Press release

Nowhere is special and nowhere is safe

27 February 2013

Friends of the Earth today stated its bitter disappointment at the inability of the Northern Ireland High Court to intervene in the Department of the Environment's approval of a golf resort at the Giant's Causeway.

The National Trust took the Judicial Review into the approval of a holiday resort beside Northern Ireland's only World Heritage Site.

Friends of the Earth's Northern Ireland Director, James Orr, said:

"Today Northern Ireland has sacrificed its only World Heritage Site."

"It is now clear that nowhere in Northern Ireland is special or safe. This judgement confirms that the Northern Ireland planning and environmental regulatory systems fail our priceless heritage and the people of Northern Ireland. The High Court made clear that it did not have any grounds under Northern Ireland or UK law to intervene against the Department on this matter."

"The ruling today also shows that UK law is unable to protect our precious World Heritage Sites.  What can we expect to see next - a casino at Westminster Abbey or a funfair in Stonehenge?"

He added:

"Time and again we see that individuals and pressure groups are being forced to resort to the courts at huge expense. We commend the National Trust for taking on this gross injustice and support all those others who are challenging the bad decisions of a Department that has been wasting millions of pounds of our money over the years defending the indefensible."

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Limited