The Sandymount and Merrion Residents Association , (SAMRA), is becoming increasingly concerned about an area on the Poolbeg Peninsula beside the Kilsaran Cement Plant.

In response to a letter from SAMRA to Dublin City Council in August 2008 the Council stated that in 2008 the land was fenced by Laing O’Rourke for Dublin City Council- who in turn had leased the land from Dublin Port and Docks Board for a period of 12 months for storage of materials while work was taking place on water mains in the adjoining areas.

According to Lorna Kelly of SAMRA, the fencing was erected in the absence of planning application or permission. There was also the fact that the area was still being extended considerably by dumping of rubble and other wastes to create a low embankment around land outside the fenced-off site. As the photographs show this had been a beautiful and vibrant wild habitat.

In July this year Lorna says they wrote to the enforcement officer complaining on three seperate grounds;

1/.Unauthorised dumping on and enclosure of land used by the public and wildlife.
2/.Failure to remove temporary fencing no longer in use.
3/.The failure of Ecocem to fully remove GBBS, Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag from the adjoining area after representations from both SAMRA and councillor Oisin Quinn.

Ecocem Ireland is an independent producer of GGBS, marketed as “the Green Cement, the worlds most sustainable building material.” The cement is made by taking a highly regulated by-product of the steel industry, rapidly quenching it with water and grinding it. The product has a similar chemical makeup to traditional portland cement. Ecocem’s plant is located at South Dock on the Pigeon House Road..

Lorna Kelly says that she wrote again to the council and the Enforcement Officer replied stating that the issues are not a matter for the planning enforcement section and that copies of the complaints had been referred on to the Waste Management, Drainage and Enviromental Health Departments of the Council.

According to Lorna, a week after this reply, further dumping of lorry loads of waste was taking place at this site on the Poolbeg and were bulldozed over a large part of the remaining land. SAMRA are sending copies of all correspondence to the Enviromental Protection Agency and to The EU.
SAMRA is eagerly awaiting replies from the Waste Management, Drainage and Enviromental Health departments.