Locals vow to fight on as Ballinasloe waste facility is granted permit
Campaigners opposed to a controversial waste transfer facility in Ballinasloe have said they are "looking at all options" in the wake of a decision last Friday to grant a permit for the facility.
Barna Recycling had applied to Galway County Council for a permit to operate the facility at Pollboy, approximately 2km from the centre of town.
Planning permission was previously granted for a waste transfer station at the site in 2017 but the following year local residents went to the High Court and successfully overturned the awarding of a waste facility permit to Barna Waste.
Now, a new application for a permit has been given the green light, despite an active campaign of opposition from the 'Ballinasloe Says No' group and almost 700 public submissions on the permit bid.
Dr Vincent Parsons, a radiologist at Portiuncula Hospital and the chairperson of the 'Ballinasloe Says No' group, said the decision was "bitterly disappointing".
He felt it would be "hard to find a more unsuitable site for a major waste facility," arguing that it was in close proximity to a number of family homes and would lead to "odorous gases, dust, flies and vermin, causing multiple health hazards."
Local Fine Gael Senator Aisling Dolan, the PRO of the 'Ballinasloe Says No', said the group was now considering its next steps.
"We are fighting for our town, we have done it before and we can do it again. This is another step in the fight to protect our children and families from hundreds of trucks coming through our town," she said.
Town Team coordinator Anita Tuohy, meanwhile, described the decision as "a kick in the teeth" for local residents.
"We feel so let down and frustrated with Galway County Council," she said.
"As a community we are making enormous efforts to improve our town, we need help and support from Galway County Council to achieve our goals.
"This latest decision thwarts all the ongoing good work and is leaving a very bad taste in the mouths of locals."