Your guide to the environmental sector February 2012

Challenge fund awarded Local environmental charities will receive nearly £250,000 from the Environment Agency to carry out projects over the next three months. Over 40 projects will receive funding of up ...

Full articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org Full Issue of Climate Change Impacts event re:Source » Thursday 16th February 2012 at Greenmount College, Antrim. This conference will present the results of ... Message Board »

NI Policy » PAC voluntary sector report The Public Accounts Committee have published a new report on Member's News » Creating Effective Partnerships between Government ... Environment News »

Plastic bag levy from 2013 New Publications A plastic bag levy will come into force in Northern Ireland from » April 2013. The ...

For Information »

Produced by Northern Ireland Environment Link, 89 Loopland Drive, , Northern Ireland, BT6 9DW T +44 (0)28 9045 5770 F +44 (0)28 9094 2151 [email protected] www.nienvironmentlink.org Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Agri-Food Processing Grant The Agri-Food Processing & Marketing Grant Scheme has reopened for applications. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) invites applications from micro through to intermediate sized enterprises seeking ...

Exhibition opportunity The annual Spring Fair will take place on Saturday 21 to Sunday 22 April. Last year's fair attracted 10,500 visitors over the two afternoons. Groups are encouraged ...

UK Climate Week launched Members of NI Environment Link have been invited to participate in UK Climate Week, the UK's biggest climate change campaign, which runs from 12-18 March 2012. Climate Week is a ...

E3.2bn for EU LIFE funding The EU Commission proposes to allocate EUR 3.2 billion over 2014-2020 to a new Programme for the Environment and Climate Action - LIFE. The proposed new programme will build on ...

Whitehead Tree Planting Whitehead Transition Town, Carrickfergus Borough Council and Woodland Trust are hosting a Jubilee Tree Planting day at Whitehead Diamond Jubilee Wood on Saturday 25 February 1030-1530. Parking is available at ... Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Assembly News February 2012 Assembly News from January 2012.

Restoring NI salmon stocks The Fisheries Minister is asking fishermen and the angling community to support voluntary measures aimed at restoring stocks of wild Atlantic Salmon in Northern Ireland. The Minister said: "The continued ...

Agri Environment scheme news The Agriculture Minister has confirmed plans to extend agri-environment scheme agreements that have not yet ended and are due to terminate before January 2013. This relates to Countryside Management Scheme ...

Waste contract controversy Local companies seeking to bid for new long-term waste contracts, claim they could save Northern Ireland's ratepayers £20m a year. The 25-year contracts are being set up to ensure NI's ...

Attwood to stay until 2013 The Environment Minister, Alex Attwood, will remain in his post until 2013, when he will be replaced by another SDLP MLA. The move is part of plans to rotate the post every 18 months. Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Strangford Lough protection Ulster Wildlife Trust have said that Stormont has failed to protect Strangford Lough properly for two decades. The trust raised the damage, which includes destruction of horse mussel reefs, with the European Commission.

Community Places training Community Places are hosting two free planning training events for community groups: 1. Wednesday, 8 February 2012 (Cromore Halt Inn, Station Road, Portstewart) from 2.30 pm to 4.00 pm; and ...

Belfast Hills volunteering Belfast Hills Partnership have published a list of volunteering opportunities available in the coming months.

UWT seek Chief Executive Ulster Wildlife Trust are seeking a new Chief Executive Officer. Closing date for completed applications: 12 noon Monday 20 February 2012.

CVNI Fundraising events Conservation Volunteers Northern Ireland have published their calendar of fund-raising events for early 2012. Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Housing Exec energy progress Northern Ireland Housing Executive have published their fifteenth Home Energy Conservation report, highlighting energy conservation achievements. Some of the highlights included: * £26 million invested in heating, insulation and double ...

Social Exclusion colloquium Healthy Ageing in Rural Communities Network have convened a research colloquium on Social Exclusion and Ageing in Diverse Rural Communities. The event will take place in The Council Chamber, Lanyon ...

Minister meets MTF The Marine Task Force is an umbrella group that includes eight environmental organisations with local representation. Speaking after the meeting, the Fisheries Minister Michelle O'Neill said: "I fully understand the ...

New RCN training events Rural Community Network have published their schedule of training events for early 2012: Wednesday 8th February 2012 Funding applications - getting it right! Targeting community groups with little or no ...

