By Andy Balfour

Copyright derryjournal

At September’s Environment and Regeneration Committee meeting members endorsed the expert independent review of the Draft Optimum Remediation Strategy published by DAERA and NIEA, which was carried out by contractor Aecom on Council’s behalf. Members also approved the sending of a cover letter to DAERA, outlining the review report’s findings. Director of Environment and Regeneration, Karen Phillips, said Aecom had carried out a “comprehensive review”, and found that the strategy has been developed in “substantial compliance” with Land Contamination Risk Management (LCRM) guidance, which sets out the process to assess and manage the risk from land contamination. However, the review noted several limitations of the Strategy, including some aspects of the risk assessment, limited detail on the proposed design elements, and insufficient clarity on how the site’s future use as Public Open Space will be safely accommodated. Ms Phillips added: “Officers have engaged with Aecom regarding the limited detail on some aspects, and they have advised that they would expect these areas to be strengthened as the Strategy is further developed, which would ensure a robust response to the site’s complex environmental needs.” Sinn Féin councillor Alex Duffy concluded: “Overall they are saying it’s compliant and there is some small concerns noted within. “Some of them are unknowns at the moment, but they will become clear as the project moves on at Mobuoy.” Earlier this month public consultation events on a draft Remediation Strategy for Mobuoy took place tin Derry. A drop-in events at Eglinton Community Centre and the Millennium Forum gave the public the opportunity to speak directly to experts working on the remediation project from Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and its Integrated Consultancy Team TetraTech. Joining teams from across the NIEA, including its Drinking Water Inspectorate at the event were representatives from other organisations including Northern Ireland Water, the Public Health Agency (PHA), Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Roads, Lough’s Agency, and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI). People can still respond to the public consultation on the draft Remediation Strategy before the deadline on Thursday, October 2 by visiting the DAERA website www.daera-ni.gov.uk. The full link is here: https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-draft-remediation-strategy-mobuoy-site