Bill Corry is currently investigating on behalf of the Green Party into what looks like destruction and the erosion of land due to overstocking on the Lecale coast. He is following channels of complaint through the Department of Agriculture and the Northern ireland Environment Agency.
Archive for the 'Bill Corry' Category
Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright hosted an action day in Killough by NI Young Greens who met up in Downpatrick before bussing down to Killough for a “Tree Planting Action Day”.
The day was organised by the Queens University Branch of the Young Greens who have several members in the Down District area. This is the second time that Young Greens have organised a weekend in Down District – on the previous occasion they organised a clean-up of Ardglass Beach.
On arrival in Downpatrick the QUB Greens were greeted by members of the South Down Green Party and Cllr Cadogan Enright. Cllr Enright gave the Young Greens a talk about local campaigns that the South Down Party is involved in, the upcoming Westminster campaign and how the Green Party is developing on-line election management tools to manage the election.
The Young Greens also attended the Downpatrick Library Art Gallery that had a “protest exhibition” by 36 local artists of paintings of the St Johns Point, Minerstown and Tyrella areas of the beautiful East Down coastline. The exhibition was protesting the proposal from the NI Environmental Agency that this area will lose its designation as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty!
The Young Greens then travelled out to Killough were they spent the day being taught how to plant a variety of native trees by well-known retired Green Party Councillor Bill Corry who has himself planted 650,000 trees in Co Down since he retired 20 years ago from the Department of Agriculture.
Given the exposed coastal site in Killough, the new forest was planted in “layers” with the hardiest trees on the windward side. Layers included Blackthorn, Hazel, Ash, Downy Birch and Beech trees. Young NI Greens were joined for the planting by representative Young Greens from Scotland and Germany.
Local Downpatrick man Mark McCormick who is also the Co-Chair of the Young Greens at QUB said, “The Young Greens are a vibrant youth organisation involved in many campaigns, events and actions. The tree planting day was just one of a number of such events which we love to get involved in. If any young people from the area are interested in getting involved I would invite them to visit the Young Greens blog at www.qubgreens.blogspot.com were you can find contact information and also take a look at what its means to be a Young Green!”
The Young Greens thanked Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright and retired Green Party Cllr Bill Corry for making the day a great success!
Press Coverage:
Steven Agnew, Green Euro Candidate, visits Downpatrick.
Downpatrick Cllr Cadogan Enright and retired Cllr Bill Corry of the Green Party hosted the launch of Green EU Candidate Steven Agnew’s Campaign in South Down.
Meeting in the Saint Patrick Centre Steven Agnew listened to the concerns of many local environmentalist groups, community activists and human rights campaigners.
Downpatrick Friends of the Earth co-ordinator Keith Bradford said, “I was impressed with this intelligent and committed young man and things bode well for Northern Ireland when we have people like this coming forward as potential political representatives.”
Jim Marks, a local farmer and environmentalist campaigner, from Killileagh shared many of the concerns in the Lecale area with Steven Agnew including multiple instances of river pollution, unsustainable development and flagrant disregard for EU Directives in the area of health and the environment that are rampant in Northern Ireland.
Cllr Cadogan Enright pointed out how Down District Council had still failed to implement a Biodiversity Action Plan and is only now beginning to look at implementing its responsibilities under Local Agenda 21 – That is how Down District can be made sustainable for our children and grand children.
Cllr Enright said, “When you look at Britain, Germany and even central and south America and see that local authorities in all these regions are planning for the future in terms of biodiversity and climate change. Its embarrassing that we here in Down District Council have failed to deliver a local plan despite the best efforts of a number of councillors from different parties to bring this forward.”
Bill Corry praised Steven Agnew and held him up as the sort of young person we need in politics to change priorities for the future and create a better life and future for everyone in Down District and Co. Down.
The Green Party EU Candidate Steven Agnew thanked everyone for showing up to express their concerns and was continuing to amend his election platform to reflect these and other matters brought to his attention by similar meetings in Ballynahinch, Newcastle, Hilltown and Warrenpoint.
Press Cuttings: Councillor criticises the lack of local action plan
The Green Party has been campaigning for the safety and lives of young migrant workers along the coastline from the abuse and exploitation of gang masters.
It was recently highlighted that up to sixteen young migrant workers were camped out on Guns Island whilst they laboured everyday for two weeks collecting winkles and cockles of the coastal rocks.
GREEN Cllr Cadogan Enright said, “The safety of the migrant workers is our primary concern. We have witnessed how up to four workers are making their way across a dangerous stretch of water from Guns Island to the shore in a small dingy with no life jackets. This is not safe given the half Kilometre of choppy water between Guns Island and the mainland – especially when laden down with heavy bags of shell fish. The last thing we wish to see is another tragic loss of life along our coast.”
“We have sent photographs to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority showing them the danger to the young workers. We managed to record the license plate number of the people carrier used to transport the workers which we also submitted to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority. We have also been in contact with the Health and Safety Executive who in turn contacted the Coastguard.”
