Press release

Friends of the Earth demands a sea change in planning enforcement

3 May 2012

Responding to a damning report by the Northern Ireland Ombudsman into the "system failure" to regulate the Omagh gold mine by planners, Friends of the Earth today called on Environment Minister Alex Attwood to stop approving controversial planning applications and focus instead on bringing about a sea change in planning enforcement.

The failure of the planning authority to protect County Tyrone residents from the unlawful actions of a goldmine, the environmental pressure group demanded a moratorium on so-called "Article 31" applications, which are proposals of significant controversy.

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

"The Ombudsman's report points out the extreme distress and suffering that the goldmine caused by acting outside its planning approval. The Northern Ireland Planning authority had the power to immediately halt this suffering, but stood by for almost a year, while lives were put at risk, and public property damaged. The Department of the Environment was complicit in tolerating this unlawful behaviour, all the way up to the level of Minister.

"Controversial applications have been recently approved including the building of a golf resort that damages the setting of the Giant's Causeway World Heritage Site. We believe that the Ombudsman's report proves that the Northern Ireland planning authority is not fit to regulate these and other developments.

"Until planning enforcement has been transformed to respond rapidly, effectively, and beyond the scope of political interference to breaches of planning approval we cannot trust that any development will be properly regulated. We demand an immediate moratorium on all controversial developments until such time as the Minister restores confidence in the planning system and ensures that the public can be protected from rogue operators."

Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland
7 Donegall Street Place
BELFAST
BT1 2FN
Tel: 028 9023 3488
Fax: 028 9024 7556
Email: [email protected]

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust