Deadline extended for debate on NI’s first ever Environment Strategy

Date published: 17 December 2019

The new closing date is now Wednesday 5 February 2020.

Announcing the extension Dave Foster, Director of Regulatory and Natural Resources Policy, said the department had received more than 800 responses so far.

“We have been heartened by the level of engagement of both individuals and organisations with this very important issue.

“Detailed responses are coming in on a daily basis so given the considerable level of interest we wanted to extend the public discussion period to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to take part.

“We have received responses from people of all ages and we know that young people in particular are telling us how strongly they feel about the environment. To add further depth to our level of engagement with young people, we have organised a dedicated event to ensure their voices are heard and their ideas contribute to our plans to protect and enhance the environment for both this and future generations,” Mr Foster added.

DAERA will publish a summary of the findings before drafting the 'Environment Strategy for Northern Ireland' in spring 2020. The Strategy is intended to be high level and will require endorsement from a future Minister and Executive.

The public discussion was originally due to close on 23 December 2019.

You can take part online or email: esni@daera-ni.gov.uk.