WARRENPOINT Harbour Authority (WHA) has confirmed that the application process for its new community forum will get under way in the coming weeks. The establishment of the new grouping is the result of a key recommendation contained in an environmental audit report – which was published at the end of February – on last year’s controversial foul odour from Warrenpoint Port.
A WHA statement, issued on Monday, said that the community forum will ‘play an important role in how it interacts and engages with the local community’. ‘The forum is expected to comprise of people from a range of community and professional backgrounds,’ it continued. ‘While not a decision-making body, the forum will help deliver community and social benefits across Warrenpoint Harbour’s activities and inform its diverse range of stakeholders about its operations.’ WHA chair Dr Gerard O’Hare said that he would “like to see residents, businesses, the education sector, elected representatives, users and staff all represented on the forum to support the work of the harbour in positively contributing to the local community”. “Following the publication of the independent environmental audit report into odour and fly issues with some port operations, we are determined to implement the findings of the report and work more closely with the local community across a range of areas,” he added. “To this end, we believe that the new community forum offers local people a great opportunity to engage with us on how we can continue to support the community, and we would encourage all those with an interest to apply.” The WHA statement confirmed that the forum will ‘open to applications in the coming weeks, with further details being provided at that time’. ‘The WHA Board will be setting the criteria to select forum membership, which will include living or working within the Warrenpoint area, and/or including specific areas of expertise, including, but not limited to, community, volunteering, education and business,’ it concluded. ‘Membership will also be open to near residents in Omeath.’
Last August, WHA apologised for the odour, which it said was being caused by household rubbish being recycled by its tenant Re-Gen Waste, and, the following month, made public that it was ‘appointing an environmental specialist to carry out an independent, robust, and scientific based investigation’ into the smell. The audit report noted that Practical Waste Solutions Ltd had been engaged by WHA to ‘provide an independent environmental report in relation to reports of odour and fly activity associated with the waste transfer station operated by Re-Gen Ltd within the harbour site’, which is ‘used for the storage of refuse derived fuel bales’. The document highlighted that preliminary findings indicated ‘instances of out-of-date bales, compromised bales, bales stored outside the licensed area, with associated odour and fly activity’, and also that there was a ‘perceived lack of engagement with residents and local businesses by the two main stakeholders (WHA and Re-Gen)’.
Its key recommendations included: a target of six weeks’ dwell time for any bales, instead of the statutory three months; a targeted reduction in bale height to a maximum of eight bales; the sharing of all regulatory correspondence with WHA by Re-Gen; the appointment of an environmental officer by WHA; the continuation of ongoing and regular independent monitoring of the waste facility; and better stakeholder engagement, which would occur through the establishment of a community forum. After the report’s publication on 29 February, WHA said that it would be implementing its recommendations ‘in full