Updated cost estimate of Mobuoy clean-up due with Muir hopeful of 2028 start date
Updated cost estimates for the Mobuoy dump remediation will be presented in the coming weeks to the environment minister Andrew Muir who hopes work may start on the clean-up in 2028.
Mr. Muir said ‘a lot of steps’ need to be taken to get to that stage when quizzed about the massive illegal waste site on the banks of the River Faughan at Stormont.
An updated draft remediation strategy was presented to the minister in May.
SDLP MLA Sineád McLaughlin asked the minister for an update on any actions he has taken over the summer to increase the budget for Mobuoy.
"Work continued over the summer to update the cost estimates that will inform consideration of the overall financial requirements associated with the remediation of the site. My officials plan to present updated cost estimates to me in the coming weeks.
“Once that work is complete, it will inform further discussions and consideration of next steps and associated timescales, taking into account my Department's responsibilities in relation to protecting water quality and the environment.
"The environmental monitoring programme continues to be delivered, and I am committed to ensuring that it remains in place until a long-term solution is delivered,” Mr. Muir replied.
Mrs. McLaughlin asked Mr. Muir if he had engaged with the British Government to explore whether support could be provided to the Executive to assist with the clean-up after London provided £6m for the remediation of 22,000 tonne English dump.
"I need to know the final estimated costs, and we will get those in the next few weeks. Engagement with Treasury is primarily for the Department of Finance, which will take that forward. I trust that the Finance Minister will do that once I have the final estimated costs.
"I reassure the Member that I get the importance of the issue. I want to ensure that we can adopt the remediation strategy and move forward together. I will seek to meet MLAs, MPs and council representatives later this year to update them on the issue, because the situation regarding the dump at Mobuoy is wrong and needs to be remediated,” said the minister.
The minister said he hoped work on the remediation of the site would be able to start within two years.
“I get the concerns that we need to be moving towards remediation of the site. We have adopted the remediation strategy, and the steps ahead of us relate to that.
"We need to get the costings for remediation, followed by business case approval and the formal adoption of the remediation strategy. Then, we need to move to procurement. I hope to be able to do that at the beginning of the next financial year and for remediation works to commence in 2028. That requires a lot of steps to be taken, particularly regarding funding, but I am committed to remediation of the site,” he declared.
The total cost of the Mobuoy clean-up has previously been estimated at between £17m and £700m.
A Northern Ireland Audit Office report last year suggested a cost of £107m as the most reliable estimate.
Officials have indicated that once a final remediation design is implemented it could take five to seven years of engineering works with potentially another 20-plus years after that for the site to be completely mediated.