2008 July Archive at South Down Greens

Archive for July, 2008

DOWN GREEN PARTY OPPOSE MX-TRACK

Published

on July 31, 2008

in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Bill Corry, Cadogan Enright, Downpatrick, Helen Corry and Planning issues and illegal development

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Photograph shows Cllr Enright and Helen Corry overlooking the MX Track from the Marshallstown Road.

The Down District Green Party, in its June meeting in Downpatrick, considered the planning application for the MX track between the Marshallstown and Bonecastle Road, and debated the pros and cons of this application and what attitude the local party should take towards it.

Retired Green Party Councillor Bill Corry pointed out that the planning application was in fact a retrospective planning application as it had been developed without permission outside of the planning process.

Although such a development would normally be in line with Green Party policy of farm diversification and rural development, however this particular MX track overlooks too many family homes.

One member of the Down Green Party, who lives on the and can see the MX track from her house confirmed that the angle of the hill on which the MX track has been built acts to project the noise towards local residents.

GREEN Party Cllr Cadogan Enright summarised the consensus of the meeting that the topology of the area projected the loud noise in the direction of local residents and that the local party should oppose this retrospective planning application.

Cllr Enright said “It was decided that whilst the concept of the application, in terms of the rural development, was good the location was wrong.”

Retired Cllr Bill Corry said “I feel that in principal all retrospective planning applications should be opposed as they have been implemented outside of the legal planning process.”

It was therefore resolved to oppose this retrospective planning application on the grounds that it was not suited to the area and because of the disregard shown to the planning process in the first place.

Press Cuttings: Motocross Debate, Down Green Party opposes Downpatrick moto-cross track, Oppostion to new motocross track

‘our rivers must be clean’

Published

Cadogan Enright

on July 21, 2008

in 6. PRESS CUTTINGS, John Hardy and Wildlife/Trees/Nature

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jhepaletter, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

Enright’s praise for Spa Community Activists

Published

Cadogan Enright

on July 21, 2008

in 6. PRESS CUTTINGS

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patspaplayground, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

Concerns over shellfish harvest

Published

Cadogan Enright

on July 21, 2008

in 6. PRESS CUTTINGS, Ballyhornan, Bill Corry and Wildlife/Trees/Nature

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billperiwinkles, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

ENRIGHT CONGRATULATES SPA COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS

Published

Cadogan Enright

on July 21, 2008

in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Ballynahinch/Spa, Cadogan Enright, Parks/National Park and Pat Ward

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Photograph shows Green Party Co-ordinator Pat Ward.

DOWN Councillor Cadogan Enright congratulated Spa Green Party Co-ordinator Pat Ward on a great job done in assisting the local community in Spa to achieve their hard fought campaign to upgrade and improve their run down Play Park.

Green Cllr Enright said, “Pat Ward and the local Hillside and Spa Committee secured quotations for each aspect of the work needed to be done. They then went around and sought financial support for different aspects of the project from community groups, prominent private citizens and the recreation department in Down District Council.

Spa area Green Party Co-ordinator Pat Ward acknowledged the support of UUP councillor Robert Burgess and Down District Recreation Department Director Martin Todd for their hard work and community team spirit in creating solutions where none appeared to be possible.

Cllr Enright said, “We were faced with a silly situation were the residents of Spa where deemed ‘too well off’ to get community funding for this project, with funding being focused on so-called ‘deprived areas.’”

Pat Ward said “Children have the right to play, wherever they live”.

Green Cllr Enright concluded, “This is a shining example of self help by people who are not just complaining about a problem, but are actively going about helping themselves. This project demonstrates not only a strong local community, in Spa, but is also an exemplar in how community activists can get things done”.

Press Cuttings: Green Party activist praised for Spa work, Enright's praise for Spa Community Activists

CLEVER SEAL BEATS FISH GRILL

Published

Cadogan Enright

on July 21, 2008

in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Climate Change/Flooding, Downpatrick, Parks/National Park, Strangford Lough and town and Wildlife/Trees/Nature

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Photograph shows the Quoile Barrier and Fish Grills where the seals are gaining access to the river.

Seals operating from Strangford Lough appear to be outwitting the combined efforts of the Downpatrick Green Party, local anglers and the Department of Agriculture in evading the fish grills on the Quoile barrier.

The Fish Grills were originally damaged by contact through contact with boats on Strangford Lough. They are designed to let fish through while keeping the seals out.

DOWN Councillor Cadogan Enright thanked the N.I Minister of Agriculture Michelle Gildernew and her team for their assistance over the last 18 months in fixing the broken fish pass on the Quoile estuary barrier and also acknowledged the great assistance from Green Party Agricultural Minister Trevor Sargent in bringing pressure to have this project bought forward.

