A5: Ruling to be appealed, Liz Kimmins says
On Monday, Kimmins said she had taken the decision to instruct legal counsel to seek the appeal ahead of the deadline for doing so this Friday.She said staff had been "working night and day" to ensure the appeal was robust.Kimmins had said on 1 July that she was looking at "pursuing" an appeal into the ruling. More than 50 people have died on the A5 since 2006 and campaigners have called for the road to be upgraded.
What happened in court?
The judicial review proceedings that culminated in Judge McAlinden's decision on 23 June, involved a group of residents, landowners and farmers who mounted a fresh challenge against the decision to begin construction work.The umbrella group, known as the Alternative A5 Alliance, contended it would breach legislative targets to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.The High Court judgement blocking the upgrade of the A5 road - because the plans did not comply with government climate change targets - shows the reach and impact of Stormont's climate change legislation - but the judgement is clear that shortcomings in the project can be remedied.A solicitor for the Alternative A5 Alliance campaign group, which brought the successful case, said his clients' efforts had been "vindicated" and it was an important day for the environment.Safety campaigners from the Enough is Enough group said they were disappointed with the decision but added the judgement provided a "roadmap" for how the upgrade could proceed.First Minister Michelle O'Neill said there was meeting with members of Enough is Enough 1 July.
What is the A5?
The road is the Northern Ireland part of the major arterial route that connects the north-west of the island - Donegal and Londonderry - to Dublin, via towns including Strabane, Omagh and Aughnacloy.The dual carriageway scheme was first announced back in 2007, but has been beset by a number of delays.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
Jersey's new housing and infrastructure scheme 'long overdue'
A new 25-year strategy aimed at improving homes, schools, roads, and public spaces has been welcomed by business government hopes to make the island more attractive to younger generations by investing in affordable housing and repairing ageing plans have been praised by Jersey Chamber of Commerce (JCC) as a "positive step", while Jersey Hospitality Association (JHA) said the proposals were "long overdue" and set out what had "been missing for too long".Both warned that the strategy hinged on the next government, following the 2026 elections, being able to deliver on its promises. Funding for the programme will come from an existing capital budget of about £70m to £80m per year, chief minister Lyndon Farnham previously chair of a public accounts committee deputy Inna Gardiner believes the government will still need to borrow significant amounts. She said while she is not against borrowing, it needs to be affordable and controlled. "The current proposal doesn't set any clear limits so it doesn't define either where we had the hard caps and debt could just drift upwards, so we need to ensure that we're able to pay the debt," she said. 'Let's get moving' Investment will focus on improving roads, expanding mains water and drainage networks, as well as community focus president Lee Madden said the authority welcomed the plan, but called for clarity on its said: "This plan sets out a comprehensive roadmap for ensuring Jersey's infrastructure keeps pace with the needs of our community and economy. "However, ambition must be matched by delivery - our members are asking the same questions the public will be: how will this be paid for, and will it be delivered on time?"CEO Murray Norton said it was a welcomed step as he urged the government not to lose momentum."Let's get moving, avoid prevarication and strike a fair balance between ambition and affordability," he added. JHA co-CEOs Ana and Marcus Calvani said sustainable economic growth was needed in the visitor said: "We have been calling for an urgent need for diverse economic growth and this is an encouraging response from government, not overly visionary, but focused on what is critically needed from our public sector."The JHA said it wanted to see targeted investment for affordable family housing, revitalised community spaces and an overhaul of Jersey's drainage and Mrs Calvani added: "This plan is not about government building hotels, it's about government finally building confidence. "If Jersey wants a thriving visitor economy, it must first deliver the infrastructure that enables private sector investment."
Times
9 hours ago
- Times
The ex-soldier who has raised £30k to fund anti-migrant protests
A former soldier has raised more than £30,000 in donations to help fund an anti-migrant movement that is calling for protests to take place outside every hotel housing asylum seekers 'until they are all deported'. Richard Donaldson, 33, from Chester, is the leader of the Great British National Protest (GBNP), a group that has claimed to be behind 20 protests around the country. The group is calling for further protests to take place outside named hotels this Saturday in Liverpool, Canary Wharf, Birmingham, Leeds, Exeter and Bristol. • Why are we seeing anti-immigration protests again? It has also shared a list purporting to show the locations of every hotel housing migrants in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and called on its followers — of which there are almost 150,000 on Facebook — to protest outside them every Saturday 'for the foreseeable future … until they are all deported'. Through a GoFundMe page, Donaldson has raised £31,000, which he says is used to pay for leaflets, megaphones, banners and lawyers fees 'to keep me out of jail'. He added: 'I never intend to break the law but with what I'm doing, I have no option but to push the boundaries as much as possible without crossing the line.' In comments to The Times, he said that the money was also being used to fund 'covert investigations inside hotels'. The group claims to have recruited members of staff in migrant hotels who are willing to wear hidden body cameras to 'catch footage and gather intel'. Neither he nor any members of his team had ever taken 'a penny' of the donated money for personal use, he said. The group is also selling merchandise branded with the GBNP emblem, including caps costing £19.50. Donaldson served in army logistics for seven years and completed tours of duty to the Middle East. Since leaving the army, which he said had 'got quite woke', he has worked in retail management. This year, he began uploading videos of himself to TikTok calling for a 'national strike' in protest against the government's policy on asylum, net zero and farming. A 'strike', whose stated purpose was to 'stop the invasion and get Labour out', was organised in May in 77 towns and cities around the country but failed to attract large numbers. Donaldson said that he started the movement because he was 'angry at the state of rapid decline' in the country and 'scared for my son's future and for all of our kids in the UK'. He has voiced support for Nick Tenconi, leader of Ukip, who has made appearances at GBNP events. Since the Brexit referendum in 2016, which was Ukip's original raison d'etre, the party has re-emerged with a more radical agenda and has courted Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League, as a potential ally. Ukip has also been involved in organising anti-migrant protests and is calling for three 'mass deportation marches' to take place over the coming months. Protests, organised by a variety of groups including far-right parties such as Homeland, have taken place across the country over the past month. There are concerns that they could spiral out of control as was the case during the race riots of last summer when marauding gangs attempted to set fire to migrant hotels. The Home Office has said that the number of hotels being used for asylum seekers has decreased from more than 400 in summer 2023 to less than 210. It also announced plans to end the use of hotels to house migrants by 2029, which the Treasury says will save £1 billion a year. However, Home Office figures show that more than 25,000 migrants have attempted to cross the Channel to the UK in small boats this year — the earliest the figure has been reached. • Yvette Cooper's fast-track asylum plan revealed as protests erupt again Over the weekend, 15 people were arrested when anti-migrant groups and counter-demonstrators clashed at protests in London and Newcastle, and before a march in Manchester city centre. The protest outside The New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle was organised by GBNP. Four people were arrested and remain in custody, according to Northumbria police. Asked whether he was concerned that the protests he was organising could result in criminality and the stirring of racial tensions, Donaldson said: 'We support peaceful protesting. We have to be peaceful and we have to be lawful. We absolutely do not support any criminality or any law-breaking.'
