'Concrete Decision' On Portrush Plant

The scenic north coast looks set to be blighted with news that a planning application for the building of a concrete batching plant at Craigahulliar, on the outskirts of Portrush looks set to go ahead.

Despite efforts from Coleraine Borough Council to have the application scrapped, a letter from Stormont Environment Minister, Edwin Poots to MP Gregory Campbell suggests that the application will be approved.

The Coleraine Times reported last week that Independent Portrush Councillor Christine Alexander brought news about the application, and the letter from Minister Poots.

"We wrote to the Minister requesting information about the application, now it appears as if the decision has been made."

Coleraine Mayor, Councillor Norman Hillis agreed: "Council's planning consulatant put forward a very detailed objection, I am totally frustrated by this," and the Council's Chief Executive agreed to seek a meeting with the Minister.

Councillor Alexander explained: "Mr Campbell had a meeting with the residents, but the application appeared again on the planning schedule in November, as an approval, at that time we asked for an office meeting about the application, but, the Minister then pulled out the application.

"Now the application seems to be live again, and from reading the letter, it suggests that it will be approved despite our efforts."

Residents have already made clear their views and told their local paper that it "will be living in an area that resembles a dirty, dark, dusty prison".

They said that a block making plant currently exists on the site, but the residents feel the new concrete facility will make their lives even more difficult: "We have had to put up with the dump and the block making, now we have this. It just feels like we are stuck out here and no one cares," one local told the Times.

The Cemex plant is just a stone's throw away from nearby homes and residents fear it will get worse if the concrete plant is agreed.

They also said that the noise and traffic is also a problem, underlining that the workers have ear muffs and safety gear, yet they are only "across the hedge and have nothing".

(BMcC/GK)