CBA Job vacancy The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) is seeking to appoint an Information Officer to undertake the day-to-day management of the British & Irish Archaeological Bibliography, produce CBA Briefing, respond to ... Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Mussels Preservation Grant A County Tyrone conservation scheme trying to save one of Ireland's oldest species has been granted over £30,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Ballinderry Fish Hatchery Limited is aiming to ...

Tidal turbine gets all-clear A tidal energy turbine in Co Down has been given the environmental all-clear. SeaGen in Strangford Lough, which can generate enough power for 1,500 homes has had no major impact ...

Jubilee Grove at Stormont First Minister Peter Robinson MLA last Wednesday put trees and woodland in the spotlight by planting the first of 60 oaks at Stormont Estate. The new oak grove is part ...

Waste reduction awards Environment Minister Alex Attwood has recognised the efforts made to reduce waste by presenting awards to the Northern Ireland winners of the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR). The Minister ...

NI electric car charging Charging points for electric cars will be installed across Northern Ireland in the coming weeks, making the region one of the best plugged in the British Isles. Roads Minister Danny ... Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Urgent Works Notice in The Department of Environment has served an Urgent Works Notice on the owner of 20 Crawford Square, a listed building in the Clarendon Street Conservation Area of Derry. The building ...

NI waste falls by 5% New statistics show that both Household and Municipal waste collected by Councils in July September 2011 fell by almost 5% compared to last year. This helped both the household and ...

'Titanic' recycling targets The amount of extra material that must be recycled in Belfast in 2012 to meet EU guidelines has been revealed as 46,000 tons - the same weight as the Titanic. ...

Renewable industry hampered Companies representing the renewable energy industry have said that delays at Stormont have stilted their industry for the last two years. Plans for a Renewable Heat Incentive have been delayed ...

Derry City 'eco-zone' plan Derry City Council has backed plans to examine how the city can become one of Europe's leading eco zones. Councillors have unanimously given the green light for the local authority ... Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Food Bound for Landfill More than 23.5 tonnes of food has been diverted from Northern Ireland's landfill sites by a charity that redistributes meals to vulnerable people. FareShare is battling food poverty by collecting ...

Planning complaints system A new streamlined planning complaints procedure has been launched by the Environment Minister. It aims to make the method of complaining "easier and more user friendly" by reducing the number ...

UU primary school link-up Scientists from the biomolecular diagnostics and engineering group at the University of Ulster have teamed up with children from St John the Baptist PS in Portadown to investigate the potential ...

Life of the Lough exhibition 'The Life of the Lough ' is a socio-environmental photographic collection, shot over many months on the banks of Strangford Lough Co Down. Delicately recorded by Bernie Brown ARPS (Associate ...

Hopes for 'low-carbon Leeds' Hopes of turning the Leeds city region into a 'low carbon area' have been given a boost by an academic study which shows how cutting energy bills could be both ... Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

2011 is second warmest year Provisional figures from the Met Office reveal temperatures in December 2011 were close to average, but 2011 overall is the second warmest year on record for the UK. The mean ...

Slump in organic food sales The decision by UK supermarkets to cut shelf-space for less profitable products has hit sales in the organic food market, according to industry representatives. Read the story in full here ...

Hedgehog survey launched UK wildlife charities are asking for people's help in examining if hedgehogs are being affected by climate change. Retired hedgehog expert Dr Pat Morris performed a study 40 years ago ...

Threat to economic recovery The overuse and waste of valuable natural resources is threatening to produce a fresh economic crisis, the European Union's environment chief has warned. Janez Poto?nik, the EU commissioner for the ...

Olympic pollution fears Leading respiratory scientists have warned that Olympic athletes could suffer impaired performance times and become ill as a result of London's unacceptably high levels of air pollution. Athletes, who take ... Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

MoD removes wind farm veto The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has signed a deal that could unlock more than 4GW of windfarms currently stuck in the planning system, after successfully trialling a radar system that ...

Bin fines to be scrapped Fines that punish people for putting rubbish in the wrong bin will are to be abolished. A consultation has been launched in England to stop councils imposing 'bin fines' of ...

10 daily pollution incidents Environment Minister Alex Attwood has launched the Northern Ireland Environment Agencys first Compliance and Enforcement Report by revealing that the NIEA deals with 10 reported pollution incidents every day. Almost ...

UCC Cork energy acheivement University College Cork (UCC) is claiming to be the first university campus in the world to achieve the ISO 50001 standard in energy management. It is also the first public ...

