Cloghan Point: Lack of action over oil terminal plan 'shocking'

A campaign group has said it is "shocking" that the infrastructure minister has not intervened over plans to expand a Belfast Lough oil terminal.

A spokesperson for the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said minister John O'Dowd "gave the matter careful consideration".

The Cloghan Point terminal is located outside Whitehead in County Antrim.

It is currently used to store part of the Republic of Ireland's strategic reserve of diesel and gas oil.

However, it is to be developed into a facility for importing oil to be stored on the site before being distributed across Northern Ireland and further afield.

A planning application was submitted to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, and in September 2023 the council's planning committee voted to approve the expansion despite hundreds of letters of objection.

It has faced opposition from local residents concerned over a big increase in the site's use as well as climate change issues.

In some cases, planning decisions that are deemed to have a regional impact can be "called in" by the Department for Infrastructure.

But the DfI spokesperson said that Mr O'Dowd had considered the plans "in line with all of his statutory obligations".

They added that he "has now written to Mid and East Antrim Council to inform them that the application will not be referred to the department for determination".

As the minister has decided not to intervene, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council have said they will now officially issue the planning permission.

Hilary McCollum from the Stop Whitehead Oil Terminal group said she "just doesn't understand" how an argument can be made that the expansion of Cloghan Point will not have a regional impact.

"We all know we are in a climate crisis, we know we need to reduce fossil fuel use. And yet we are going to have another new oil terminal that's able to bring in oil from bigger tankers.

"That suggests to me an increase in oil imports into Northern Ireland.

"If you are increasing the amount of fossil fuels being brought in, how is that going to impact on Northern Ireland's strategy to reach net zero by 2050?"

Ms McCollum said that "sometimes things go wrong".

"If there's an oil spill at Cloghan Point, or if there's, worst case, an explosion at Cloghan Point, that is not just going to affect the Mid and East Antrim area, that would affect the whole of Belfast Lough, it would affect north Down," she said.

The terminal was constructed more than 40 years ago and originally used to facilitate distribution of heavy fuel oil to Kilroot Power Station and Ballylumford Power Station in Islandmagee.