After a week of landscape evidence at the Public Inquiry, Dr Amy Strecker takes a step back from the detail to reflect on what we have actually heard — and what it means for the Sperrins.

From designation and visual impact to the uncomfortable question at the heart of it all: should protecting a landscape really come down to finding better ways to hide an enormous industrial development within it?

🎧 Listen, share and help us keep the Sperrins in the conversation.

Today the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry moved on to water. We hear the powerful responses from the Loughs Agency and NIEA on Atlantic salmon, freshwater pearl mussels, altered flows, water quality and the protected river system downstream—as well as a tense morning of conflicts of interest and questions over who was allowed to speak.

Please listen, share widely and help ensure that the communities who will live with the consequences are heard.

As always, this podcast is intended to help people understand what happened at the Inquiry by bringing together the week's evidence in plain English.

If you find these updates useful, please consider joining the Sperrins community  campaign newsletter.

https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/

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The final day of Landscape Designation and Methodology at the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry with night-time lighting, visualisations, cumulative impacts and proposed conditions under scrutiny.

Dr Amy Strecker joins me at the end of the podcast to give her overview of the four days of landscape evidence and what it could mean for the future of the Sperrins.

🎧 Listen, share and help more people understand what is being discussed at this Public Inquiry.

If you value thoughtful, commentary on the Inquiry, please consider following the podcast, sharing this episode, and joining our campaign mailing list to stay connected. https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/

Here is a link to Dr. Streckers earlier podcast 

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Today at the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry: landscape value, ten-year-old visualisations, the proposed powerline — and even a little Father Ted.

I’m also joined by James Orr  Director of Friends of the Earth, a former planner, to look at a more fundamental question: how reliable is the landscape baseline being used to assess this development?

🎧 Listen, share and help more people follow what is actually emerging from the Inquiry.

Listen to James earlier podcast # 18

https://friendsoftheearth.uk/northern-ireland 

As always, this podcast is intended to help people understand what happened at the public  Inquiry by bringing together the week's evidence in plain English.

If you find these updates useful, please consider joining the Sperrins community  campaign newsletter.

https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/

SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media) 

https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins

What does “landscape” really mean when assessing the proposed Curraghinalt gold mine?

In this Public Inquiry update, Professor Amy Strecker reflects on the Mine Waste Facility, restoration plans, visualisations and the wider industrialisation of the Sperrins, while we also touch on the proposed electricity connection and the cumulative impact on the AONB.

Listen, follow the podcast and please share this episode — particularly with those living in and around the Sperrins.

Link to 

#14 Law ,Land and Justice Dr Amy Strecker on the Sperrins 

Law, Land and Justice

If you value thoughtful, commentary on the Inquiry, please consider following the podcast, sharing this episode, and joining our campaign mailing list to stay connected. https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/

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What does “Acceptable” really mean when important engineering questions are still waiting to be answered?

Dr Steven Emerman returns to the podcast for a third time to examine the Golder review of the Curraghinalt Gold Mine Waste Management Plan. We look beyond the headline 108 “Acceptable” ratings and discuss mine-waste stability, liquefaction, earthquakes, groundwater, filtered tailings, closure, financial guarantees and the work Golder says should be addressed at later stages of design.

Ultimately, who receives the benefits  and who is left carrying the risk?

Link to the Report : https://dontmineus.com/resources/

It may take a day or two for the report to be available 

Listen, share the podcast and help more people understand the evidence being considered at the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry.

if you value thoughtful, commentary on the Inquiry, please consider following the podcast, sharing this episode, and joining our campaign mailing list to stay connected. https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/

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Today's Curraghinalt Public Inquiry turned to restoration and visual impact — what the proposed dry-stack mine-waste facility might eventually look like and whether the landscape shown in the visualisations can actually be delivered.

Questions about grass and heather soon led to soil and peat storage, missing elements from the visualisations, the sequencing of the mine-waste cells and how closely restoration is tied to the engineering of the site.

And when Dalradian's counsel raised concerns about getting a fair opportunity to respond, Niall had been keeping count...

🎧 Listen to today's update from inside the Inquiry, and please share it with anyone following Curraghinalt and the future of the Sperrins.

As always, this podcast is intended to help people understand what happened at the Inquiry by bringing together the week's evidence in plain English.

If you find these updates useful, please consider joining the Sperrins community  campaign newsletter.

https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/

SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media) 

https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins

The mine-waste evidence topic  reaches its final day at the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry, but big questions remain. From extreme rainfall and ageing drainage systems to liners, emergency planning and what happens long after the mine closes, today's evidence eventually led to a crucial question: Should this mine-waste facility actually be Category A?

And when DfI was asked to point to the evidence supporting its decision that it isn't, things became interesting.

Listen, share the podcast and help more people understand what is actually being said inside this Inquiry room.

As always, this podcast is intended to help people understand what happened at the Inquiry by bringing together the week's evidence in plain English.

If you find these updates useful, please consider joining the Sperrins community  campaign newsletter.

https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/

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https://linktr.ee/saveoursperrins

Yesterday at the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry, the spotlight fell unexpectedly on one of Save Our Sperrins’ own expert witnesses when his previous work for Dalradian was raised before the Commission.

In this short podcast I look at what happened, how openly it was acknowledged when raised, and the much wider question it left me thinking about: what does duty of candour actually require in an Inquiry involving so many experts, consultants and historic professional connections?

But once you start looking at previous professional relationships, where does that spotlight lead next?

🎧 Listen to the podcast, share it with someone following the Curraghinalt Public Inquiry, and keep asking questions.

If you value thoughtful, commentary on the Inquiry, please consider following the podcast, sharing this episode, and joining our campaign mailing list to stay connected. https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/

SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media) 

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Dr Steven Emerman returns to the podcast to examine the proposed Curraghinalt Mine Waste Facility and the assumptions on which its long-term safety depends.

Drawing on his recent investigation of filtered-tailings facilities in Indonesia including work undertaken by an engineering consultancy whom we will refer to as Consultancy A who also designed the proposed Curraghinalt dry-stack facility we discuss what happens when engineering calculations meet conditions on the ground.

We explore water, drainage, compaction, foundations, monitoring, failure scenarios and restoration .

Link to Steven’s report: https://dontmineus.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/filtered_tailings_in_indonesia.pdf

Filtered Tailings in Indonesia The Catastrophic Failure of a DisruptiveTechnology

Technical Report: Steven H. Emerman, PhD, Malach Consulting

Summary, Analysis, and Recommendations: Ellen Moore, Jan Morrill, Vuyisile Ncube,and Paulina Personius, and Arianto Sangadji

On behalf of Earthworks March, 2026

Link to #23 Dr. Emermans earlier podcast  - The Science of Failure: Truth, Risk, and Responsibility

Failure of Filtered Tailings Mine  Waste Facility 

SAVE OUR SPERRINS ( Social Media) 

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As always, this podcast is intended to help people understand what happened at the Inquiry by bringing together the week's evidence in plain English.

If you find these updates useful, please consider joining the Sperrins community  campaign newsletter.

https://dontmineus.com/newsletter/