Archive for the 'Planning issues and illegal development' Category

GREENS CALL FOR CROSSROADS OBSTRUCTION TO BE REMOVED

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on September 3, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Dunmore, John Hardy, Mark McCormick, Planning issues and illegal development and Traffic/Rat Runs/Roads
. 0 Comments

Cllr Enright and John Hardy at Dunmore crossroads, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

The Green Party has called for a remaining wall which has been causing obstruction at the Dunmore Road and Magherahamlet Road crossroads to be removed to avoid any further accidents, following a serious crash in the past week.

Cllr Enright explained, “We had previously campaigned with planning enforcement to have a derelict building on the site which had been causing traffic problems to be removed, but it seems that while the rest of the house was demolished, a significant section of wall remains and this continues to block the sightlines of road users approaching the crossroads from the Spa direction.

Local Green Party coordinator Mark McCormick said “It took over 18 months of pressure from the Green Party for the original ruin to be demolished, and it had been there for 10 years. We hope it wont take the same amount of time to have the wall demolished as it is a serious hazard.

“The remaining bit of wall caused disruption to the recent successful sheep dog trials as it was unsafe for large numbers of vehicles to be emerging from the crossroads and it was only due to the utmost vigilance from the organisers and road users that accidents were avoided. However, in the past few days there has been a serious accident between two lorries and this highlights the need for action to be taken straight away.”

Cllr Enright concluded “I will be pursuing this matter with the Planning Service and with Roads Service to ensure it is taken care of with urgency. In the mean time I ask road users to continue to use caution at the crossroads.”

The following photos show the scene of the recent crash at the crossroads:

dunmore crash2

dunmore crash1

GREEN PARTY COUNCILLOR SEEKS MULTI-AGENCY APPROACH TO CLEAN UP OF KENNEDY PARK IN KILLOUGH IN ADVANCE OF NEW NAOISCOIL

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on September 3, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Killough, Littering/Vandalism/Crime, Parks/National Park, Planning issues and illegal development and Schools
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Cllr Enright at Kennedy Park in Killough, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright has been pressing for better ongoing maintenance of Kennedy park in Killough following requests from local residents, and has highlighted the imminent building of the new Naoiscoil pre-school as an opportunity for public service organizations to improve services to this area.
Cllr Enright said “I have requested the council to clear up the huge amount of broken glass from the park, and council manager nnn has confirmed that this has been done and that there will be an ongoing effort to keep this area clean”.
“I have also contacted the District Policing Partnership to see what can be done between the PSNI and other government agencies to see what can be done once and for all to stamp out “rough drinking”, dumping and bonfires of household waste in the Park that is affecting the quality of life of local residents. I feel a cross-agency approach is the only way to tackle these issues”, Confirmed Cadogan Enright.
“The old mill is in a dangerous state, and barriers to entry have been removed, I am pursuing this with the Dangerous buildings section” Said Councillor Enright
“The building of the new Naoisciol gives the Council, in conjunction with the other agencies an opportunity to deliver a series of separate relatively minor actions, that taken collectively would provide a huge boost for local residents. The fencing and hedging could be repaired, the PSNI could patrol the area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, the litter wardens could focus on this area until after Christmas or until the dumping problem with a few local individuals is resolved. The outcome could be a better local environment for everyone,” Concluded Councillor Cadogan Enright

RENEWABLE ENERGY DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ULSTER FARMERS

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on August 26, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Farming / Agriculture, Planning issues and illegal development, Renewable Energy and Working with other Parties
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Cllr Burgess and Cllr Enright, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

Local Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright has called for incentives recently been introduced in the Republic to be extended to Northern Ireland as a means of supporting new sources of farming income and tackling energy needs.

Cllr Enright said, “Our Electricity Grid is now managed across Ireland as a whole. It is therefore discriminatory for our farmers not to receive the same incentive for renewable energy crops that are available to their counterparts in the Republic”.

Rowallen Ulster Unionist councillor Robert Burgess said, “Speaking as a farmer I find it entirely unacceptable that we have one electricity grid across the island, but our farmers are not being facilitated in producing energy in the manner that they are in the Republic. There is free competition between fossil-fuel energy producers North and South, we farmers need a level playing pitch in renewable energy too”.

