route across Devonshire Marsh into a public walkway.

The company made the proposal in a bid to resume rubble dumping on the marsh near Parson's Road.

Solid ground was needed to bury the pipes and cables in.

Government's Conservation Officer and the National Trust had expressed outrage after discovering last month that a 30-foot wide stretch of rubble had been laid across the rare wetland.

It was another "ugly blight in the landscape'', Dr. David Wingate charged.

And natural vegetation, including cedar trees, would be destroyed and the habitats of rare birds disturbed.

Soon after, Government halted the project, deeming it "illegal'' because it did not have the DAB's approval.

Watlington Waterworks was forced to make a retrospective application to the Development Applications Board to continue the project.

A Planning Department officer confirmed that the application had been received. It would be sent to the DAB after technical officers have reviewed it.

Already, the National Trust has lodged an objection.

The company is proposing to continue laying the mound of rubble across nearly 100 feet of the marsh, on land zoned "green space'' and "woodland reserve''.

It needs to lay water pipes connecting its new reverse osmosis plant to the existing plant. And Belco is sharing the rubble trench in order to lay cables to connect the Tynes Bay incinerator with its nearby substation.