SDLP Leader of the Opposition Matthew O’Toole has questioned the failure of Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, to intervene at a bonfire site containing large amounts of deadly asbestos.
The bonfire is on the former Ulster Weavers factory site off the Donegall Road where two months ago a large quantity of the lethal fire-retardant material was found dumped on the sprawling waste ground.
DEADLY HAZARD: The bonfire is situated yards from the dumped asbestos
A number of six-feet high portable wire fencing panels have been placed around the asbestos. On top of the illegally dumped material a black plastic sheet has been spread, held down by bits of scrap wood and sandbags. Where the sheeting is held to the ground by the sandbags, multiple gaps expose the asbestos underneath. A local builder last week described the securing of the deadly material as "amateur hour".
The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and Belfast City Council have been involved in a game of pass-the-parcel over responsibility for dealing with the asbestos.
At a private committee meeting at Belfast City Hall last Thursday, the SDLP brought forward a motion calling for Belfast City Council to remove the dangerous asbestos material, at a cost of £100,000. The motion was rejected by parties, including Sinn Féin and the DUP.
Mr O’Toole, a South Belfast MLA, said the Alliance Minister at the Department for the Environment, Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has a duty to address the matter as the head of the leading environment agency.
"It is absolutely crazy that we are days away from a bonfire being lit yards away from a significant amount of asbestos," he said.
"This will pose a real risk to the public health of everyone in the vicinity of this bonfire and it’s clear that given how harmful this material is it will be almost impossible to mitigate that risk.
“This is not about the bonfire itself, everyone has the right to celebrate their culture and I recognise the importance of the bonfire to people in this area. However, we have seen Belfast City Council and the NIEA pass the buck between each other when it comes to removing this material and Minister Muir has failed to take charge of this situation.
“In Belfast City Council the SDLP was the only party to call for this material to be removed and in the absence of an agreed way forward Minister Muir has a duty to intervene. Allowing a bonfire to be lit beside asbestos would not be allowed to happen in any other jurisdiction and we shouldn’t have to put up with it here.
"I am calling on the Minister to direct the NIEA to do everything possible to remove this risk before the bonfire is lit later this week.”
A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “While the lands at the Broadway Industrial Estate remain the responsibility of the landowner, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Belfast City Council are working together in relation to this site.
“Following an abatement notice issued by Belfast City Council to contain and secure the asbestos containing materials, the landowner appointed a contractor and works were carried out.
“As the lead agency, NIEA assessed the site and has recommended that further mitigating measures should be put in place.
“Council and NIEA officials have met and agreed that these measures would include further covering of the asbestos containing material, additional fencing in the area around the asbestos and the use of fire retardant material as an added precaution.
“The NIEA’s enforcement investigation in relation to this site is continuing.
“Members of the Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee also met on Thursday 3 July in relation to this site.
“Following discussion, elected members agreed to accept the extra mitigations proposed by NIEA, together with the additional precautionary measures outlined.”
A DAERA spokesperson said: “The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) is working with Belfast City Council to address the issues on the Broadway Industrial Estate, even though it is primarily the responsibility of the landowner.
“Following an assessment of the site, NIEA has alongside Belfast City Council been carrying out additional mitigating measures over the past week including the further covering of the asbestos containing material, the use of fire-retardant material and the erection of additional fencing.
“Staff from the Environmental Crime Unit within NIEA remain in ongoing contact with the council and their enforcement investigation continues in relation to the site.”