Cllrs Enright and Burgess have called for their respective MLA representatives in Stormont to take this matter up with the DUP minister in charge, and seek the production of renewable energy to be managed at inter-governmental Ministerial level for coordination in the single shared grid.

Cllrs Enright and Burgess made the call after it was announced that the Green Party Minister for Energy in the Republic, Eamonn Ryan, was introducing a price structure to reward the production of electricity from natural resources, such as willow, wood, and even farmyard slurry. This will result in farmers being paid to grow biomass which can then be used to generate energy and so reduce demand for imported fossil fuels.

“Local farmers should have the same opportunities as those in the Republic of Ireland to grow crops which are economically viable and which will produce a sustainable agricultural income while helping to tackle climate change. This scheme should be introduced by the Minister responsible as soon as possible as it has so many positive aspects. The NI Branch of the Confederation on British Industry predicted last year that the NI economy will be in serious danger of we do not cease being 99% dependent of imported fossil fuel.”, Cllr Enright said.

“I have always maintained that farmers could be at the forefront of the green economy and the fight against climate change. This new support price has the potential to contribute to economic recovery in rural Ireland as well as reducing overall national dependence on imported fossil fuels. The Ulster Farmers Union last year called for 15% of all energy in NI to be produced by farms in NI in the ‘Green New Deal’ they jointly agreed with business and trade union leaders. It is particularly important that these incentives are guaranteed for a 15-year period, this would afford farmbers the re-assurance requird to invest heavily in the capital goods and long-term planting needed to bring such businesses to fruition”, said Cllr Burgess.

Downpatrick councillor Cadogan Enright said “Business will also benefit from the ability to produce their own electricity on-site and sell the surplus to the national grid. This would have major benefits for South Down and across Northern Ireland and needs to be copied from the Republic, particularly as we have a Single Electricity Market on this island so any incentives in just one jurisdiction will negatively impact on the other if not replicated. Farmers in the Lecale area have to battle obstacles to be allowed to produce anything.”

Rowallan Cllr Burgess concluded “With the planned reductions in subsidies from the Common Agricultural Policy in the future, it is critical that farmers and rural producers are offered an alternative, sustainable form of living and such schemes would provide that support. I would call on all the farmers and rural industries to make their voices heard in calling for a fair deal on renewable energy “.

LAUNCH OF GREEN BUILD WEBSITE

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on August 19, 2010
in Cadogan Enright, Climate Change/Flooding, Employment/Economics, Newry & Mourne, Planning issues and illegal development and Renewable Energy
. 0 Comments

LAUNCH OF GREEN BUILD WEBSITE, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

Cllr Cadogan Enright’s Down District Council was the lead council in the web-site launched by Green Party’s Mr. John Gormley T.D., Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Minister Gormley was attending at the invitation of the East Border Region Partnership of Councils from North and South of the Boarder.

Minister John Gormley officially launched the SustainAndBuild.com website at an event in the Ballymascanlon Hotel in Dundalk co. Louth. Sustainandbuild.com is a portal web facility offering open access to planning, building and environmental knowledge within the East Border Region of Ireland. It facilitates trade and investment and highlights prime development opportunities. Through the actions of participating enterprises, councils and experts, it explains in plain terms the legislation and policies applicable to development in both jurisdictions in the region.

Referring to the site as a model for joined-up government and cross border cooperation the Minister commented : “The way it has managed to link together the information and spokespersons from Planning, Building Control, Water treatment, Heritage, Health and Safety and Roads functions from both jurisdictions into a veritable one stop shop is an enviable achievement”

The website is easy to use with video, audio and interactive content all being deployed to communicate information with maximum impact. It has learning modules for schools, with interactive functionality to gauge the real level of understanding achieved.

The site also features up-to-date information on sustainability in design and construction, best practice approaches, renewable technologies and energy saving solutions. Recommending the site to anyone involved in or contemplating a construction project in this region, or further afield. Minister said:- “The new sustainability and energy efficiency agenda is where it’s at for the industry and the more we get to grips with this agenda now, the better prepared we will be for the much-anticipated upturn in economic activity when it comes and come it will”.

