Residents opposed to NI gold mine take protest to London
Residents opposed to a controversial gold mine in a scenic part of Northern Ireland have taken their protest to London.
They say the application is causing stress and sleepless nights for local people.
The planning application for the Dalradian Gold Mine project at Greencastle, Co Tyrone, was submitted in November 2017, and there have been more than 40,000 representations about the proposal.
Opposition to the mine in the Sperrin Mountains, an area of outstanding natural beauty, is focused on environmental concerns.
Fidelma O’Kane is among a dozen people in London who will hand a letter into 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister Boris Johnson today, from the people of the Sperrins.
The letter says: “The Sperrin Mountains are our home – a wild, unspoilt, naturally beautiful place we share with an amazing array of wildlife, flora and fauna, animals, sparkling mountain streams, wells, lakes, rivers, sacred and historic places, battle sites, ancient sli and rich archaeology.
“We have come to London with a clear message: our people do not want goldmining or Dalradian Gold.
“Thirty-eight thousand objections, a number never before recorded in Northern Ireland, have been received by the Department for Infrastructure to Dalradian Gold’s planning application for a mammoth gold mine and processing plant.”
Ms O’Kane, a retired lecturer in her 60s who lives in the area, said the long-running issue has caused people a lot of worry and stress.
She told the PA news agency: “It’s affected people’s mental health, a lot of people are having sleepless nights because they’re worried about what the future holds for their children.”
Ms O’Kane, a member of Save Our Sperrins, said people are wondering if there will still be a school in the area, and if their children will be able to live there.
“What is the future? The mining company at the consultation told us that they could relocate us. I mean, they don’t understand people’s attachment to the land and to the area.”
A spokesperson for Dalradian said: “Dalradian has submitted a planning application for an underground gold-copper-silver mine in Northern Ireland.
“Environmentally responsible modern mining already takes place safely across Europe in countries such as Sweden, Ireland and Scotland, and we plan to replicate that success with the continent’s first carbon neutral (net zero) mine. The project will be one of the largest inward investments ever in the west of Northern Ireland and will create circa 1,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs.”