Environmentalists to ‘Green the Stormont Mile’ Inwatchdog Bid

By David Gordon

The event is being organised by a coalition of pressure groups, and will involve supporters lining the road from Stormont’s front gates to Carson’s statue.

A symbolic giant postcard will also be presented to members of the Assembly’s Environment Committee.

A report last week by a Government-appointed panel backed the case for a new independent agency taking over the DoE’s environmental protection role.

Nine leading environmental groups formed a coalition four years ago to lobby for this reform.

Supporters will today be wearing T-shirts and holding postcards to demand action.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Malachy Campbell, WWF NI, said: “The importance of the environment to the people of Northern Ireland was reflected by the fact that over 5,000 people took the time to write to the political parties here asking for an independent environmental protection agency to be established and for the environment to become a higher political priority.

“There is a clear need for a properly funded, independent environmental protection agency to address the increasing pressures on our environment from problems such as illegal dumping, pollution and biodiversity loss and it is now down to our local politicians to take this forward.”

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