Curraha locals say no to recycling plant proposal

Curraha residents are up in arms over a proposal to locate a recycling and waste storage facility at Crickstown. The proposals relating to a 40-acre landholding are made in a submission to the Ashbourne Development Plan, and a meeting was held in Curraha Hall last week to express concern at the move and oppose the submission. Local residents want the proposal to be rejected by the local authority when it is considering adopting the new development plan for the area. They outlined five main reasons for their objections. Industrial zoning in the middle of agricultural land and residential dwellings, situated in a rural setting is completely contrary to sound and proper planning, they claimed. The road infrastructure in the environs of the site is already under severe pressure from the current volumes of traffic. In the environs of Ashbourne, there is already a more than adequate supply of land zoned for industrial use, and several unoccupied industrial units located in properly serviced and accessible industrial estates, they added. The natural environment would also be damaged both by the proposed development and the related traffic, their objection goes on. The residents of Curraha say that land-use zoning is essentially about identifying the quantity of land needed for particular purposes, the best locations for such land and the acceptability or otherwise of the various classes of land use within any particular zone. Having regard to the existing designation of Curraha as a graig, the residents say the development request must fail under all of these headings. The locals said a lot of work has been done by Curraha residents to help improve the rural appearance of the area and such a development would have a negative and unacceptable impact on the district. The road connecting the N2 to Curraha is in a dire condition at present and little has been done to repair it in recent years despite a huge increase in traffic volume, they added. Curraha is also in need of other developments, such as improved roads, safer walkways, community playing grounds and is not in need by any stretch of the imagination of major industrial units of this type, they go on. And, by its own admission, the submission does not relate to Ashbourne, but to lands in Curraha 'outside the development boundary of Ashbourne'. The Curraha residents also feel strongly that we were not properly consulted by their elected representatives over this matter in a timely manner. 'Becoming aware of the submission almost by accident has greatly disturbed us,' the residents say in a statement. The applicant had also volunteered a financial contribution of €100,000 to Curraha GFC as part of the submission. Curraha GAA has objected strongly to the use of its name in the application and has circulated a separate letter to this effect. The residents also stated that it is quite improper and unethical for a local authority to accept a gift for whatever purpose in return for the rezoning of land, referring to a suggestion of a site available to Meath County Council for a civic amenity recycling centre on the lands in question. Labour local election candidate Niamh McGowan is supporting the community stand on the issue. 'I fully understand why the people of Curraha are annoyed and concerned at any attempt to push through this development without their knowledge,' she said. 'The people of Curraha want Meath County Council to provide improved roads, safer walkways and community playing grounds and not inappropriate and unwanted industrial developments that have no place in a rural country village. 'I am happy to support and lend my assistance to the people of Curraha in opposing this proposal to ensure that it forms no part of the final plan by Meath County Council. I am now calling on Meath County Council to reject the proposal to rezone this land in light of the many good reasons as to why this is a very bad idea,' she said.