Member's statement: Warrenpoint: Refuse-derived Fuel Odour
Member's statement by Mrs Sinéad Ennis on .
- MLA
- Mrs Sinéad Ennis
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 9 September 2024
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Warrenpoint: Refuse-derived Fuel Odour
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4511102
Read the official Assembly record
Text
For a full year, the community in Warrenpoint has been subjected to an oppressive, foul odour that has engulfed our town, owing to the close proximity of Warrenpoint harbour and the large volumes of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) or household waste currently stored there. Tens of thousands of tons of household waste is stored mere metres from people's homes and businesses. It causes a putrid smell that impacts on people's daily lives. I seriously question how appropriate it was to grant a licence to store that volume of household waste so close to people's homes in the first place. For example, people have been dealing with the fact that their homes are swarming with flies and they cannot open their windows. We have dealt with a family with a young child with autism. His only relief is to go out into his back garden. That cannot happen anymore, because the smell is so overwhelming. We had two successful festivals in Warrenpoint this summer. Unfortunately, although both festivals were very successful, they were both overshadowed by the constant smell lingering in the air. People will be aware that we finally have movement on the Narrow Water bridge. Our council and local political representatives are working on how to use that to best boost our local economy and attract more people and tourism to Warrenpoint. That will be at odds with the fact that the smell emanating from the household waste stored at Warrenpoint port is being allowed to continue. Contrary to what is being said in the media and on social media sites, unfortunately, a large volume of household waste continues to flood into Warrenpoint port. The people of Newry, Mourne and Down are reasonable. We want to play our part and support more environmentally friendly ways of dealing with our household waste, but that cannot be to the detriment of the people of Warrenpoint. It is simply not good enough to expect the community in Warrenpoint to continue to put up and shut up on this issue. Sinn Féin will continue to use every avenue that is open to us to resolve the issue. I again call on the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the NIEA and all those with responsibility to continue to work with us, the community groups, political representatives and the business community to ensure that the oppressive odour that has engulfed our town for more than a year is stopped once and for all.
409 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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