Photograph shows South Down Green Party Westminister Candidate Cllr Cadogan Enright and Green Party Senator Cllr. Mark Deary from Dundalk at official launch of SustainAndBuild.com website by the Minister.

GREEN PARTY OBJECT TO PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ON MOSS ROAD

Published
by
John Hardy
on August 19, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Ballynahinch/Spa, Mark McCormick, Planning issues and illegal development, Pollution, Traffic/Rat Runs/Roads and Wildlife/Trees/Nature
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Local Green Party Co-ordinator Mark McCormick

Local Green Party Co-ordinator Mark McCormick

Green Party Local cordinator Mark McCormick has objected to a proposal for a housing development in the Moss Road area of Ballynahinch on the following grounds:

•The Moss Road is used as a rat run and already struggles to cater for the heavy traffic it is subjected with. If 35 dwellings are going to be built on this road how does the developer expect to have heavy machinery and building equipment moved up and down the road and how will residents trying to enter and exit their properties cope with this? Carlisle’s Fresh Foods and the playing fields also mean that this road is used for parking on both sides making it difficult for even one car to make its way along the road. This leads to congestion and it has become so bad that residents have complained there are days they cannot even have their bins emptied as the bin lorry cannot even make it down the road. This shows that there is simply no road network infrastructure to deal with an additional housing development on the Moss Road. The road would have to be extended yet there is no scope as to how this will be done in the application. The application simply states it will widen the road but has not made clear as to where and how this will be done.

•There is currently no access to this site from the Moss Road yet the application proposes the Moss Road as a potential access. The drop from the Moss Road to this site is almost 3 metres so if a site access was to be created an area of the site would have to be raised to this height. Doing this will cause massive disruption to traffic and access to properties of existing residents and I have already highlighted the already existing problems of congestion, in which this will only add to.

•The proposed dwellings are meant to fit into the character of the existing area yet these houses are all set to be two stories. There are no two storey houses on the Moss Road and even on the Belfast Road and so I would dispute that these developments will fit into the character of the area.

•The Moss Road is a north facing road and in the winter the ice does not thaw making the road extremely dangerous. Increasing more traffic on this road will increase the risk of accidents and massively reduce road safety. Also the proposed entrance to the development is close to a bend so any cars that get caught in the ice and unable to break will be heading straight for this entrance which could lead to collisions.

•The playing fields next to this site use to be the town dump which was covered over in the late 1960s. This dump was never cleared and so waste and polluting discharges are currently seeping into the stream and marshes on the proposed site via a drainage pipe. Although it is not the responsibility of the Planning Service to deal with the pollution it is certainly worth noting that this pollution will have an effect on the land the developments would be built on and would be a persistent problem and health threat to any residents in the proposed dwellings.

Pollution from spring at Moss Road site

Pollution from spring at Moss Road site

•The field is prone to flooding and rain water from the Moss Road flows down into the south west of the site. This has not been considered in the planning application and I note that the proposed Bio Disc sewage system is to be positioned at the south west corner of the site. The Bio Disc system would therefore be in an unsuitable location.

•The Down Ards Area Plan 2015 has highlighted a number of other areas in Ballynahinch suitable for housing which have not been developed yet. These are the areas where housing developments should be sought, not in an area such as this application where there are a number of factors making it unsuitable. There are already many empty houses in Ballynahinch town and new estates built on the Riverside Road.

•Prior to the PAC decision, removing this area from the LLPA, it was stated that the area was in the interests of nature conservation and facilitated wildlife linkages within urban and wider countryside areas. How has this changed? The development of this site will destroy any wildlife and nature that is of priceless value to this area. The Moss Road is known for the beautiful view over this site and the drumlin landscape of Ballynahinch. Destroying this character area and green field site will damage the value of the houses on the Moss Road and the very identity of the landscape reducing house prices and living quality of all.

•It is clear that there are many problems with this site and planning application and I do not feel the applicant has properly analysed the plausibility of this site. This is clearly evident in the fact that the applicant has spelt Ballynahinch wrongly as ‘Ballinahinch’ throughout the plans showing that this was a rushed job and the full considerations of the site and residents of the Moss Road have not been taken into account.

