Two County Antrim men who launched a legal challenge against plans for an asbestos storage site close to their village have had their case dismissed. As reported in the November Monthly Bulletin, the Crumlin Against Asbestos Group had been trying to reverse a decision to grant planning permission for a proposed site at Crosshill Quarry, to be run by Eastwood Ltd. The group had claimed the Government did not carry out a public inquiry or an assessment about the health of those living in the area.
Eastwood Ltd had been granted permission to allow fully sealed containers of asbestos to be placed and stored on their site. The substance would be double-bagged and placed in secure containers for temporary storage whilst awaiting transfer, but residents opposed the facility, claiming it posed grave risks to their health. However, Justice Girvan told the High Court on 20 November 2006, that there was no such risks and, "In light of the decision making process, consideration had been given by the Department of the Environment (DoE) to ensure that any detrimental effect on people and the environment was minimised." He went on to say that without such a facility, the public could face a very real risk of fly-tipping.