China sets emissions caps Seven provinces and major cities in China, inlcuding Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, are to set caps on their greenhouse gas emissions following a directive from central government. It's the first ... Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Bee disease pesticide link A study by US scientists has implicated widespread use by farmers of nicotine-based pesticides in the mass deaths of bees. The peer-reviewed research undermines the pesticide industry's long-repeated claims that ...

Planning survey published The results of a survey of stakeholders carried out by Queen's University Belfast show that the planning system in Northern Ireland serves the people "poorly" or "very poorly", according to ...

Upcycling workshop launched The Environment Minister has launched Re:Cycle, a workshop for upcycling old bicycles, which are then resold at an affordable price. Funded by the Department of the Environments Rethink Waste campaign, ...

Sustainable transport hub The Transport Minister has announced £2.9m funding for a new environmentally sustainable bus and train station in Antrim. The project has been funded by the Department for Regional Development for ...

Low carbon energy bills Claims that the costs of wind farms and other low-carbon technology will lead to sharp rises in fuel bills are wrong, government advisers say. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) ... Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

NI Environmental Statistics The Northern Ireland Environmental Statistics Report 2012 is now available from DOE.

NI Travel Stats 2008-2010 The Travel Survey for Northern Ireland (TSNI), containing statistics for 2008-2010, is now available. The publication is produced by the Central Statistics and Research Branch (CSRB) of the Department for ...

Scottish preparedness for CC Following reports on how well the UK is prepared to deal with climate change, the Committee on Climate Change Adaptation Sub-Committee was asked by the Scottish Government to undertake an ...

GHG reduction plan published The Agriculture and Forestry Greenhouse Gas Stakeholder Group's Reduction Strategy and Action Plan has been published. The Strategy and Action Plan, "Efficient Farming Cuts Greenhouse Gases", has been developed in ...

Our Forests A vision for England's woods and forests. Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Flooding and mental health The Health Protection Agency have published The Effects of Flooding on Mental Health. The report is borne out of a publication in 2009 from the Department of Health - New ...

TEEB For Business report The Economics of Ecosystem Biodiversity for Business has been published. The executive summary is available for free download.

Ring of Gullion Action Plan The Environment Minister has launched The Ring of Gullion Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Management Action Plan 2011?2016. Speaking at the Launch Professor Patrick McKeever, from Geological Survey of Northern ...

Sustainable consumption A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation examines public attitudes to fairness in the context of sustainable consumption and climate change. The research, through a series of focus groups, ...

CCC review of bio-energy The Committee on Climate Change review of bioenergy was launched on the 7th December at the Royal Society. The role of bioenergy in climate change mitigation is controversial and the ... Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Funding opportunities Latest information on funding opportunities relevant to the environmental sector can be found in the new 'For Information' section of the NIEL website.

Recent Consultations For members' interest and information NIEL has uploaded all consultation documentation to our website.

Volunteering For information on volunteering of interest to the environmental sector, please visit the volunteering section of our website.

Training opportunities For information on training of interest to the environmental sector, please visit the training section of our website.

Job opportunities For information on jobs of interest to the environmental sector, please visit the jobs section of our website. Complete articles can be viewed online at www.nienvironmentlink.org

Upcoming Events For information on events of interest to the environmental sector, please visit the events section of our website.

Dates for Diary Important dates for your diary.

News from ESD Forum (Feb 12) The Education for Sustainable Development Forum (ESD Forum) is a networking organisation that promotes a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of environmental education and education for sustainable development in Northern ...

Re:Source Deadline We welcome your contributions for re:Source and the NIEL website. If you would like us to publicise your news and events, please contact Neil - [email protected] . The deadline is ...

NIAF website submissions If you want anything (news, events etc) put on the website do feel free to contact Iona for their inclusion on the NIAF website. :Consultations

