Councillors asked to put names forward for Warenpoint Harbour Authority Board

The CEO of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has set a two day deadline for councillors to be nominated to the board of a harbour authority at the focus of a town ‘stink’ problem.

Sinn Fein and SDLP elected members previously quit their non-executive positions at the Warrenpoint port (July 2025) over concerns of foul odours at the harbour.

A letter from Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Minister Liz Kimmins dated ‘1 June’ was only presented in council this week (Aug 3) inviting councillors to take up the vacated posts.

In chambers, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council chief executive Marie Ward said: “We as a council can put forward up to eight nominations, so if members could provide us with those nominations before 5pm Wednesday 5 August.

“If there are more than eight members, we will take the first eight in line with the time of them arriving.

“It will then be up to the members to fill out their application forms and go through the process.”

Council chairperson Glyn Hanna (DUP) quipped: “Don’t be rushing now everybody.”

Successful councillors to the board can expect to be paid “£8,772 per year for up to two business days per month” according to the DfI letter.

Environment groups and local residents have raised concerns for the last three years over a perceived stink at the port, they say is linked to waste bales at the harbour to be shipped for Newry recycling company Re-Gen. The bales are exported to be incinerated in Scandinavian areas.

Warrenpoint Harbour Authority board members, councillors Jim Brennan and Laura Devlin resigned last year in solidarity with local people complaining of the bad smell.

In September (2025) WHA stated that it had extensive engagement with Re-Gen with the Newry company agreeing to remove all RDF from the port with a proposal to no longer store the waste there, but instead transported directly to ships, for export.

Only Solid Recovered Fuel was to be stored in future on the site which the WHA was told should be non-odorous.

As a result of extensive talks and an independent environmental audit report the WHA set up the community forum to provide a key communication basis on potential bad smells from the port located in the centre of the town.

However, in April this year, forum member Fionnuala McKinley, who lives just yards from port, stepped down and called for an independent environmental impact study.

Applications to the board will close on 28 August.