Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s planning committee have approved for expansion of a Belfast Lough oil terminal despite sizeable local opposition to the project, as BBC News reports.
Cloghan Point has four large tanks which are currently used to store part of the Republic of Ireland’s strategic reserve of diesel and gas oil.
But plans since 2019 to upgrade the site to a major distribution hub in a £30 million expansion have raised the ire of residents in the nearby village of Whitehead, Co Antrim.
Local campaigners argued that the proposals pose a threat to marine wildlife in that part of Belfast Lough’s northern shore, as well as the train line between Larne and Belfast.
More than 400 letters opposing the project were submitted to the council, whose head of planning says the scheme has been “adequately assessed” by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and will "not have an adverse impact" on the area.
BBC News has more on the story HERE.
