Newsletter One – December 2023

New Major Oil Terminal

In September 2023, Mid & East Antrim Borough Council granted planning permission for a controversial major new oil import and distribution facility on Belfast Lough at Cloghan Point. The site is close to the peaceful seaside town of Whitehead.

If it goes ahead, this development will become the largest oil terminal in Ireland. It will see 120,000 tonne supertankers regularly unloading a variety of highly flammable fuels (including petroleum and aircraft fuel) at the mouth of Belfast Lough, outside the jurisdiction of Belfast Harbour. Smaller vessels will load up with these fuels for distribution across Britain and Ireland. Fuel smells are likely to be significant.

Between 100-150 oil lorries will enter and leave the site every day - approximately one every three minutes. The road tankers will pass close to two primary schools and a secondary school. They will bring congestion and pollution along the Causeway Coastal Route between Belfast and Whitehead and impact on tourist traffic to the Gobbins cliff path and the Antrim coast road.

The development is opposed by local people — the council received more than 300 letters against the proposal with only one in favour. However, the creation of a major oil terminal has implications far beyond Whitehead, threatening the ecosystem of Belfast Lough and the Antrim and north Down coasts, exacerbating the traffic bottleneck at the York Street Interchange, and undermining efforts to combat climate change and the achievement of carbon reduction targets as required by the Climate Change (NI) Act 2022. Northern Ireland already has four oil terminals. There is no strategic need for another one.

We should not be building new fossil fuel infrastructure during a climate crisis.

Stop Whitehead Oil Terminal (previously known as No to Cloghan Point) is a community campaign run by local people. It is supported by a number of environmental groups. For more information, follow us on Twitter @CloghanNo, on Facebook at Stop Whitehead Oil Terminal. Email: SWOTNI@GMAIL.COM

Summary of Our Concerns

• Negative impact on Northern Ireland’s ability to reach at least 48% reduction in greenhouse gas by 2030 and net zero by 2050 in accordance with the Climate Change (NI) Act 2022.
• Risk to the integrity of Belfast Lough and adjacent coastal ecosystems in counties Antrim and Down. The lough is home to numerous seabirds including UK red list species. Seals, dolphins, porpoises and otters are seen in the area and peregrine falcons nest on the cliffs nearby. An oil spill or explosion would have impacts on Belfast Lough and beyond.
• Risk to health and well-being of people living in Whitehead and along the A2 route into Belfast.
• Major increase in traffic in the area.
• Environmental pollution including noise, air, odour and light pollution.
• Cumulative impact of major fossil fuel developments in the area including the proposed gas caverns at Islandmagee and the power stations at Ballylumford and Kilroot.
• Compromising the grade B2 listed harbour at White Harbour which is of historical and tourism importance.
• Impact on tourism and business in Whitehead, Islandmagee and along Causeway Coastal Route.
• Proximity of the Belfast-Larne railway line to highly flammable liquids. As well as Translink trains, the line is used by steam trains run by the Railway Preservation Society.

More information on these concerns will be given in the next newsletter. Issue Two will also provide an update on actions taken by the campaign.

Call to Action

Given the regional significance of the proposed development, its impact needs to be properly scrutinised at a regional level. Stop Whitehead Oil Terminal is urging people to write to the Department for Infrastructure to request that the decision by Mid & East Antrim Borough Council to grant planning permission should be ‘called in’. This would enable the proposal to receive the scrutiny it deserves. The campaign has created a template letter for this purpose, available to download from Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/389602178486609