Energy: Translink-new Antrim station
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011Translink’s leading the way in energy efficiency with new state-of-the-art station. Sustainability is a key priority for Translink. Most recently, the 2010-2011 Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme ranked Translink as the highest scoring organisation in Northern Ireland and the highest ranking transport organisation in the UK. A mandatory scheme run by the UK Government’s Environment Agency, it encourages large private and public sector organisations to reduce their carbon footprint by developing and implementing energy management strategies and included more...[full story]
Energy: Electric vehicles update
Wednesday, December 21st, 2011Electrification of vehicles presents opportunities and risks, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ Director Michael Hurwitz told the Northern Ireland Energy Forum. The sales of electric and hybrid cars has been slow in the UK, with only 1,289 ultra-low emissions vehicles registered from January 2010 to June 2011 compared to 3.1 million petrol and diesel cars in the same timeframe. This is mainly due to the cost, but with technological advances and proper incentives for motorists and manufacturers, they will become more popular, according to Hurwitz. Currently a ‘plugged-in places’...[full story]
Economy: PwC’s Stephen Curragh – air passenger duty
Monday, October 10th, 2011Stephen Curragh argues that the cutting and devolution of air passenger duty should open the way for more tax varying powers. There may have been relief in the air when the Secretary of State announced a cut in Northern Ireland’s long haul air passenger duty (APD), but the relief may only be temporary unless the broader issue of tax devolution to the Assembly is comprehensively addressed. The announcement from Owen Paterson came as trans-Atlantic carrier, Continental Airlines, seemed poised to axe its daily service from Belfast to New York (Newark), thanks to the impact of APD on...[full story]
Infrastructure: Priorities for 2011-2015
Monday, October 10th, 2011Three years after ISNI2 was published, agendaNi examines the key infrastructure projects likely to be taken forward by the current Executive. An updated Infrastructure Strategy for Northern Ireland (ISNI3) has been drafted and approved by ministerial special advisers. However, until the Programme for Government is released it is unclear which infrastructure projects will get the green light. ISNI2 was released in 2008 and outlined infrastructure spending from 2008 to 2018. ISNI3 is required because of the economic downturn and budget cuts and will cover infrastructure spending over the...[full story]
Transport: Aviation policy for Northern Ireland
Monday, April 18th, 2011Westminster asks for local views on aviation’s future but rules out devolving powers over flight. Northern Ireland “will always be heavily dependent on air links” and needs good flight connections within the UK, according to a Coalition Government paper launched in March. ‘Developing a sustainable framework for UK aviation’ is the first step in drawing up a new national aviation strategy. Comments can be sent to the Department of Transport up to 30 September. A draft strategy will then be published next March and adopted in March 2013. The Government says that the current...[full story]
Planning: Draft Regional Development Strategy
Friday, March 11th, 2011agendaNi considers what the next 14 years could hold for Northern Ireland, according to the draft Regional Development Strategy. Released in January, the draft Regional Development Strategy maps out how Northern Ireland is expected to change up to 2025. It follows on from a 10-year review of the first ‘Shaping our Future’ strategy, which was published in 2001 and amended in 2008. This had been the British Isles’ first spatial strategy. “Place, where things are and where things happen, can be often overlooked in decision making but it matters to people,” it states. The final...[full story]
Statute Summary: Cyclists (Protective Headgear) Bill
Thursday, March 10th, 2011Purpose: To require cyclists to wear helmets. All cyclists would be required to wear helmets on any road or open space, if the Cyclists (Protective Headgear) Bill is enacted. It passed its second stage on 31 January but is unlikely to become law as dissolution is drawing close. The Bill’s objective is to reduce death and serious injury amongst cyclists. From 2005 to 2010, 422 children and 213 adults were hospitalised in Northern Ireland after cycling accidents. It was first discussed within the Assembly’s All-Party Group on Road Safety, chaired by Pat Ramsey. Around 20 responses...[full story]
Transport: The Power of a Passport
Monday, December 6th, 2010As the Giant’s Causeway starts to feature on British passports, agendaNi finds out about their history and purpose at home and abroad. Famous around the world as a symbol of Northern Ireland, the Giant’s Causeway (above) is pictured on new UK passports in circulation since October. Designs for Dover’s White Cliffs, Ben Nevis and the Gower Peninsula in Wales have also been weaved in. The main changes, though, are security upgrades e.g. moving the chip inside the front cover and including a second image of the holder on the observations page. For the delayed plane passenger needing...[full story]
Infrastructure: Transport update
Monday, December 6th, 2010agendaNi assesses how transport investment has progressed so far. Transport is one of the main drivers of economic development and falls into the Investment Strategy’s network pillar which is in turn subdivided into five categories: roads, public transport, gateways, telecommunications and energy. Some 75 per cent of the overall transport sum for 2008-2011 is for roads, with just under a quarter available for public transport and the small remainder for ports and airports (gateways). During 2008-2011 a budget of £611.8 million was allocated for improving roads in Northern Ireland....[full story]
Infrastructure: Room for Improvement – Wendy Blundell
Monday, December 6th, 2010Northern Ireland’s infrastructure is “at a tipping point”, according to the Institution of Civil Engineers’ state of the nation briefing. agendaNi talks to Regional Director Wendy Blundell about its findings. Each year, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) produces state of the nation overviews of infrastructure at UK and devolved nation levels. For 2010, the institution finds that the UK is “at a cross roads” as productivity growth has been held back by under-investment in infrastructure. Indeed, Northern Ireland is at a similar “tipping point”, the marked exception...[full story]
