AQW 10250/22-27

Mr Gerry Carroll
People Before Profit Alliance
West Belfast

Tabled Date: 17/04/2024
Answered On Date: 29/05/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure to detail the rationale in relation to the decision not to intervene in the expansion of the Cloghan Point oil terminal.

Answer:

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council notified my Department, on 08 September 2023, of its resolution to approve planning application LA02/2018/1145/F (Cloghan Point Oil Terminal). After careful consideration of the notification from MEABC, as well as all third party ‘call in’ requests, I decided on 26 March 2024 not to ‘call in’ the application to my Department for determination.

I concluded that the council had assessed the application in a reasonable and robust manner, and that the application does not raise issues of such importance that their impact is considered to extend to a sub-regional or regional level and the circumstances of this case are not exceptional such as to warrant the use of the Department’s ‘call in’ powers under Section 29 of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011.