks would be using a narrow road unfit for taking two vehiles abreast and that it is on the route to Coole National School. The Drumlargan Concerned Residents' Group has written to Meath County Councillors voicing concerns over the proposal. Following a meeting organised by Cllr Maria Murphy on Monday, she said she had no problem with the type of material intended to go into the landfill. However, she had serious concerns about the narrowness of the road leading to the site, off the main Summerhill-Kilcock Road, the fact that there was a school there, and that there were 29 houses on what amounted to "a lane". She said: "It is a residential area and I agree with the residents that this area would not be able to take the type of development intended by this application". Ged O'Leary, secretary of the residents' group, has claimed the proposed development would destroy his horse-breeding business. He said residents in the immediate areas were very concerned about the proposed development and they were also worried about the safety of children at Coole NS. He said that the school, along with the local church, were just 700 metres from the proposed development entrance and it was feared that a large number of the trucks using the site would pass the school daily. The residents are also concerned that the road leading up to the site was just three-and-a-half metres wide, inadequate for two cars passing abreast. The application for planning permission ahs been lodged by Patrick Giles, Drumlargan. Mr Giles made a similar application for the sasme site last year and permission was granted by Meath County Council. This was appealed to Bord Pleanala by local residents and the application for permission was later withdrawn. According to an environmental impact statement (EIS) submitted by Mr Giles, the land is unsuitable for the safe operation of farm machinery or bloodstock breeding. He said the nature of the development would allow him to restore the land to agricultural use sometime in the future. Meath County Council is expected to make a decision on the application within the next month. The Battle of Dungan's Hill took place in 1647 between the armies of Confederate Ireland and the English Parliament during the Waras of the Three Kingdoms. The Irish army was intercepted on a march towards Dublin and destroyed. The battle was very bloody, with over 3,000 deaths. The parliamentarian victory there destroyed the Confederate's Leinster army and contributed towards the collapse of the Confederate cause and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649.