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Reuters
Oil producer pressure, Trump rollbacks threaten global treaty on plastics pollution
GENEVA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Hopes for a "last-chance" ambitious global treaty to curb plastic pollution have dimmed as delegates gather this week at the United Nations in Geneva for what was intended to be the final round of negotiations. Diplomats and climate advocates warn that efforts by the European Union and small island states to cap virgin plastic production - fuelled by petroleum, coal and gas - are threatened by opposition from petrochemical-producing countries and the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump. Plastic production is set to triple by 2060 without intervention, choking oceans, harming human health and accelerating climate change, according to the OECD. "This is really our last best chance. As pollution grows, it deepens the burden for those who are least responsible and least able to adapt," said Ilana Seid, permanent representative of Palau and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS). Delegates will meet officially from Tuesday for the sixth round of talks, after a meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in South Korea late last year ended without a path forward on capping plastic pollution. The most divisive issues include capping production, managing plastic products and chemicals of concern, and financing to help developing countries implement the treaty. Delegates told Reuters that oil states, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, plan to challenge key treaty provisions and push for voluntary or national measures, hindering progress toward a legally binding agreement to tackle the root cause of plastic pollution. Government spokespeople for Saudi Arabia and Russia were not immediately available for comment. Andres Del Castillo, senior attorney at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), a non-profit providing legal counsel to some countries attending the talks, said oil states were questioning even basic facts about the harm to health caused by plastics. "We are in a moment of revisionism, where even science is highly politicized," he said. The U.S. State Department told Reuters it will lead a delegation supporting a treaty on reducing plastic pollution that doesn't impose burdensome restrictions on producers that could hinder U.S. companies. A source familiar with the talks said the U.S. seeks to limit the treaty's scope to downstream issues like waste disposal, recycling and product design. It comes as the Trump administration rolls back environmental policies, including a longstanding finding on greenhouse gas emissions endangering health. Over 1,000 delegates, including scientists and petrochemical lobbyists, will attend the talks, raising concerns among proponents of an ambitious agreement that industry influence may create a watered-down deal focused on waste management, instead of production limits. The petrochemical industry said it continues to support a global treaty and has been urging the U.S. administration and Congress to "lean in" in negotiations. Stewart Harris, spokesperson for the International Council of Chemical Associations, said the U.S. in particular has an opportunity "not just at the negotiating table, but really on the implementation of the agreement" to promote the use of new technologies in mechanical recycling and advanced recycling, which turns plastic waste into fuels, plastics and other products, globally. Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers sent separate letters to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday pushing for divergent approaches. A group of House of Representatives Republicans led by Representative Dan Crenshaw of Texas urged the U.S. delegation to push for a treaty that focuses on expanding recycling technology, while a group of Senate Democrats led by Senator Jeff Merkely of Oregon pushed for a deal that includes plastic production caps. Two-thirds of the Senate is needed to ratify a treaty. Small island states are particularly impacted by plastic waste washing ashore, threatening their fishing and tourism economies. They stress an urgent need for dedicated international funding to clean up existing pollution. "Plastics are a concern for human health because (plastic) contains about 16,000 chemicals, and a quarter of these are known to be hazardous to human health," said Dr. Melanie Bergmann of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany. Jodie Roussell, global public affairs lead at food giant Nestle (NESN.S), opens new tab and a member of a 300-company coalition backing a treaty to reduce plastic pollution, told Reuters that harmonizing international regulations on packaging reduction and sustainable material use would be the most cost-effective approach. French politician Philippe Bolo, a member of the global Interparliamentary Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, said that a weak, watered-down treaty that focuses on waste management must be avoided. Bolo and a diplomatic source from a country attending the talks said the potential of a vote or even a breakaway agreement among more ambitious countries could be explored, as a last resort. Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, however, said countries should push for a meaningful pact agreed by consensus. "We're not here to get something meaningless... you would want something that is effective, that has everybody inside, and therefore everybody committed to it," she said.
