The Industrial Development Agency (IDA) has insisted that it will be "guided by the planning process" in relation to its handling of a hazardous illegal dump on its land in Clonshaugh/Belcamp, in north Co Dublin.
The IDA was commenting after calls from north Dublin TD Tommy Broughan for a Garda inquiry to identify who was behind the dumping of hospital waste and other hazardous material.
Mr Broughan called on the IDA to remove the waste from the site, claiming there was evidence of seepage from the dump into the Mayne river. He said two local authorities and the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, have expressed a preference for removing waste and contaminated soils from illegal dumps as opposed to putting containment measures in place on site.
The Environmental Protection Agency has also appeared to express a preference for removal of waste - it refused Roadstone a licence to treat illegally dumped waste on its lands at Blessington, Co Wicklow.
Since the Clonshaugh dump was discovered in 2001, the IDA has lodged two planning applications for permission to put containment measures in place on site. Because the site straddles Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council, the applications had to be lodged with both local authorities. However, the IDA withdrew both applications before a decision was made.
An IDA spokesman said yesterday discussions between the parties were ongoing. The decision to withdraw the applications was made because the authorities felt they would not have time, in the eight-week decision-making timetable, to assess the project.
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