Object again to drilling at Ballinlea!

Rathlin Energy Ltd have finally submitted much more detailed information to the Planning Service (upon request) about what they intend to do at the proposed Ballinlea drilling site. It includes more detail about the processes including the Conventional Hydraulic Fracturing, Mini Fall-off test and Acid Squeeze test, and more information about the expected levels and directions of toxic emissions from the flaring of gas, which is particularly concerning to people living within half a mile.

There are 43 households within half a mile, and 140 within 2kms. Obviously if this industry was to progress, and high numbers of wells were to be developed, the effect would be cumulative and impact on a very high number of households, across a wide area.

Read below for how to see the information they have submitted, and how to object to the planning application.

Click this link to access all of the documents relating to Rathlin Energy’s Ballinlea planning application:

http://epicdocs.planningni.gov.uk/ShowCaseFile.aspx?appNumber=E%2F2013%2F0093%2FF

Key documents are:

You will see the company’s information mostly under “additional information”, and the most recent ones have a 20/03/2014 publication date. There is also a separate “drawings” folder and “mining waste management plan”.
Letters from the department to the company and to statutory consultees (other government agencies) are under the “supporting documents” folder and letters of objection (there are long ones and short ones) are under “representation letters”.
The planners and other government departments are not experts in this area – this type of planning application is new in the UK and especially new in Northern Ireland – so they need all the help they can get to determine whether the information being provided by Rathlin Energy is fully accurate, comprehensive, and doesn’t pose undue risks to environmental and human health.
We think the proposal does pose undue risk to environmental and human health and we think it is important to point out any new research or information to the people making the decisions about this.

Lodge your objections

Ballinlea Residents have prepared a simple objection letter for people to use to show they do not want this application to be approved:

Ballinlea Objection Letter April 2014 (word version)

Ballinlea Objection Letter April 2014 pdf (pdf version)

Please complete your name and address (not possible electronically in pdf versions, but you could rename the document to include your name if you plan to email it)

and either:

email to: mineralsenquiries@doeni.gov.uk

print out and post to (address on letter):

Mr Hamilton
Principal Planning Officer
Strategic Planning Division
Causeway Exchange, 1- 7 Bedford Street, Belfast BT2 7EG

Please, if possible, adapt your letter/email to include your own points of objection.

If you’d like to also send your objection to MLAs, newspapers, councillors etc, please do. Here are some additional email addresses:

cllr.jbaird@moyle-council.org , cllr.sblaney@moyle-council.org , cllr.dcunningham@moyle-council.org, cllr.cmcshane@moyle-council.org, mcshaneshar@aol.com, cllr.wgraham@moyle-council.org, cllr.shunter@moyle-council.org , david@ipjr.net, cllr.rmcilroy@moyle-council.org, cllr.smckillop@moyle-council.org, cllr.nmcallister@moyle-council.org, cllr.cmccambridge@moyle-council.org, cllr.mamckillop@moyle-council.org, cllrcthompson@moyle-council.org,

paul.frew@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, daithi.mckay@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,

info@jimallister.org, john.dallat@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,

mervyn.storey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk, robin.swann@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,

arlene@arlenefoster.org.uk,
peter.robinson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
Martin.McGuinness@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
Private.Office@doeni.gov.uk,
private.office@dhsspsni.gov.uk,
private.office@dardni.gov.uk,
tom.elliott@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
phil.flanagan@sinnfein.ie,
sean.lynch@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
maurice.morrow@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
gerry.adams@oir.ie,
info@alasdairmcdonnell.com,
alliance@allianceparty.org,
steven.agnew@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
gordon.dunne@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
stephen.moutray@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
robin.newton@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
sue.ramsey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
alban.maginness@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
mike.nesbitt@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
martina.anderson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
sydney.anderson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
roy.beggs@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
jonathan.bell@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
cathal.boylan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
michaela.boyle@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
dominic.bradley@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
paula.bradley@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
mickey.brady@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
thomas.buchanan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
joe.byrne@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
gregory.campbell@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
trevor.clarke@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
willie.clarke@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
judith.cochrane@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
michael.copeland@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
jonathan.craig@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
leslie.cree@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
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samuel.gardiner@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
paul.girvan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
brenda.hale@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
simon.hamilton@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
williamhaydup@btconnect.com,
david.hilditch@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
william.humphrey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
ross.hussey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
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gerry.kelly@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
danny.kennedy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
danny.kinahan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
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anna.lo@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
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fra.mccann@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
jennifer.mccann@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
kieran.mccarthy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
raymond.mccartney@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
nelson.mccausland@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
david.mcclarty@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
basil.mccrea@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
ian.mccrea@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
conall.mcdevitt@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
barry.mcelduff@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
michael.mcgimpsey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
patsy.mcglone@sdlp.ie,
david.mcilveen@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
michelle.mcilveen@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
karen.mckevitt@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
Mitchel.McLaughlin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
oliver.mcmullan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
david.mcnarry@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
adrian.mcquillan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
francie.molloy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
conor.murphy@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
caral.nichuilin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
john.odowd@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
cathal.ohoisin@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
sandra.overend@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
pat.ramsey@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
margaret.ritchie@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
george.robinson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
alastair.ross@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
caitriona.ruane@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
pat.sheehan@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
jimmyspratt@dup.org.uk,
peter.weir@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
jim.wells@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
sammy.wilson@mla.niassembly.gov.uk,
thomas.oreilly@fermanagh.gov.uk,
gildernewm@parliament.uk,