A public meeting takes place this evening (Wed) in Swinford organised by the Swinford Biogas Concern Group.
It takes place in the Gateway Hotel, Swinford at 8 pm.
Last September, Mayo Co Council refused planning permission to Moy Valley Biogas for the construction of the facility at Lislackagh,Swinford, citing concerns over public safety, road access emissions and the risk of pollution to the Spaddagh River. The council received 254 objections to the project, which was to be located on the same site, off the N5 across from the former town dump.
In February of this year a second application by the developers was deemed invalid.
Another application has now been submitted by the developers to Mayo County Council at the same location.
There is concern locally about the safety of the plant, particularly in relation to its location and the local road infrastructure in the area, a rural residential area, approx one mile outside Swinford town. Locals also claim that there has been inadequate consultation with them on the proposed development.
Members of the public have until Friday week, July 21st to make submissions to Mayo County Council on the latest planning application.
The developers of the biogas plant are Swinford-born brothers Michael and Gary Smyth, former Mayo footballer Patrick Harte and Richard Kennedy.
A biogas plant produces renewable gas, which means that the inputs (products fed into the plant) are limited and are produced locally in an effort to create a sustainable economic model for the local farming community.
The feedstock into the plant will be exclusively fed by two common agricultural products. Approximately 65% of the input will be a multi sward crop grown locally. The other input is slurry and farmyard manures (35%), collected from farm yards.
The developers say they have chosen the location carefully and insist there is no health or environmental risks from such a facility, but rather it will help to ensure local sustainability and bio diversity.
Midwest News visited the proposed location of the plant at Lislackagh yesterday and a number of the Swinford Biogas Concern Group spoke about their concerns and the local road infrastructure that will serve the proposed biogas plant.
Midwest News Editor Teresa O'Malley spoke to Maura Philbin, Andrea Kelly-O’Donnell and Nick Burrow…Maura began by outlining local concerns about the road infrastructure around the development…
However, Gary Smyth, one of the four developers of the facility, is confident that the biogas plant will not pose any health or environmental risk locally. He began by refuting the suggestion that that there has not been adequate consultation between the developers and local residents….