Goldmine inquiry suspended amid concerns over risks to Donegal

A public inquiry into plans for a goldmine in Tyrone was suspended amid concerns over both the possible “risk” to Donegal and Donegal County Council’s engagement with the process.

Jacqueline McParland, a senior commissioner for the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC), said it was “deeply regrettable”. 

Ms McParland, who said the inquiry has been “besieged by difficulty”, said the cost to both the public purse and those involved in the case should not be understated.

The inquiry into the proposed mine began on Monday at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh amid a protest mounted by objectors to the facility in the Sperrin Mountains.

A hearing was first ordered by Nichola Mallon, the then Stormont Infrastructure Minister, in 2020 after a public outcry that saw approximately 47,000 objections lodged and the inquiry was previously adjourned in September due to confusion over water licence approvals.

A mid-inquiry meeting is now scheduled for March 26 and the relevant documentation is to be submitted to the commission by March 11.

Mr David Elvin KC, counsel for the Department For Infrastructure (DFI), told the inquiry on Wednesday morning - the third day of what was supposed to be a 21-day hearing - that their view was that the Irish Government and Donegal County Council should be formally notified “to ensure the relevant material is brought before them and before the residents of Donegal”.

It emerged that the DFI contacted Donegal County Council on April 29, 2024. Counsel for the DFI indicated that they “chased” Donegal County Council thereafter, specifically on June 18, September 23 and November 4.

Donegal County Council responded on November 22 and indicated that it wished to participate in transboundary consultations.

Mr Elvin said that the matter was considered in April, which “provided ample time”. “It is not the DfI’s fault that Donegal County Council has inadequate internal procedures,” he said.

Donegal County Council, in a response that only arrived on the DFI’s desk last Friday, raised concerns that residents here who could be impacted were not given a fair chance to make submissions. The consultation process ended on January 6, after which a formal response had to be submitted to the DFI.

The local authority said it has identified “potential transboundary risks relating to the hydrological links between the mining operation site and the catchment of the River Finn SAC, and the potential risks to water quality and aquatic ecology, including water dependent qualifying interests within the Natura 2000 sites (such as Atlantic Salmon), and in general, the conservation interests of designated EU Habitats in the catchment”.

The council added that there is a hydrological link between the site of the proposed development and the River Finn.

Gerard Moyne and Sean Gallagher from Defending Environmental Wealth (DEW) , a Donegal-based environmental consultancy, attended the initial days of the inquiry this week.

“We will never be forgiven if Dalradian destroys our waterways,” Mr Moyne told Donegal Live.  “This may well be the most important environmental disaster waiting to happen here.

“This would have a massive environmental impact on Donegal, but Donegal County Council did not put a notice into the newspaper until November 28 - three months after notices were published in newspapers in the North - and no public representative was made aware by the council of the application.”

A transboundary notification public notice from Donegal County Council was published on page 6 of the Donegal Democrat on Thursday, November 28.

It was also noted during the hearing that online advertisements in Donegal relating to the inquiry did not include a link to any of the relevant applications.

Mr Moyne said he has been “taken aback” by the lack of response to concerns DEW have raised. 

In a submission as part of the planning process, citing both the Aarhus Convention and the ESPOO Convention, DEW wrote: “This proposed gold mine planning application will have implications within not only the Foyle basin but also a serious threat to all biodiversity and human health over a wide area.

“Donegal must play an important role in the screening and scoping stage of an environmental assessment procedure.

“Every stage of the mining process, including the ore extraction, generation of solid waste, and ore refining and processing, creates air pollution that has environmental and public health impacts. This has particular significance for public health in the North West including Donegal.”

DEW said that the public in an affected State must be informed at the same time as the State of origin informs its public. As this had not happened, “proper procedures have not been adhered to”.

DEW said: “Even our public representatives have not been made adequately aware of the significance of this consultation.

“Gold mining is one of the most destructive industries in the world. It can displace communities, contaminate water, hurt workers and destroy what was a pristine environment. Why create 20 tonnes of waste for a 18karat, 9.44gm gold ring.”

In a letter to Donegal county councillors, sent earlier this month, DEW outlined its concerns over what it called “flawed” notification. DEW said that the notice in the Donegal Democrat in November failed to highlight and include an application by Dalradian for two discharge consent applications to discharge “treated wastewater” into the Owenkillew and Owenreagh rivers, two headwaters of the River Foyle. 

The Owenkillew and Owenreagh are designated as special areas of conservation and areas of special scientific interest due to the presence of freshwater pearl mussels, salmon spawning, otters and brown trout.

“The River Foyle and all its tributaries are well known globally for salmon fishing,” DEW wrote.

In response to queries raised on the issue by Councillor Joy Beard, senior planner Eunan Quinn wrote in an email that the council is: “satisfied that the public consultation requirements associated with this process are in order.”

Mr Quinn added: “It is important to note that DCC is a consultee to the process and the decision making role remains with the NI authorities.  Furthermore, in relation to the alleged breaches of environmental legislation this remains a matter for the relevant consenting bodies in NI to address and is not a matter where DCC have jurisdiction.”

Dalradian has been working on the site for 15 years, under prospecting licenses issued by the Department for Economy in Northern Ireland, and has undertaken an estimated 190,000 metres of drilling. 

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The inquiry heard that the mine would operate 365 days a year and the project could run for up to 28 years, including two years of construction.

Dalradian, who estimate that the project could yield 100 tonnes of gold, said the proposed mine would create up to 1,000 jobs, including 350 permanent roles.