20 December 2017
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD (Fine Gael), visited the East Tip works site at Haulbowline Island. The Minister’s visit follows the signing in July of the contract to commence an extensive remediation of the large East Tip waste deposit site as the main focus of the Haulbowline Island remediation project.
Speaking at Haulbowline, the Minister said: “I am very pleased to see the works now underway on the remediation of the East Tip site on Haulbowline. Over the next 15 months the island will undergo a period of intense activity as the waste materials which have blighted the East Tip site are addressed.”
Cork County Council is acting as agent of the Minister in the remediation of Haulbowline Island. The contract was awarded by Cork County Council to a consortium led by PJ Hegarty & Sons Ltd.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, visited the East Tip works site at Haulbowline Island. The Minister’s visit follows the signing in July of the contract to commence an extensive remediation of the large East Tip waste deposit site as the main focus of the Haulbowline Island remediation project. Photo: Billy macGill
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, visited the East Tip works site at Haulbowline Island. The Ministers visit follows the signing in July of the contract to commence an extensive remediation of the large East Tip waste deposit site as the main focus of the Haulbowline Island remediation project. Photo: Billy macGill
County Cllr Sinead Sheppard commented “East Cork communities are relieved to see remedial works begin in the East tip site of Haulbowline and are grateful to Cork County Council for all the work carried out on the site making it safe and stable for the people living in the area”
Cork County Council Chief Executive Tim Lucey went on to say that “Cork County Council is acting as an agent for the Minister for the remediation of the site. We have already reached a number of key milestones in this project including preparatory work which cleared the way for the completion of the project in the East Tip”.
The works being carried out on site include marine elements to prevent tidal incursions to the site, access and infrastructure works and capping the waste materials to render the site safe, stable and suitable for future uses. Remediation is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.
Facts & Figures
The Government approved a proposal to enable the clean-up of the East Tip on Haulbowline Island in 2011. Cork County Council is acting as agent of the Minister in the remediation of the site. Key milestones of the remediation project were the planning application for works on the East Tip, lodged with An Bord Pleanála in October 2013 and the waste licence application, submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in November 2013. The approval of both planning and waste licence applications which involved complex and detailed preparatory work cleared the way for the completion of the project in the East Tip. Enabling works have included improving the roadway leading onto Haulbowline Island and strengthening the bridge connecting it with Ringaskiddy to allow the removal of heavy scrap metal and the hauling capping materials for the East Tip.
Haulbowline Island is located within Cork Harbour, between Cobh to the north and Ringaskiddy to the south. The East Tip contains approximately 650,000m3 of steelworks waste that was deposited on a sand spit over a 40 year period. The demolition of the former steelworks has also left a large site in the centre of the island that is unusable pending remediation. Access to the Island by road is from Ringaskiddy via bridges which traverse Rocky Island.
