Northern Ireland

Keep NI Beautiful pulls support for Mallusk incinerator

An artist's impression of the controversial Arc21 waste burning facility at Hightown near Mallusk
An artist's impression of the controversial Arc21 waste burning facility at Hightown near Mallusk An artist's impression of the controversial Arc21 waste burning facility at Hightown near Mallusk

An environmental campaign group has withdrawn its backing for an incinerator at Mallusk near Belfast.

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful (KNIB) chief executive Ian Humphreys last month wrote a letter in support of Arc21's proposed £240m waste burning facility, but the organisation's board has subsequently said it does not support the project.

Mr Humphreys said the incinerator was necessary "if we are serious about securing local employments, developing a circular economy and dealing with residual waste".

Tim Walker, chief executive of council waste consortium Arc 21, is also a KNIB board member.

Concerns about the charity's chief executive's letter to the Department of Infrastructure's (DfI) strategic planning division signalling support for the incinerator were raised by Alliance MLA John Blair.

He wrote to the KNIB saying it was "unusual" for it to back what he termed a "clearly contentious" planning application. He asked if all its trustees, including former Alliance MLA Anna Lo, supported the letter.

The chair of the trustees wrote to Mr Blair saying that following a special meeting last week it was agreed that "it was not board’s intention to support this particular application".

It said Mr Humprheys' supporting letter "was not clear that it supported the need for infrastructure as opposed to supporting this individual planning application".

The original supporting letter has been removed from DfI's planning portal.

KNIB and Arc21 have both declined to comment.

The withdrawal of the supporting letter came as DUP MP Paul Girvan declined to say whether or not he backs the controversial waste incinerator – which two of his colleagues have recently voiced support for.

Mr Girvan shared a platform with fellow politicians and the residents' group opposed to the Arc21 incinerator ahead of the 2017 Westminster election.

He has previously praised the incinerator's opponents for their "articulate, persistent and effective" campaigning.

His party colleagues Jim Shannon, the MP for Strangford, and Trevor Clarke, an MLA in Mr Girvan's South Antrim constituency, have recently penned letters in support of the waste burning plant.

In a newspaper report this week, Mr Girvan called for a prompt decision on Arc21'sa planning application, approval for which was overturned by the courts in 2018.

In recent days DUP MLA Pam Cameron has used social media to signal her continued opposition to the incinerator .

Sinn Féin North Belfast MLA Gerry Kelly said his party was "100 per cent behind the residents and their campaign" and he called on the DUP to clarify where the party stands.

Mr Blair said the South Antrim MP appeared to "have departed from the strong opposition he has publicly expressed with myself and other local representatives".

In a statement through the DUP press office, Mr Girvan said "everyone would accept that shipping waste to the USA from Northern Ireland is not sustainable", a reference to a cargo of plastics and other material that washed up the shores of Maine last last year.

He said he wanted the minister to make a decision on the application as soon as possible,.

"I have supported (opponents group) No Arc21 and will continue to support them in all their endeavours and if required, to facilitate meetings where the concerns of the local community can be represented," the DUP MP said.

A Department of Infrastructure spokesperson said the incinerator application was being considered in line with planning policy.