Responses Belfast Rapid Whilst we are supportive of a high quality public transport system for Belfast there Transit. Public are many aspects of the proposed BRT scheme that raise concern. Firstly there is an overarching need to justify the spend on this project as a viable option to deliver its Consultation on objectives whilst not detrimental to other forms of public transport and the consequent Route Options overall budget. The consultation document does not provide adequate detail on the Response Date: costing of the proposals and it would be useful to conduct a full cost benefit analysis 7 November that could also compare the relative cost of upgrading the current bus service in specific areas and indeed the predicted impact of the BRT on existing bus routes and services. Social Investment A key omission from the document is the need for integration with other Fund government strategies such as the Sustainable Development Strategy, the Regional Development Strategy and the Cohesion, Sharing and Integration Strategy. The Response Date: Social Investment Fund can act as a fundamental driver to tackle many core societal 23 December issues if implemented and delivered effectively with an integrated cross-sectoral approach. A further link to Community Planning would also be hugely beneficial to inform and work alongside the area plan development. We would strongly urge the inclusion of an appropriate framework to facilitate development of these linkages. Northern Ireland The Northern Ireland Executive has a challenging target to ensure the delivery of 40% Renewables electricity from renewables is achieved by 2020. To reach this target it is necessary to ensure that the appropriate fiscal measures are in place to facilitate extensive growth in Obligation renewable electricity generation. There are huge opportunities for Northern Ireland to Response Date: help address major issues of climate change, fuel poverty, energy security and energy 19 January costs. Implementation of proactive and robust regulation will ensure that Northern Ireland can become a leading low carbon economy. Promotion of the green economy through an effective renewables obligation can help create jobs and stimulate the economy and therefore appropriate incentives must be delivered to ensure potential is fully capitalised and we hope that consultation responses will be duly considered.

Produced by Northern Ireland Environment Link, 89 Loopland Drive, Belfast, Northern Ireland, BT6 9DW T +44 (0)28 9045 5770 F +44 (0)28 9094 2151 [email protected] www.nienvironmentlink.org

Consultations (recent and ongoing) relevant to the sector

NB: If you are aware of an active or upcoming consultation that NIEL members might be interested in please let us know.

Consultation Response Organisation Response Contact Details by NIEL Date Consultations shaded in grey were included in a previous issue

Social Investment Fund Yes OFMDFM 23 http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/soc 1 December ial-investment-fund Belfast Rapid Transit. Yes DRD 6 January www.drdni.gov.uk/index/rapid- Public Consultation on 2 transit.htm Route Options Gas Storage Licence No Utility 11 January http://www.uregni.gov.uk/new Consultation Regulator s/view/gas_storage_licence_co

nsultation/ Northern Ireland Yes DETI 19 January http://www.northernireland.gov.u Renewables Obligation k/news-deti-271011-foster- seeks-views Draft Onshore Renewable No DETI 20 January www.onshorerenewablesni.co.u Electricity Action Plan & k SEA EU Commission Proposals Yes DARD 7 February www.dardni.gov.uk/cap-reform- Sean and for Common Agricultural post-2013 Sue Policy (CAP) Reform Post 2013 Draft Programme for Yes OFMDFM 22 http://www.northernireland.gov. Sean and Government February uk/pfg Sue Draft Fluorinated No DOE 23 http://www.doeni.gov.uk/index/p Greenhouse Gases February rotect_the_environment/local_en (Amendment) Regulations vironmental_issues/air_and_envi ronmental_quality/f_gases2.htm The Key Issues for the Yes Sport NI 28 http://www.sportni.net/NR/rdonl Development of a New 10 February yres/9982A989-BC3B-4E7D- Year Outdoor Recreation B1D5- Action Plan for Northern 016F5E11029E/0/OutdoorRecreat Ireland ionActionPlankeyissuesconsultatio nDec2011.pdf Building an Active Travel Yes DRD 9 March http://www.drdni.gov.uk/index/p Maeliosa Future for Northern ublications/publications- Ireland details.htm?docid=7723 Alien and Locally Absent No DARD 13 March http://www.dardni.gov.uk/consul Species in Aquaculture tation-letter-aquaculture.pdf Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2012 Coast Protection for No DOJ 14 March http://www.dojni.gov.uk/index/p Litigants in Environmental ublic-consultations/current- Judicial Review consultations/costs-protection- Applications for-litigants-in-environmental- judicial-review-applications.htm Queen’s Quay Yes DSD 31 March http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/consult Regeneration Masterplan ation-queens-quay-belfast-draft- masterplan.htm Dedicated legislative Yes European 12 April http://ec.europa.eu/environment instrument on invasive Commission /consultations/submit_ia.htm alien species

Belfast City Council Draft Yes Belfast City 27 April http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/in Investment Programme Council vestment/index.asp 2012-2015

Key: Level 1 Response = Outline

2 Response = Basic

3 Response = Detailed Greencastle Area Residents Group

Irish Lecale Hare Initiative Conservation Monkstown Community Forum

Derrynoid Centre

Ulster Archaelogical Society

Ulster Society for the Protection of Material change for the Countryside a better environment