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Public inquiry into controversial Tyrone gold mine set to begin

BBC A mine worker in orange high viz clothing, a hard hat with a lamp on it and boots stands in a mine tunnel with dark grey walls and water on the ground BBC
Dalradian believes the mine could yield 100 tonnes of gold

A public inquiry into a controversial gold mine in County Tyrone has begun.

Dalradian has been working on the Curraghinalt site near Greencastle in the Sperrin Mountains since 2009 with the aim of developing an underground mine.

The Planning Appeals Commission (PAC) inquiry is being held at the Strule Arts Centre in Omagh and is to continue until the end of March.

The first two days will cover strategic matters and the principle of development, with representations from Fermanagh and Omagh and Derry City and Strabane district councils.

The mine is said to contain one of the world's most significant undeveloped gold deposits as well as substantial quantities of silver, copper and other minerals.

Dalradian believes the site could yield 100 tonnes of gold, 48 tonnes of silver and 15,000 tonnes of copper in its 20 to 25-year lifetime.

But the plans have been divisive, with some in local community welcoming the prospect of jobs and investment while others remain concerned about the impact on health and the environment.

The mine is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, close to the Owenkillew and Owenreagh rivers which contain several protected species.

Campaign group Save Our Sperrins was formed in 2015 to oppose the mine's development.

DUP MP Sammy Wilson told the News Letter he believed it would be "madness to turn down this opportunity to exploit the natural resources of the area which could create hundreds of jobs," however Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer said that his constituents had voiced concerns about the environment and the people of the Sperrins had "fought tooth and nail" against it.

Green fields with brush, bushes and trees with mountains in the background. The sky is grey with the sun trying to break through
The mine is located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The inquiry was ordered by former infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon in 2020.

Later this week it will examine environmental and public health issues including air quality, lighting, noise, radon, vibration and electric and magnetic fields.

The second week will consider the impact on water, water ecology and peat.

Hearings will then resume at the end of February looking at the landscape and visual impact and non-water ecology.

In March the topics for the inquiry include the mine waste plan, health and safety, culture and heritage, socio-economic matters, climate and transport.

The planning commissioners will then make recommendations, but it will be up to ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive to decide whether planning permission is granted.