Minister hails go-ahead for salt mine extension
PLANNING approval for an extension to Northern Ireland's only salt mine will help provide enough road grit for the next 30 years, it has been announced.
The mine – at Kilroot, near Carrickfergus – will now be extended by almost 279 hectares, creating 10 new jobs as part of a 20 million investment.
After the coldest winter in over 30 years, it had been revealed that current salt reserves would run out in 2012.
Announcing the planning approval, Environment Minister Edwin Poots said the extension of the mine, one of only three in the UK, was "good news for the local economy".
"Irish Salt Mining and Exploration (ISME) makes a significant contribution to the Northern Ireland economy," said the minister.
"With this approval we have secured the positions of its 54 full-time employees and up to 10 new jobs, together with a large number of companies and people involved in the supply and maintenance of this industry."
Mr Poots praised both the "public and private sectors" for helping to process the planning application in six months.
"We have been through the coldest winter in 30 years and tribute has to be paid to the staff at Irish Salt Mines who worked around the clock throughout the winter period to ensure there was enough salt to grit the roads," he added.
Danny Quinlan, chief executive of ISME, said the approval had "secured the future of the Carrickfergus mine".
"We've had a particularly tough winter this year – nevertheless, due to pre-planning and investing in the latest technologies ISME has shown that we can compete on a national and international scale," said Mr Quinlan.
The site for the extension, north east of Carrickfergus and south west of the village of Ballycarry, will cover an area equivalent of 340 football pitches.
Jason Hopps, who heads the mine design and planning team for the mining company, said the application came after more than two years of exploration, followed by one year of scoping and preparation.
"I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of our consultants SLR and all the consultees in the process, including the Planning Service, DETI, Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, Carrickfergus and Larne Borough Councils and the local community," said Mr Hopps.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
