asked the Minister for Defence if his Department have any objection to the location of a waste disposal centre at Brownsbarn, Baldonnel, County Dublin.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - County Dublin Waste Disposal Centre.
17.
My Department indicated to the Department of the Environment prior to the public announcement regarding the project that they had no objection in principle to the project subject to the satisfactory resolution of certain technical matters.
Could I ask the Minister what these technical matters are?
My Department are concerned that a protected area order could possibly be made to effect the control of any building activity or to impose conditions in the case of buildings which were being constructed in the vicinity of Baldonnel Aerodrome. We have Aer Rianta as consultants on that matter. Our only consideration is about planning applications which might affect the use of the aerodrome in the approach area. It was felt that on this site no building should be erected in the approach area which would affect the use of the aerodrome.
I assume the Minister is aware that the proposed waste disposal centre, as it is described, will involve buildings. Toxic materials will be coming and going on a constant basis to and from this toxic waste centre. Some of these materials could be potentially dangerous and potentially gaseous. In the event of an accident this might possibly have an effect on the installations at Baldonnel. Has the Minister considered that aspect of the matter?
My Department are solely concerned with the use of the aerodrome as an aerodrome. We were concerned about the projected centre for industrial waste. The conditions we looked for were: the location of the buildings on the site — the site is a pretty large one — that no buildings would be erected on certain portions of the site; the height of the buildings; the provision of aeronautical obstruction lights on the tallest building on the site; and the control of emission of smoke, and so on, from any chimney stacks. Having weighed up all those things, we would not be involved in the activities on the site, apart from how they would affect the use of the aerodrome.