29/11/2017

Plans Submitted For Major Gold Mine In Co Tyrone

A Canadian firm has submitted a planning application to develop and operate a major gold mine in Co Tyrone.

Dalradian aims to create hundreds of jobs if planning permission is approved.

The development of the mine near Gortin would cost around £125 million.

However, environmental campaigners have vowed to take legal action against the plans.

A statement from Save Our Sperrins said: "Should the Department for Infrastructure (DFI) not take the corrective action in refusing to accept this corrupted planning application legal action will be taken to ensure that the community will be consulted meaningfully as required by law. This is the most malignant planning application in the history of the Island of Ireland and the community will not stand idly by and be ridden over roughshod by a clique of gold prospectors and their willing cohorts."

(CD/LM)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

29 April 2010
Protest Follows Planning Service Cuts
Protest action takes place today as the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has become the latest body to criticise the NI Planning Service's bid to redeploy as many as one in three of its employees.
23 April 2013
Boost For Solar Energy Welcomed
Alliance South Down spokesperson, Councillor Patrick Clarke, has welcomed the announcement by the Environment Minister that schools, businesses and farm buildings will no longer need planning permission for solar panels. The change relates to micro generation equipment, including solar panels, which generate electricity or heat from sunlight.
01 May 2009
NI Planning Service Proposes Price Hike
The Northern Ireland Assembly has heard of plans to increased planning application fees by 20%. Proposals brought forward to the Environment Committee are believed to be aimed at saving jobs within the Planning Service. Officials told MLAs the move was essential following a substantial drop in planning applications, which fell by £4.
04 January 2018
Belfast City Council To Reform Planning Services
Belfast City Council has announced it's intention to reform Planning Services, with a renewed focus on how it communicates with various customer groups. The announcement follows recommendations in a report it commissioned by Scotland's former Chief Planner, Jim Mackinnon CBE and broad consultation with a number of stakeholder groups.
09 May 2002
Good planning benefits economy and the environment
The economy and the environment can both be winners if we have good planning processes the Northern Ireland Minister of Environment Dermot Nesbitt has said.