November 29th, 2006

Two men from County Antrim in Ireland have had their case dismissed after battling against plans for an asbestos storage site, which is to be opened in the area near to the village where they live. The two men are from the Crumlin Against Asbestos Group, and were hoping to reverse a decision on planning permission for the site.

The judge that dismissed the case stated that the two men, Michael Keating and Stanley Rankin, had not adequately proved that there would be any health risks posed if the site were to go ahead in the location proposed.

However, according to the two men, no public enquiry or health assessment was carried out by authorities. Permission had been granted for asbestos, in fully sealed containers, to be taken to and stored on the site, at Crosshill Quarry, which is run by Eastwoods Limited.

Mr. Justice Girvan, who dimissed the men’s argument, stated: “It appears clear that in light of the decision-making process, consideration was given to ensure that any detrimental effect on people and environment was minimised.”