Warrenpoint Harbour Authority has been at the centre of a controversial odour with residents’ complaints leading to a community forum to resolve the stench issue.
One of Northern Ireland’s busiest ports has failed to attract any councillors to its board amid a long running Co Down stink problem.
Warrenpoint Harbour Authority has been at the centre of a controversial odour with residents’ complaints leading to a community forum to resolve the stench issue.
However, all councillors have now resigned from the harbour board with a deadline from the Department for Infrastructure for new applicants now closed.
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A DfI spokesperson said:“The closing date for applications from councillors was 12noon on Friday 28 August 2026. No applications were received.”
All political parties on the council also confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that they had not put any councillor forward to the board.
WHA is the third largest port in Northern Ireland and became a trust in 1971, before new legislation in 1974 allowed for council representation on its board.
DfI added:“There is no statutory requirement for councillors to serve on the board.
“While the legislation permits up to three commissioners to be council members, it does not state a minimum number.
“The board remains properly constituted and can continue to operate effectively even in the absence of any councillors serving as commissioners.”
Environment groups and local residents have raised concerns for the last three years over a perceived stink at the port, they claim 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.
Former WHA board members, councillors Jim Brennan ( Sinn Fein ) and Laura Devlin ( SDLP ) resigned last year in solidarity with local people complaining of the bad smell.
The last councillor on the board, independent Crotlieve elected member Jarlath Tinnelly has now also confirmed his resignation in early August.
The LDRS has contacted WHA over the councillor resignation, which has left the board completely empty of elected Newry, Mourne and Down District Council members.
The councillors had been appointed for terms of four years back in 2024, with a potential situation now presenting itself of all three board seats remaining vacated indefinitely.
Councillors appointed to the board by the DfI minister can expect to be paid “£8,772 per year for up to two business days per month” according to a DfI letter presented to the council.
In September (2025), WHA stated that it had extensive engagement with Re-Gen, with the Newry company agreeing to remove all RDF (refuse derived fuel) bales from the port, with a proposal to no longer store the waste there, but instead transport it directly to ships for export.
Only SRF (solid recovered fuel) bales were 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.
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