Did deluge of public questions lead to Woodburn 'meltdown'?

The council that gave the Woodburn drill the go-ahead has been accused of going into meltdown after it was inundated with hundreds of questions by members of the public.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council admitted it has received more than 800 complaints and representations about Woodburn Forest in the last three years.

The council also said it had received 75 Freedom of Information requests in relation to the doomed exploratory drilling project close to a major drinking water reservoir in the last three years, but said it did not hold information on how many hours it took to respond to these.

Asked to provide copies of internal briefings and notes of meetings in relation to Woodburn over the last three years, the council said officers were working to collate all information released under FOI and other information that would support public understanding of the decision making.

“This is intended for future publication, and is therefore exempt under Section 22, Freedom of Information Act,” a spokesperson said.

InfraStrata, the company leading the borehole project at the Carrickfergus forest, was due to reinstate the site and leave by August 8 after neither oil nor gas were found.

However, the council has granted the company an extension, citing the July holidays, and the company must now reinstate and vacate the site by August 22.

Last night, Friends of the Earth director Dr James Orr said the Woodburn episode should be a salutary lesson to the new councils.

“Clearly Mid and East Antrim went into meltdown having to deal with the volume of concerns raised by the public,” he said.

“Woodburn is a classic example that shows when the planning system breaks down the public will step in and ask the right questions.

“What astounded the community was the  breakdown in the management of this planning process. This should be a salutary lesson to the new super councils.  

“It seems bizarre to have to state the obvious - councils must begin to understand their legal and moral obligations to the community and the environment.”

Dr Orr said the council must now reflect on how the  Woodburn drill disrupted the community and their own work.

“Lessons must be learned to avoid another Woodburn. We look forward to the publication of the Council's  report into this fiasco and expect them to reveal the real story behind the breakdown in the rule of law at Woodburn,” he said.

A spokesperson for Stop The Drill said more than 1,200 complaints via the Stop The Drill website and a petition signed by over 60,000 showed the strong opposition to this drill.
She said numerous campaign letters and independent reports were submitted since May 15 to the council, yet when campaigners asked five times to meet or present to the Council, the Chief Executive refused the request.
“This Council passed a fundamentally and fatally flawed Waste Management Plan and will be in the High Court to explain their inaction regarding Permitted Development Rights in September.”
A spokesman for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council said: “As this is still the subject of on-going legal action, it would be inappropriate to comment.”

The controversial borehole attracted a vigorous campaign by anti-drill protesters and local people who questioned the decision to permit oil exploration - without requiring planning permission - close to a reservoir that supplies drinking water to thousands of homes.

Their 24-hour vigil at the forest near Carrickfergus was supported by Marvel Avengers actor Mark Ruffalo and human rights activist Bianca Jagger.

The campaign prompted then Environment Minister Mark H Durkan to launch a consultation on the use of permitted development rights for oil and gas exploration.