Silent Majority welcomes 'positive and informative week' of evidence at Dalradian Public Inquiry on 'mine waste'

Chairman Gerry Kelly said the group had been encouraged by the detailed evidence presented and the range of technical experts brought forward by Dalradian to answer questions and respond to the issues raised.

Mr Kelly said: “For an application of this scale and complexity, it has been particularly positive to see a range of experienced specialists in their respective fields available throughout the week to give evidence on behalf of Dalradian, answer questions and respond to the points raised by third-party protestors.”

“The community has been encouraged by the depth and detail of the evidence presented in support of the application.

“Mine waste is an important part of any mining project and needs to be carefully managed, both during operations and over the longer term. Given the scale and complexity of the proposed project, it has been encouraging to see detailed evidence presented on how mine waste would be managed and the expertise available to address the matters being examined.

“We have always maintained that the public inquiry is the right place to properly test the evidence, and this week's proceedings have demonstrated the value of that process. That is exactly what a public inquiry should be about, putting the evidence under proper scrutiny so that the PAC can reach its conclusions based on the evidence presented.”

Mr Kelly added that he looked forward to the evidence-led approach continuing as the inquiry moves on to the remaining topics.