This meeting discussed environmental crime in Northern Ireland using a recently published article (written by QUB LLM in Environmental Law and Sustainable Development student, Dean Blackwood) on the topic as the focus of conversation.

Available here – Dean Blackwood – Environmental Crime – a symptom of institutional neglect in NI’s Planning System – e_law_april_2014

Writing in the UK Environmental Law Association’s ‘elaw’ magazine, Dean’s article examines the Mabuoy road criminal ‘superdump’ fiasco as an example of a symptom of the ‘institutional neglect in Northern Ireland’s Planning System’.

Situated just outside the city of Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland, the superdump is of unimaginable scale, containing over 500,000 tons of decomposing illegal waste. By unfortunate coincidence, the site also borders the River Faughan. Seepage from the dump threatens not only the ecological health of the river (particularly the section which is designated as an EU-protected ‘Special Area of Conservation’ and happens to run alongside the dump), but also Derry/Londonderry’s water supply; 2/3 of which is abstracted 1km downstream.

Dean explains that the superdump is only one symptom of a broader institutional neglect seen in the Town and Country Planning system in Northern Ireland, concluding that Northern Ireland’s label as the ‘Dirty Corner of the UK’ remains apt (even understated) and that it seems the Northern Irish Department of the Environment,

…has been instrumental in creating the conditions where eco-crime can flourish…

Dean kindly agreed to introduce the meeting with a short talk on the subject and was there to lead a very interesting discussion on environmental crime in Northern Ireland.

 

Article and Author Details

This article was published in the UK Environmental Law Association’s magazine ‘e-law’ and can be cited as:

Dean Blackwood, ‘Environmental Crime: a symptom of institutional neglect in Northern Ireland’s Planning System?’ (2014) April e-law 12.

Dean Blackwood is a chartered town planner working (with others) to protect the River Faughan Special Area of Conservation from poor planning / environmental decisions and the unfolding legacy of systemic failure of the planning and regulatory regimes in NI.  He is currently studying towards an LLM in Environmental Law at Queen’s University Belfast with the view to giving his river a voice. Email – Dean.blackwood@yahoo.co.uk

Thankyou to UKELA (http://www.ukela.org/) and Dean for allowing the free distribution of the article.