Cllr Enright pointed out that,” The Green Party in Down District has had a long standing campaign to protect inter-tidal species such as cockles and periwinkles from over exploitation. There has been a sharp decrease in the number of cockles and winkles along the coast which shows the effects of over harvesting. We cannot allow people to take unsustainable quantities of shellfish from the fragile ecosystem, along the coast, and I have been seeking for proper enforcement and regulations on this issue.”
“These creatures form an important part of the food chain for wildlife in coastal areas and the periwinkles are not only being harvested, but the stones under which they grow are being left overturned which results in immature shell fish drying out and dying. This interrupts the natural life-cycle of these sea creatures and diminishes the chances of the population recovering,” said Cllr Enright.
Cllr Enright said, “I have raised this issue with the Strangford Lough Management Advisory Committee and the Green Party have made a submission to the new Wildlife Order on this subject.”
The Green Party believes that local families should be able to collect these sorts of inter-tidal species for personal use and also local licensed fishermen, so long as it is carried out in a sustainable way.
“We oppose the strip mining of beaches especially in such cases as Guns Island were we see disregard for the sustainability and biodiversity of our sensitive Lough and the complete lack of concern for young peoples lives,” concluded Cllr Enright.
Press Cuttings: Green Party seeks protection for young migrant coastal workers, Councillor calls for protection of migrants, Concern over Gunn's Island winkle pickers
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
billperiwinkles, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.
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.
DOWN Cllr Cadogan Enright has called for the Department of Agriculture to answer outstanding questions associated with their renewable energy programme following recently highly publicised wind turbine defects.
Cllr Enright said “It is worrying to see these problems occurring with wind turbines when they can offer so many benefits to farmers, and when the renewable energy industry has worked so hard to develop the reputation and quality technologies and installations.”
One of the turbines which had been installed was on a farm owned by local man James Carson in Tyrella. Mr Carson received grant funding from the WREAN Programme to install a wind turbine and also paid £25,000 of his own money towards the costs.
“I visited Mr Carson on his farm and he told me that he only received two days of energy before the system had to be tied up and it hasn’t produced energy since. That was big money for a bad result” Cllr Enright said.
Cllr Enright has contacted the Department of Agriculture in respect of this to ask for more information and to call for compensation for the eleven farmers who have also had problems with their turbines. “The silence from the Department of Agriculture has been deafening. No-one seems to be able to provide an answer and still the farmers are left without compensation, while having to pay for electricity they should be generating themselves.”
This gives renewable energy a bad name which it does not deserve. The problem here is that farmers are willing to embrace the advantages of renewable energy, but the Department used imported turbines of an inferior standard from China. They should have used European, high-quality systems, such as ‘Proven’ which is made in Scotland and is suitable for the Irish environment.”
Cllr Enright said, “This turbine was built on a perfect site near the shore and this family have been leaders in innovative practices through the years. I have called on the Rural Development Programme to remedy this development and implement this scheme properly.
“Locally produced renewable energy offers the potential to increase business competitiveness and stimulate diversification in rural communities and I hope they will continue to embrace renewable energy” he concluded.
Press Cuttings: Why turbines from China bring ill wind, Department must answer questions about faulty turbines - Greens
Billy Corry with Lecale Environmentalists, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.
Green Party frog concerns, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.
Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright has raised his concern at the growing number of dead frogs being found in local ponds and wildlife areas.
Cllr Enright said “I have been approached by some local residents and Green Party members expressing their concern at the large amounts of frogs lying dead around ponds in Downpatrick marshes. This is very concerning as frogs and tadpoles play important roles in the food chain for wildlife in the Down District.”
Cllr Enright also raised the issue of the growing risk of the Chytrid Disease which has been wiping out amphibians all over the world.
Cllr Enright said “In order to rule out the possibility of the Chytrid disease I have been in contact with the Institute of Zoology in London and also raised the issue with the School of Biological Sciences at Queens University Belfast and I will be arranging for tests to be carried out on the dead frogs to establish the cause of their death”
Cllr Enright said “Shifting temperatures due to Climate Change have made water conditions perfect for the further spread of this fungus disease. The disease has probably accounted for one-third of all the losses in amphibian species to date. These losses are huge and this is in addition to other threats such as habitat destruction, pollution, hunting as well as the main spread of the disease being Climate Change.”
The disease has only been detected once in the UK in American bullfrogs that had set up home in two small lakes in South-East England, but no further spread has been apparent.
Cllr Enright concluded “Climate change is a global threat, and is causing changes in ecosystems around the world. The Chytrid Disease is what is killing the frogs, but it is Climate Change that is pulling the trigger.”
We have already seen the spread of Malaria and also the spread of Bluetongue Disease due to Climate Change. The Chytrid Disease is just one more example which shows how this growing threat to global security is the biggest issue facing us as a society today. Although it is not certain that this disease is what is killing the frogs in Downpatrick, it is a very worrying possibility. Even if it is not the Chytrid disease, we are still facing an epidemic and it has to be investigated.
Press Cuttings: Dead frogs cause of concern, Discovery of dead frogs concern
