Stackallen residents pledge to fight planned power plant

Residents in the Gormanlough/Dunmoe and Stackallen areas outside Navan are promising to fight any proposals to build a electricity generation station in the area. The Viridian Group confirmed this week that it has been looking at various options in the Gormanlough area, but had not secured any land, made any decisions or made any planning applications. 'We are just seeing what is available and what is possible,' said spokesman, Mark Garnett. Officials from the company spoke with some locals in the area in recent weeks who have come out in strong opposition to the proposals. Residents were told last week that the proposed development would include two 'peaking" power plants and two oil storage units. Peaking power plants kick in when supply to the national grid falls off. Initial indications suggest a potential site consisting of two 56mW gas turbine-driven peaking units, generators, four stacks, ancillary equipment, water holding tanks, oil storage tanks and an electrical connection point would be constructed if planning permission was secured. Sinead Burke, a local elections candidate and resident of the area, said she was furious with the news. 'Yet again, the people of this area are under siege from big business trying to put heavy industry into rural communities where they are not suitable. 'You can"t turn in this part of the county without meeting an incinerator or industral plant that sticks out like a sore thumb. 'Royal Mushrooms got the shock of their lives when they tried to muscle in on this community - Virdian are going to get the same,' she warned, in a reference to plans by a company to establish a poulty compost facility last year which was ultimately turned down by planners. Tommy Maguire, chairman of the Stackallen/Boyne Action Group, said they would be meeting this week and the proposals would be discussed at that meeting. Viridian told local residents last week that there would be public consultation prior to any planning application being submitted. The company also said it will be submitting a planning application to Meath County Council and not going directly to An Bord Pleanala under the fast-track strategic infrastructure route.