Archived press release

Minister gives green light to illegal pollution

11 October 2002

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland is taking legal advice after Northern Ireland Environment Minister, Dermot Nesbitt, agreed to allow new houses to be connected to inadequate sewage systems that are already breaking European pollution laws. He has also forbidden his Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) officials from objecting to planned development, even where it would result in more illegal discharges of sewage into our rivers and seas. Only 35 per cent of Northern Ireland's sewage treatment works comply with EU standards, compared with a 95 per cent compliance rate in England and Wales.

A moratorium was imposed during the summer preventing the building of new homes in areas where poor sewage infrastructure was already putting poorly-treated sewage into loughs and rivers in the region. But following intense lobbying by developers, the moratorium was lifted last Monday (7 October) [1] - one of the final acts before the Assembly's expected suspension this Monday (14 October).

Friends of the Earth has asked lawyers to look at the Minister's decision and is calling for:

• A reinstatement of the moratorium by either the National Assembly or British Government;
• Urgent action too ensure that Northern Ireland's sewage system meets EU standards and does not threaten health and the environment;
• An independent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Northern Ireland. An EPA could not be silenced by the minister in such a shameful way as the EHS.

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland Campaigner, Lisa Fagan, said:

"The Minister's decision is shameful. He has caved in to pressure from developers and given the go-ahead to further breaches of European pollution laws which will threaten people's health and the environment. And if that wasn't enough, he has effectively gagged officials from complaining about it [2].

"Why should Northern Ireland have lower environmental standards than elsewhere? Only one third of our sewage treatment works meet EU standards, whereas Britain has 95 per cent compliance [3]. The moratorium must be re-imposed until sewage treatment works meet acceptable and legal standards."

Notes

[1] (back) The Minister's statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly is available on Hansard at www.ni-assembly.gov.uk/record/reports/021007.htm#4 Click on water quality and planning

[2] (back) Planning decisions in Northern Ireland are made by Planning Service, an arm of Mr Nesbitt's Department of the Environment (DOE). Problems arose within Planning Service when another arm of the DOE, environment and Heritage Service, objected to proposed development on the grounds that it would be connected to non-compliant sewerage infrastructure.

[3] (back) Ownership of Northern Ireland's water and sewerage system lies with Water Service, an arm of the department for Regional Development.

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland
7 Donegall Street Place
BELFAST
BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: foe-ni@foe.co.uk.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust