Annex M
Letter to the Parliamentary Commissioner
for Standards
from Mr M Crum, Director of Environmental
Services, Larne Borough Council
MR
ROY
BEGGS
MP
Thank you for your letter of 28 February 2001 regarding
the above. I understand Mr McGarry has spoken to you as requested
and has asked me to forward the following response to the queries
which you have raised:—
Ballyrickard Road landfill site
- Larne Borough Council granted a licence to Mr
J R Beggs on 15 April 1994.
- Mr Begg's agent Mr McKee agreed to allow the
Council to tip on the site from March 2000.
- Investigations carried out by Council EHO's established
that Council tipped some material contrary to the landfill licence
conditions.
- When the tipping of unauthorised material was
drawn to the attention of the Council EHO the matter was dealt
with expeditiously and unauthorised material has now been removed.
The Department of the Environment and Heritage Service is monitoring
the effectiveness of the remediation of the site by a regime of
watercourse sampling.
- The Council Technical Services Manager entered
into an agreement with the site operator Mr D J McKee in March
2000. The agreement followed a communication from the Council
Director of Amenity Services to Mr McKee confirming that his firm,
D J McKee and Sons, could utilise the site to dispose of inert
waste arising from any contract which that firm carried out on
behalf of Larne Borough Council.
- The amount paid was £2.50 per tonne plus
£2.00 landfill tax.
- Councillor John Anderson who is a member of Larne
Borough Council reported the unauthorised tipping.
- The action to re-sort and remove the material
was co-ordinated under the instruction of the Council EHOs.
- Removal of seaweed and wood from the site and
all excavator, tractor and dump trailer machine costs are being
paid for by the site agent Mr D J McKee. Ongoing cost of waterway
sampling analysis under monitoring organised by the Department
of the Environment is being met by the site operator D J McKee.
- Unauthorised material inputted by Council included
street sweepings which largely comprises detritus and litter.
Two Council employees were engaged for one day to litter pick
this type of material. A mechanical separator was utilised to
sieve this detritus and other mixed waste. The mechanical separator
was sourced by the Council EHO and Technical Service manager and
engaged on a demonstration basis. Council is meeting the transport
cost of bringing the separator to and from the site. Non inert
material originating from Council input was transported and disposed
of at Council expense at a landfill site licensed for that purpose.
- The Department of the Environment Planning Service
granted planning permission for the site 28 March 1990. Water
Act consent was granted by the Department of the Environment Water
Service 15 February 1994.
Bleachers, Dyers, Finishers Inver Road Larne
The grant of planning permission in Northern Ireland
is a central government function administered by the Department
of Environment Planning Service. We have contacted the local Planning
Service office to obtain this information and I will forward this
to you when it is received.
Council has at this point and time no other information
concerning property in which Mr Beggs has a financial interest.
7 March 2001
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