Are there any health implications for people living near the facilities?

There is no credible evidence of adverse health impacts for anyone living or working near these types of facility.

Where will the facilities be located?

A number of different sites for the facilities are currently being considered. Each potential site must meet a comprehensive set of pre-determined criteria including visual impact, traffic and proximity to residential property to ensure that the most appropriate locations are found. At this stage planning permission must be sought and this will be open to full public scrutiny.

When will the facilities become operational?

SWaMP2008 is currently involved in a detailed and comprehensive procurement process, which will be completed by 2010. Some facilities should be operational by 2012.

Won’t MBT and Gasification discourage people from recycling?

No. Both types of facilty would work alongside existing recycling and composting schemes. The Councils that make up SWaMP2008 possess a strong recycling culture and year on year have managed to increase household recycling and composting rates. Additional resources, including education programmes, will be used to support and enhance this culture and ensure that the Councils continue to improve upon their recycling and waste reduction levels.

Will these facilties be monitored to ensure safety?

Absolutely. The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) implements very stringent EU standards through legislative instruments such as the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) order. The Agency also has regulatory authority and the legal right to close any plant in breach of the legislation.

Will these facilities result in increased traffic levels?

Before a site is decided upon a full assessment of projected road traffic levels will be carried out. Typically, these sites tend to be situated in industrial areas that are designed to handle higher volumes of vehicular traffic. Great care will be taken at the design stage to ensure minimum disruption to the surrounding area.

What will the facilities look like?

Whatever the type of facility used in a specific area, its design will be in keeping with the surrounding area. Its appearance will feature in the public consultation exercise that forms part of the planning process.

Will the facility have an effect on residential property prices?

It is anticipated that this will not be the case. As previously stated, these plants are usually sited within existing industrial areas that do not contain residential properties. Therefore there should not be a negative impact on house prices.