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The Irish Independent has reported that the
Government had proposed turning the contaminated
Haulbowline Island in Cork harbour into one of the most
'attractive waterside sites in Europe'.
The plan - outlined just a year after a major report
warned of a potential risk to human health - included
200 apartments, a hotel, offices and a 225-berth marina.
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The then enterprise minister, Cork TD Micheál Martin,
announced in 2006 that a high-level group of senior civil
servants would submit proposals to transform the former Irish
Steel site into an "attractive place to live, work and do
business".
However, it has emerged that officials have not made contact
with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local
Government to see what works need to be carried out to make
the site safe, despite a 2005 report which outlined the possible
risks to human health.
The Irish Independent has also learned that four investigations
have been carried out on the site, which is described as the
most polluted in Ireland after 50 years of steel production.
Two reports were carried out between 1995-2002 - with another
2002 study by Enviros Aspinwall carried out on behalf
of the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources.
It warned that the site posed a 'high' risk to human
health, while a 2005 report for the Department of the Environment,
Heritage and Local Government - from White, Young, Green
- found there was a 'moderate' risk to human health
if homes were built on the site.
White Young Green divided the 20-hectare site into two parts
for examination - the main steel plant adjacent to the naval
base and the East Tip, which had been built up over decades
by dumping slag from the plant on the foreshore. However,
the examination was confined to areas outside the steelworks
buildings, resulting in some 50 per cent of the main steelworks
site being excluded from the investigation - which involved
sampling of soil, groundwater and marine sediment.
The consultants assessed each part of the site for elements
like arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel and dioxins and for possible
future use - including residential, public open space and
commercial/industrial.
They concluded that there was a 'moderate' risk to
human health and environmental receptors in the event of a
residential or open public space use - while they assessed
the risk as 'low to moderate' if the site was remediated
for commercial/industrial use.
Minister Martin's ambitious plan to redevelop the area has
been put on hold, the Department of Enterprise said - adding
that, while the high-level group had met several times, the
plan had been shelved pending further investigations.
Defence Minister, Willie O'Dea has also ordered a investigation
into possible health risks for members of the Irish Navy serving
at Haulbowline, to run in tandem with a separate study commissioned
by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government.
He rejected opposition calls to provide health checks for
serving members, saying that the Defence Forces provided annual
medical examinations and health screening and that there was
"no indication" that the site posed health risks to Naval
Service personnel or civilian employees.
The Government was also warned by Fine Gael health spokesman,
Dr James Reilly, that it could expose the State to huge amounts
of litigation if it failed to order an immediate independent
health impact assessment of the Haulbowline site.
Source - The Irish Independent
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