‘Keep our countryside green and our lungs clean’
LOCALS LAUNCH ONLINE PETITION AGAINST DUHALLOW CREMATORIUM
LOCALS have reiterated their opposition to the construction of a crematorium in Duhallow by setting up an online petition outlining their objections to the controversial development.
The petition at www.change. org has been set up as the developer behind the proposal on the site of the former Duhallow Park Hotel at Dromcummer Beg, Kanturk, lodged documents with Cork County Council in response to a request by planners seeking further information in relation to the planning application.
The documents, submitted by Magee Creedon Architects on behalf of Classic Lodges (Ireland) Ltd, tackle a variety of issues of “serious concern” raised by planners in relation to the application.
The documents, which can be viewed on the planning section at www.corkcoco.ie, address issues including traffic safety around the site, the impact of the development on the environment in terms of air quality and noise, waste management and landscape design.
While an initial date of November 25 had been set for a decision on the original application, it is likely this could be put back given the volume and size of the recent reports submitted to planners.
The plan to build a crematorium on the site had met with fierce opposition across the area, with locals lodging more than 40 submissions/objections with Cork County Council against the development.
These addressed concerns including the levels of traffic the development would generate along the already busy stretch of the Mallow to Killarney road, the potential impact that emissions from the crematorium would have on human health and the environment, and that such a facility would not be in keeping with the area.
Since it was set up last weekend in the name of Dromcummer residents, more than 200 people have signed the online petition, which lists five reasons as to why Cork County Council “musts step up and protect its citizens by rejecting this application”.
It claims that crematoriums are proven to emit toxins into the environment including mercury, which are “harmful to nearby residents, especially young children.”
It says that burning and incineration are known to cause chemical emissions that are harmful to human health and that thousands of farm animals in the surrounding area would be subject to airborne residue from the proposed crematorium, in turn entering the food chain.
The petition further contends that local water quality and marine life would be affected, impacting on fishing and tourism, and that wild animals and endangered species currently living on or nearby the site would be disturbed.
“Thank you for signing this petition and helping us keep our countryside green and our lungs clean,” it concludes.
Signatories to the petition cited their reasons for signing, with one saying they did not agree with the construction of the crematorium as they were “extremely concerned about the environmental and social impact it will cause.”
Another pointed out that the Road Safety Authority (RSA) had already highlighted traffic safety issues at the site, pointing out that turning into the site from Mallow would create a backlog leading to a “severe risk” of collisions.
Another pointed out there had been no public consultation prior to the planning permission being submitted to the local authority.