John Gormley

Now that Dublin City Council has applied for permission to build a waste incinerator at Poolbeg, residents may be wondering what they can do to help defeat the proposal. I include below some details on making submissions to An Bord Pleanála and the Environmental Protection Agency. My office has confirmed today that the EPA received Dublin City Council’s licence application yesterday, July 10th. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any queries, or if you would like to be kept informed on this issue. (more…)

Dublin City Council has posted some drawings and photomontages of the proposed incinerator on the project web site: see here for more.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the incinerator will be 200m in length - as long as Croke Park. It will also be 55m in height - almost as tall as Liberty Hall. This is the height of the building, not the chimney stacks, which will be 100m in height. For comparison, the Spire is 120m high.

The Green Party has reacted strongly to news today that Dublin City Council is to seek approval from An Bord Pleanála and the Environmental Protection Agency to build a waste incinerator at Poolbeg. (more…)

On third anniversary of the Taoiseach’s official opening of the Ringsend Wastewater Treatment Plant, John Gormley, local TD and Green Party Chairman, has renewed his calls for the Department of the Environment to carry out a full investigation of the “fiasco” which has resulted in serious odour problems for the surrounding communities of Ringsend, Sandymount and Irishtown. (more…)

 Mr. Gormley: I am pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate.  At a public meeting in Ringsend a number of weeks ago, I gave an undertaking on behalf of the Green Party that we would use our Private Members’ time to table a motion calling on the Government to reassess its decision to grant approval for a public private partnership for an incinerator on the Poolbeg peninsula.  Our motion goes further than that.  It is a comprehensive motion which details the problems and difficulties with the Government’s approach to waste management and offers a number of solutions.  I convey my thanks and appreciation to residents groups in my constituency who have worked so hard on this issue and I express the hope that we will continue to work together on this campaign and bring it to a successful conclusion.  I also thank the Opposition parties that have signalled their intention to support the Green Party Private Members’ motion. (more…)

Together with a number of residents in the area, I lodged an appeal against Dublin City Council’s decision to grant permission for a major development on the South Bank Road, adjacent to Sean Moore Park. You can download the text of our appeal here: Fabrizia Planning Appeal

The latest offer of reduced heating bills by Dublin City Council to residents of the Ringsend area, if the incinerator is built, should be categorically rejected, according to local Green Party TD, John Gormley. (more…)

Tuesday mornings are always busy with Planning and Parliamentary Party meetings. This afternoon I had a priority question for Willie O’Dea regarding the Easter commemoration. According to Willie, the event cost the taxpayer 320,000 euro and was good value for money. He made it clear it would become an annual event, as I had expected. I had to leave when oral questions came up as I had an on-site meeting regarding Ringsend park.

It’s Europe day. We agreed at the PP to join the European Movement. We have always been a pro-European party, but that point is often lost when we criticise the direction in which the EU is heading.

Good news too from Tommy Simpson, who was elected to the committee of the European Greens on the weekend in Helsinki. This is the first time we have had someone on the committee. The German Greens had promised their votes and delivered. Great credit is due to their co-leader Reinhard Bütikofer, with whom I met in Berlin in January. I told Reinhard about our disappointment with the behaviour of some European Greens at the Dublin conference last year. It took place before the referendums in France and Holland. The results shocked a lot of European Greens and there has been a noticeable change of attitude since then. They’re listening to those Greens who have concerns. The French Greens are split down the middle and there’s a terrible legacy of bitterness following the referendum defeat.

Local Dublin South East Greens meeting tonight, followed by meeting of Sandymount residents.

Dublin City Council last week granted permission to Fabrizia Ltd to build 12 blocks of apartments and 4 blocks of office and retail space on a site between South Bank Road, the coastal walkway, Sean Moore Park and the former Irish Glass Bottle plant.

I have obtained a copy of the planners report on this decision, which you can download here: Fabrizia planners report (RTF format)

You can also download my own detailed objection to this proposal here: Fabrizia planning objection (RTF format)

This morning I attended the Star of the Sea Boys National School, Sandymount, Science and Engineering Display. The boys had put a lot of work into the project. All credit to them, Una Condon, the principal, and the teachers. Afterwards I chatted to the teachers in the tea-room about the state of the electoral register.

On Saturday last (6th May) I met Felipe Arreaga Sanchez and Patricia Cervantes at a meeting organised by Amnesty International at the Dublin Food Co-op. I promised to raise their issues in the Dáil.

Yesterday (7th May) I met Kevin Humphreys in the morning in Ringsend Park to discuss Dublin City Council proposals for the redevelopment of the park. I took the afternoon off; went to Dalkey for a walk; took the kids for a swim in Marion pool at around 5.

Back to today. I issued 2 releases one in relation to the new ‘green’ ministerial cars, the other on Michael McDowell’s anti-inicineration leaflet. I spoke to Ruairi Quinn about the latter at lunch time. We both agree that Michael Mc has a brass neck. Do some people actually fall for this guff? The government - he’s a member of it - gave the go-ahead for a public-private partnership for a mass burn incinerator on the Poolbeg peninsula before Christmas. He now says he’s opposed to it, as he did at election time. His leaflet is full of typos and misinformation. I will respond. This sort of cute hoor politics gets my goat.

I spent this afternoon dealing with housing cases.

In relation to the new green ministerial transport, Dick Roche and Noel Dempsey are now in the same league as David Cameron - having their cake and greening it. Cameron is poser. He cycles to work but has his minions transport his clothes and papers to Westminister in a car. Were are the CO₂ savings there?