WHILE IT was good news that work had officially gotten underway on the new €25million Garda Station at the old W.B. Nunn mill site on the Mulgannon Road last week, Independent TD Mick Wallace has said that the Wexford public are being “kept in the dark” following the discovery of a “substantial amount” of asbestos at the site.

Minister Brendan Howlin was present at the site last week as contractors Duggan Construction from Limerick moved on-site to get the project, which is expected to take up to two years, underway. However, Deputy Wallace has expressed major concerns with the level of asbestos found at the site.

“This is a site with a large amount of asbestos in an as yet undetermined state, bordering hundreds of houses and a public laneway, and yet homeowners haven’t been informed,” he said.

Having contacted the Office of Public Works (OPW), Deputy Wallace says that he has been told that a “substantial amount” of asbestos was found buried and scattered around the site. It is likely to take around ten weeks to remove the asbestos, believed to be in the form of old slates.

The former site of the W.B. Nunn Grain Stores, two of the stores were demolished in recent years after a dangerous structures notice was placed on them by Wexford Borough Council.

“According to the the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the site was cleared of the remains of buildings and general site debris in recent years, which makes you wonder how a substantial amount of asbestos has been uncovered there now, how long it has been lying there, and in what state,” Wallace said. “The regulations clearly state when asbestos demolition or removal work has been completed the employer who has carried out the work must get a ‘site clearance for reoccupation’ cert stating there’s no longer asbestos on the site.”

Deputy Wallace said that he has been told that the asbestos find and removal will be carried out at considerable cost on top of, what he believes is an already “outrageous” budget of €25m.

For more see this week’s Wexford Echo.

Independent TD Mick Wallace.