Protesters opposed to a controversial gold mine in Co Tyrone have sought assurances that cyanide will not be used in the proposed venture, a public inquiry has heard.
On the opening day of the inquiry sitting at Strule Arts Centre in Omagh on Monday, environmental campaigners staged a protest with some carrying miniature coffins emblazoned with ‘RIP Clean Air’ and ‘RIP Clean Water’.
The US-owned firm, Dalradian, has been working at the site near Greencastle in the Sperrin Mountains since 2009 and in 2017 submitted a planning application to build the underground mine in what is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Dozens of activists from groups including Save Our Sperrins and Friends of the Earth attended the hearing, which was first ordered by the then Stormont Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon in 2020.
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The gold mine proposal has however split the community, with others supporting the project in the hope it will bring investment and jobs to the region.
Legal representatives from Dalradian, Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure, Derry City and Strabane District Council and Fermanagh and Omagh Council were also present to give evidence to the inquiry, which is being held by the Planning Appeals Commission and Water Appeals Commission.
Tense exchanges dominated the opening day’s proceedings, with concerns raised about the introduction of cyanide to extract gold despite it being removed in an earlier plan by the company six years ago.
The inquiry heard that Dalradian had “absolutely no intention” of using the toxic chemical.
One council representative, Paul Gallagher, said the application was a matter of “public confidence” that had led to Derry City and Strabane District Council last year bringing a legal challenge at “risk to the rate payer of hundreds of thousands of pounds – and they did so”.
“Enforcement can mean very little to public confidence; this inquiry needs to give public confidence which is very much absent and has been proven to be absent in courts of law,” Mr Gallagher said.
Dalradian estimates the value of the gold at about £6 billion (€6.7 billion). The site is said to contain one of the world’s top undeveloped gold deposits as well as substantial quantities of silver, copper and other minerals.
The company has stated the gold is an “opportunity” that will create up to 1000 jobs and deliver £5 billion to the economy in Northern Ireland.
During Monday’s hearing, concerns were also raised about the timescale for the project (it is estimated it could be between 20 to 25 years) and impact on the environment as well as where accountability sits for enforcing breaches.
A representative for Dalradian said that if was able to process more on any particular day “it would mean the time frame for the total exploration period would be reduced”.
“So if you’re saying 25 years maximum, it wouldn’t be 25 years, it would come down to 20 or even less,” he told the inquiry.
Public hearings will continue until the end of March, covering strategic matters, the principle of development as well as hearing evidence around air quality, noise, vibration and water.
The planning commissioners will then make recommendations but Northern Ireland Executive ministers will be ultimately responsible for deciding whether to grant planning permission.
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