PLANNING SERVICE SPINS OUT OF CONTROL ON REFUSING WIND TURBINES

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on April 29, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, John Hardy, Planning issues and illegal development and Renewable Energy
. 0 Comments

Photograph shows local businesses men (right to left) Paul McCrumlish from Banbridge, John Hardy of Newcastle, Paddy Flynn of Castlewellan and Arthur Davidson of Spa with Green councillor Cadogan Enright, Westminster Candidate.

Green Party Westminster candidate Cadogan Enright has slammed the local Planning Service for preventing the development of renewable energy from Sliabh Croob right across the Mournes area. He point out that the National Parks report had recommended in favour of a permissive regime for local farmers and businessmen for wind-turbines, and that planning policy PPS18 was equally in favour. Large numbers of planning refusals based on “visual amenity” were stopping the creation of jobs and blocking new income sources for farmers, businesspeople and householders.

Cllr Enright was responding to local renewable energy businesses which have been repeatedly refused planning permission for wind turbines in the face of planning policy PPS18 which was designed to facilitate renewable energy.

Cadogan Enright said, “I have been approached by a number of businesses which are trying to get planning permission for wind turbines where there have been no local objections, but are being refused because of mercurial local interpretation of planning policy by officials in Downpatrick. These businesses are being made to be pay large fees to apply; they then have to wait over 16 months for a response and in the end are being refused permission because of what appears to be a local personal bias against wind turbines in the planning office not found elsewhere in NI. These installations are vital as a means of achieving N.I.’s renewable energy targets, reducing our carbon footprint, creating employment opportunities and developing revenue opportunities for local businesses.”

Castlewellan businessman Paddy Flynn said, “People applying for planning are losing out on potential income through Renewable Obligation Certificates, where they are paid for generating renewable electricity. This failure to follow correct policy is acting as an impediment to business and jobs in Down District, as well as denying local landowners an additional income stream. Green tech businesses are the future for Northern Ireland, but they can only be so if the authorities are supportive in their application of policy. ”

John Hardy of SEA said, “Even in the rare instances where permission is given, ridiculous height restrictions are being imposed, which render the projects uneconomic. Wind turbines are most efficient at heights of up to 40 metres as recommended in PPS18, yet restrictions are being placed on all applications which limit the height to 15 metres which seriously impacts the ability of the turbine to produce energy”.

Green Westminster Candidate Cadogan Enright said, “If the local planning authority has unilaterally decided not to apply the same rules as the rest of Northern Ireland and the island of Ireland as a whole in regards to wind turbines, then they need to inform the public as to why this is so and tell them not to waste their money making applications. Local politicians from all parties need work together to re-establish normality in planning for renewable energy in the district”.

Press Coverage

– Councillors set to iron out wind turbine policy, Planners criticised as wind turbines are turned down.

GREEN PARTY WANT REMOVAL OF NEWCASTLE PHONE MAST

Published
by
Mark McCormick
on December 11, 2009
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, John Hardy, Newcastle and Planning issues and illegal development
. 0 Comments

Cllr Cadogan Enright & Newcastle Green Party Co-ordinator John HardyThe Green Party has called for the immediate removal of a mobile phone mast which was erected on Newcastle Main Street last week and believes that there is no need for numerous masts in the town.

Local Green Party co-ordinator, John Hardy, said “The location of the new mast is very worrying. Despite other locations being suggested, it has been installed in a prominent location on the Main Street, within metres of shop fronts. These masts are on twenty four hours a day, so the busy street will result in the public being exposed to microwave radiation at all times and at close proximity.”

“This is of great concern as some studies have found the most harmful effects even at the lowest levels of exposure. The Green Party has developed a policy on microwave radiation in which we call for action to be taken to limit microwave exposure in relation to places with vulnerable adults or children and so we want to see the immediate removal of this mast.”

Cllr Cadogan Enright stated, “The people of Newcastle do not want, and do not need, another mast in their town, particularly one located in the centre of the busy shopping area. If the telephone companies believe they need a mast, then they should relocate it to an unoccupied area. Alternatively, all the mobile phone providers should be made to share a single mast rather than installing several in the town.”

“We will be calling on the Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the local community to oppose this installation and to study the mobile phone coverage in Newcastle to ascertain if we really need it.”

