The approval of a £240 million waste incinerator on the outskirts of Belfast by a civil servant without a minister being in post was unlawful, a High Court judge has ruled. The proposed incinerator was turned down in 2015 by then environment minister Mark H Durkan. But a consortium behind the project on behalf of six local councils, Arc21, was given permission after the Planning Appeals Commission recommended approval. The department’s decision to grant planning permission lacked the direction and control of a minister required under legislation, it was argued. Mrs Justice Keegan was told that alone was enough to “sound the death knell” for allowing the development.

Source: The Irish Times May 14, 2018 14:03 UTC