Lough lobby group proposes nature reserve at roundabout

Friends of Larne Lough (FoLL) also spoke out against Larne Borough Council’s plans to prepare the roundabout for an improvement scheme by filling it with inert waste.

On February 4, the Larne Times reported that the council had opted to apply for a landfill licence as it intended to raise the level of the ground contained within the Harbour Highway roundabout prior to landscaping. It was estimated that 8,000 tonnes of inert material, including soil, would be required. It was also reported that Ald Danny O’Connor suggested tonnes of material could be readily sourced when the Gardenmore House tower block is demolished.

However, John Anderson, chair of FoLL, has reminded the council of the group’s suggestion that Redlands, with its “saltmarsh-type habitat and small wooded island”, would be “ideal for enhancement as an attractive wildlife haven, at low capital and minimal maintenance cost to ratepayers”.

The proposal had been raised a number of times over some 10 years, he added.

“Although council officers have shown interest, no councillors have been sufficiently engaged to discuss a proposal,” said Mr Anderson. “It has taken a consultant’s report, commissioned at considerable taxpayer expense, to suggest that the lagoon is a considerable asset, not an eyesore. Unfortunately, despite this, Council’s imagination does not extend to Redlands,” he claimed.

“Council should concentrate on reducing landfill rather than destroying habitat within the catchment of the lough,” said the FoLL chair, who asked: “If the Redlands site was so valuable to the council as a tip, why did officers not challenge DRD Roads Service infilling of Redlands with scheduled waste (tar-based and construction and demolition waste)?”

Mr Anderson claimed Roads Service was “operating without a licence or planning permission” and he asked: “Is the council proposal to apply for a licence actually a device to extract DRD from the current enforcement by the NI Environment Agency, which stopped the unauthorised infill?”

He said: “FoLL has made it clear that it is happy to work with Council on developing an attractive, low-cost scheme for the roundabout as an alternative to the high-maintenance, expensive and dull Ulster-standard roundabout beloved of councils across the country.”

And commenting on the suggestion that Riverdale rubble could be tipped at the roundabout, Mr Anderson said: “Councillors should already know that the demolition of the high flats requires that the concrete be separated from its metal reinforcing and crushed for recycling as construction material …. not as a cheap fill.”