Country Tyrone: Goldmine inquiry suspended amid water licence concerns

An artist's impression of the proposed gold mine site

A public inquiry into a proposed goldmine in County Tyrone has been suspended by the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC).

The inquiry into the application by mining firm Dalradian was scheduled to start in September.

Confusion over two licence applications relating to water abstraction and storage brought the proceedings to a halt.

The Water Appeals Commission raised concerns about the applications.

It said it deemed the applications already refused and therefore they could not form part of the process.

While the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) said it "could see no obvious reason" to delay the inquiry process, the PAC has decided that proceeding without these elements will "fundamentally undermine" its ability to fulfil its duties and "significantly undermine public confidence" in the process.

In a letter to DfI Planning, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera), the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and DfI Roads, the PAC said it would be "imprudent" to go ahead with the inquiry in September.

A new date will be set once the relevant papers are received.

The public inquiry was ordered by the former Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon in 2020

The public inquiry was ordered by the former Infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon in 2020.

Dalradian believes the site at Curraghinalt, near Greencastle in the Sperrin Mountains, could yield 100 tonnes of gold, 24 tonnes of silver and 15,000 tonnes of copper in its 15-year lifetime.

But campaigners have fought against the plan since the company began working in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 2009.

Adjustments have made to the mining application.

• Challenge to County Tyrone gold mine plan rejected

• Dalradian gold min plans accepted despite 'flawed consultation'

• Dalradian: Gold in the hills? Tyrone mine decision moves closer

Those in favour of the plan say it will bring hundreds of jobs to the area.

Water abstraction and impoundment - storing the water in pools - are just some of the permissions Dalradian needs to secure in order to go ahead with the mining project.

The anti-mining Save Our Sperrins group described the latest development as "chaos".