The Poolbeg incinerator, which was granted planning permission last year, is to be subjected to a fresh oral hearing by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to Fine Gael.
Fine Gael TD for Dublin South East Lucinda Creighton said she was informed by the EPA yesterday evening that its board had made the decision to conduct an oral hearing and would be informing the parties concerned in writing today.
The EPA said it had received 14 valid objections and eight requests for an oral hearing.
A date for any hearing has yet to be confirmed.
However, if the EPA decided not to grant a waste licence to the facility, following a hearing, the proposed incinerator could not go ahead despite having secured permission from An Bord Pleanála.
The incinerator, which would be Dublin's first municipal waste incinerator and one of the largest in Europe, was granted planning permission by An Bord Pleanála last November following a lengthy oral hearing.
Within days of the Bord Pleanála decision, the EPA announced its intention to grant a waste licence to Dublin City Council to operate the facility.
A 28-day period of statutory public consultation on the proposal ensued during which the EPA received the requests for an oral hearing from several residents' groups and local politicians.
Minister for the Environment John Gormley, before his appointment, objected to the potential granting of a licence in a letter dated October 5th, 2006.
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