Debate contribution: Waste Management Issues: Warrenpoint
Debate contribution by Mrs Sinéad Ennis on .
- MLA
- Mrs Sinéad Ennis
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 1 October 2024
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- Waste Management Issues: Warrenpoint
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4563278
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I welcome today's Adjournment debate. The Member who secured it has raised some interesting questions, many of which I have raised in the House. As I said, I have raised the issue numerous times in the Chamber, and Sinn Féin locally has been working alongside the community to resolve it. MLAs across the House will have received communication from the residents of Warrenpoint in the lead-up to the debate, so they will have some sense of the issue, but no email can truly convey what the people of Warrenpoint have had to put up with owing to the presence of that oppressive odour for over a year. It is not an issue that can simply be ignored but one that has had a huge impact on the lives of residents, including on the life of a young child with autism. Over a year ago, when the foul odour first emerged, Sinn Féin called for an urgent meeting with Warrenpoint Harbour Authority. Bringing the voice of the local community to the table, we made it clear that the situation was unacceptable and that a solution must be found. We have met the Minister responsible for the environment, the NIEA, Warrenpoint Harbour Authority and Re-Gen, and we have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with residents at public demonstrations. While we pressed for investigation, transparency and, most importantly, action, regrettably the smell returned this year, despite assurances that the issue would be resolved. There has been another summer when our town was held to ransom and suffered as the foul smell engulfed the air. Sinn Féin is clear: enough is enough. Temporary fixes or assurances will not cut it, because we have heard all that before. The people of Warrenpoint deserve a long-term sustainable solution.
I thank the Member for his intervention. I know that other areas across the North suffer the same issue. It goes back to a point raised by Mr McGrath about the appropriateness of placing those businesses and operations close to people's homes and the centre of towns. Over the last few weeks, we met Re-Gen once again and made it clear that it must get serious about tackling the problem if it wishes to continue operating in Warrenpoint, because the status quo will no longer be accepted by the community. We need to see Re-Gen assess its current practice and seriously ask itself whether it operates in the best interests of the surrounding community. I suggest that perhaps the Minister and the Department will also seriously consider that question as well. All options must be on the table to bring about a final solution.
I thank the Member for her intervention. It is an appropriate intervention, because we all have a duty to ensure there is no misinformation, as that would only add to the stress and concern of the local community. It is my understanding from contacting Warrenpoint Harbour Authority that the building being erected is a post-Brexit checking facility for sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) products. The British Government are constructing the building — more specifically the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) — but perhaps the Minister can confirm that in his response to the debate.
I will.
I thank the Minister for that. We understand the importance of economic activity at the port, and the local community understands the importance of economic activity at the port, but it cannot come at the cost of the community's well-being, health and right to clean air. If Re-Gen cannot manage its current operation in a way that does not negatively impact on the local community, something will have to change. Sinn Féin is ambitious for Warrenpoint and the Carlingford lough region. We live in an area of unrivalled natural beauty, with the potential to further grow our tourism offering now that the construction of the Narrow Water bridge is progressing at pace. We want to make Warrenpoint a great place to live, work and holiday in, and that cannot happen while thousands of tons of household waste continue to ferment at Warrenpoint port, mere metres from people's homes and the town centre. Sinn Féin will continue to work tirelessly for the people of Warrenpoint to bring about a solution that prioritises their health, well-being and quality of life. We will not stop until the issue is finally resolved.
719 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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