Flood plain plan in the balance

IT’S up to Environment Minister Alex Attwood and planners to decide if a major Strabane development is of ‘regional importance’ otherwise it can’t go ahead because it’s on a flood plain. Rural Development Minister, Michelle O’Neill, said of the Three Rivers Project, which lies in the floodplains of the Mourne, Finn and Foyle: “It is a matter for the DoE through their planning authority to determine if the development is an exception or of overriding regional importance. If this proves to be the case then River Agency can provide advice on measures to mitigate the risk of flooding.”