Press Cuttings: Mobile phone mast row rumbles, People of Newcastle stand United Against Telephone Mast.

FIVE DEGREES OF ENVIRONMENTAL & WILDLIFE PROTECTION… YET PLANNING SERVICE GIVES DEVELOPMENT GO-AHEAD

Published
by
Mark McCormick
on November 27, 2009
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Council, Killyleagh, Planning issues and illegal development and Wildlife/Trees/Nature
. 0 Comments

Cllr Cadogan EnrightDOWN Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright has expressed his grave concern that a development in an area that has five degrees of environmental protection designations has been given approval by the Planning Service. He pointed out that a perfectly acceptable site existed in the Delamont farm complex only a few hundred meters away from the Wildlife reserve being sought by the Developers. He questioned the motives of the developers in rejecting a site where good services already exit..

Cadogan Enright said “The proposed Viking Village Development at Delamont would be built on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), a Ramsar Site listed under the RAMSAR Convention for the Protection of Wetlands, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a Special Protection Area (SPA) and an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI).”

Cllr Enright said, “I cannot understand how an area that is seemingly untouchable according to environmental protection and wildlife designations can be built on according to the Planning Service. The decision to approve this development completely disregards all the hard work that went into getting this beautiful landscape the legal protection needed in order to maintain this area for future generations.”

Cllr Enright continued, “This development also fails the key elements of the Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland (PSRNI) which states that in all situations its policy will be to protect important assets for the tourist industry, including scenic routes, and to prevent their damage or destruction for short term gain or exploitation. The visual impact of the Viking Village and its compound would be highly intrusive to the landscape viewed from the sea, and from the very popular public walk around Gibbs Island.”

“Most startling of all is that Councillors in Down District Council would ever consider handing over such a precious piece of local government property. Given the fiduciary responsibilities encumbant on local councillors for the proper use of public property I cannot see how councillors could vote in favour of such an application. The general public using Delamont park would never understand why an additional car park, sewerage system and entrance gate is necessary, why existing facilities cannot be shared and why we have to build on the Wildlife reserve that so many people come to Delamont to visit,” concluded Cllr Enright.

Press Cuttings: Viking Village is given go-ahead, Viking proposal is not ready for view

GREEN PARTY SUPPORTS RESIDENTS OBJECTIONS TO BALLYNAHINCH FLATS

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on October 8, 2009
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Ballynahinch/Spa, Cadogan Enright, Planning issues and illegal development and Working with other Parties
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Members of the Chestnut Meadows Residents Association with South Down MLA, Jim Wells and the Green Party Councillor, Cadogan Enright, in front of the under-construction apartment blocks they are opposed to.

The Green Party are supporting the newly formed Chestnut Meadows Residents Association which has formed in objection of two large three-storey apartment blocks which are currently under construction on the adjacent Riverside Road.

Spokesperson for the community group Mr Tim Chalmers said, “The local residents are absolutely astounded by the scale and overbearing nature of these apartment blocks which are totally out of keeping with the area in size, form and finish.”

Mr Chalmers said residents were also concerned about issues such as sewerage provision and road safety.

Residents are also concerned over rumours that the developer is in negotiations about selling the site.

Cllr Cadogan Enright said, “Aside from the legitimate concerns of local residents about the size, scale and overpowering nature of what is being built, it must be said that the furtherest outskirts of the town on Riverside Road is not an appropriate location for social housing. This development seems to be going back to the old Craigavon days of putting vunerable people with no transport miles away from the social and commercial supports that they need.”

“This appears to be planning via the back door with no consultation with local people about what is proposed for their area,” concluded Cllr Enright.

Press Cuttings Residents object to Ballynahinch flats.

TACKLING FLYTIPPING IN KILLOUGH

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on June 2, 2009
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Killough and Planning issues and illegal development
. 0 Comments

Fly tipping at Killough Estate

Whilst visiting constituents in Killough Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright became aware of a case of flytipping to the rear of Fishermans Row and in front of the Seaview and Westpoint estates.

It was clear that this rubble, as can be seen in the photograph ,came from a building site. The Green Party notified the Down District Council of this incident and following an investigation prosecutions were made against a developer constructing in Killough.