Council closes Corranure as Oxigen Ltd pulls out

There is considerable anxiety among the public following this week's decision by Cavan County Council to close the Corranure landfill and civic amenity facility from Friday, March 18. The county council says that it has taken the decision following notification from Oxigen Environmental Ltd that it proposes to cease activities at the landfill site. Since September 2007 Oxigen Environmental Ltd has operated the landfill and civic amenity site at Corranure under a 'concession agreement' with Cavan County Council. According to a council statement the project received a setback in December 2010 when the EPA refused to grant a licence to both Cavan County Council and Oxigen Environmental to fully transfer operations to the operator of the facility. Cavan County Council say that they have "reluctantly accepted the decision of Oxigen Environmental Ltd to terminate the agreement" and they have no option but to indefinitely close the landfill from March 28. The closure refers to all facilities at the Corranure Civic Amenity site and landfill and the council will now review its long term plans for the facility. The Corranure landfill has been in the news over the years because of the unpleasant smell that emanated from it. Residents in the area have demanded that the landfill cease operations, but both the operators of the site and Cavan County Council recently stressed that the infill site is operated to highest standards and all cells no longer taking waste are fully sealed. The Corranure landfill has been significant money earner for Cavan County Council in terms of income generated from a lease agreement with Oxigen. The decision of Oxigen to pull out has surprised many given that it had a strategic planning application before An Bord Pleanála for a major facility on the site. It is understood that there have been several objections lodged with regard to this proposed development. Cavan Better Waste Management (CBWM), the group that has been campaigning against the continuance of Corranure as a landfill, says it is anxious to meet Cavan County Council to discuss how best to find a solution for the site. According to chairman, Peter Sexton, CBWM IS concerned about the county council's stated intention to close the civic amenity site. "That would greatly inconvenience the public and the council will have to get a solution to this very quickly," said Mr Sexton. He said CBWM enjoyed a good relationship with the council and he was confident a solution could be found now that the county council is back in charge of the site. "We would like to see the civic amenity site remaining open there. After all there are civic amenity sites in other parts of the county where there are no landfills such as Ballyconnell and Bailieboro," he said. Cavan County Council said recyclables and bagged, household waste can be taken to Bailieborough or Ballyconnell Civic Amenity sites. Asked where waste collection companies that used Corranure for depositing waste would now bring this waste, the council said they had not brought any waste or recyclables to Corranure for more than a year. They will continue to take these materials to facilities outside of Cavan. Asked if they were aware of the status of the strategic infrastructure application that Oxigen Environmental had before An Bord Pleanála, the council said that as far as it was aware, the application was ongoing. It had not been withdrawn. The Council was examining all options for the future development of Corranure in the interests of the County and was not in a position to comment on the reasons Oxigen withdrew from the site. Oxigen statement Oxigen Environmental has reluctantly decided to terminate its 2007 contract with Cavan County Council in relation to the Corranure facility. This contract was conditional on Oxigen receiving the necessary planning and environmental regulatory approvals. In September 2008 and with the agreement of Cavan County Council, Oxigen submitted an application to the EPA to operate the Corranure site and civic amenity centre. In December 2010, the EPA informed Oxigen of its proposed decision not to grant the relevant licence. Since January 2011, Oxigen has been engaged with Cavan County Council in intensive negotiations to explore further opportunities for Oxigen to move forward with its plans at Corranure in compliance with the EPA's proposed decision. Unfortunately, those negotiations have not been successful and Oxigen are now left with no alternative but to terminate the 2007 contract and withdraw from the facility. It was with great regret that Oxigen informed its staff at the Corranure facility that operations will cease on 18 March 2011. Oxigen plans to open a civic amenity centre nearby.