Local Angler spokesperson Trevor Love said “The broken fish grill allowed seals to swim up the Quoile and devastate the fish population in the lower part of the river. We appreciate the 18 months of effort by Cllr Cadogan Enright and Green Party Minister Trevor Sargent in bringing pressure to bear on the NI Ministry of Agriculture to have the fish grill repaired.”

Downpatrick Friends of the Earth spokesperson Keith Bradford said, “Unfortunately the good work of the Green Party in tackling this issue over the last 18 months appears to have been undone by some very clever seals who appear to have learned the trick of swimming through the barrier on the ebb tide to get around the new fish grill, and this appears to be made possible by a fault in the tidal barrier.”

The Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright said “We have urgently been contacting the Department of Agriculture again on what appears to be a failure in the working of the tidal barrier – and have published pictures of what we think is the fault on our website at www.downgreens.com – and are hoping to have this matter investigated as soon as possible.”

Press Cuttings: Smart seals in Strangford Lough!, Hungry seals outwit Quoile technology

ENRIGHT WELCOMES CANCELLATION OF “PONTOON TO NOWHERE”

Published

Cadogan Enright

on July 21, 2008

in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Bill Corry, Cadogan Enright, Council, Parks/National Park, Planning issues and illegal development, Strangford Lough and town and Wildlife/Trees/Nature

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Photograph shows Cllr Enright with retired Cllr Bill Corry near the Murlough Key beside Delamont Park.

DOWN Cllr Cadogan Enright welcomed the recent cancellation by council officials of the proposed pontoon in Delamont Park as a welcome, if late, admission that the project was always a non-starter.

Green Cllr Enright said, “Putting a pontoon across the mudflats is quite an impractical proposal for accessing Delamont Park. Its location would render it unusable for most of the time due to tidal reasons.”

Cllr Cadogan Enright continued, “Additionally this is an environmentally sensitive area and the council needs to start protecting, rather than continuing to develop on the key asset Down District has in the areas of special scientific interest within Strangford Lough.”

Councillor Enright pointed out that the old coal pier at the Murlough Quay is only two to three hundred metres away, within sight of the yacht club and could be much more usefully developed in a sustainable way, replenishing the historical character of the area.

“At the rates meeting earlier this year I opposed this development as a ‘Pontoon to Nowhere’, and I hope that we are now moving towards a more sustainable development of this area,” concluded Cllr Enright.

SHOCKING STATE OF DOWNPATRICK RIVER

Published

Cadogan Enright

on July 21, 2008

in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Downpatrick, Littering/Vandalism/Crime, Pollution, Strangford Lough and town and Wildlife/Trees/Nature

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Photograph shows Cllr Enright at the grossly polluted river near MacDonalds on the Ballyduggan Road.

Cllr Enright has raised his concerns at the shocking state of a small river leading out of Downpatrick which is polluting the Ballyduggan Marshes and the Quoile River.

Cllr Enright met with EHS officials on site and after looking over the obvious pollution of the water he formally requested additional water testing to be carried out to establish if any detergents or other chemicals such as chloride, PH, Ammonia, BOD and other suspended solids are found.

This river has been highly polluted and has been monitored by Green Party Activists for the last three years who have highlighted wide spread die-off of frogs in the marshes and the stench of rotting mater experienced by passing pedestrians. It has frequently found to be full of harmful waste and sewage deposits.

Cllr Enright said, “A number of local people have pointed out to me how bubbles of apparent noxious gases have also been seen rising from the river bed. This type of pollution is rarely seen even in the most industrial cities, let alone a town like Downpatrick.”

Cllr Enright has raised concerns about the effect this pollution is having on local wildlife. He said, “the extent of the pollution in the river would suggest that it would make it totally unsuitable for wildlife. More worryingly, however, is the potential impact this pollution could have on wildlife further downstream, where the water enters the Ballyduggan marshes and then the Quoile. Both are areas with large numbers and varieties of wildlife and this pollution is clearly having a devastating effect on what should be one of the most beautiful and environmentally protected parts of the town.”

DOWN Green Cllr Cadogan Enright is currently waiting on the results from the EHS officers to establish exactly how bad this pollution is and from where the most likely source of this pollution is coming from.

Cllr Enright concluded, “I am hoping that the results from these tests will help us in tackling the serious problem of water pollution in Downpatrick. If we find out what is causing this problem we will hopefully be able to locate the source of the pollution in this case – however it should be noted that this is just one of several instances, of pollution, being monitored by the Green Party in Downpatrick at this time.

Press Cuttings: River Hit By Bad Pollution, Green Councillor Hits Out at Downpatrick River Pollution, Waterway investigation by the Green Party