03/01/2014 BBC Newsline

Good evening. The headlines on BBC Newsline: high tides cause flooding

in some coastal areas. Relief in East Belfast as the tide

peaks without causing major damage. Derelict for several years but now a

former factory site in West Belfast is earmarked for a big housing

development. Opposition to a huge wind farm like

this after County Down coast. On a Derby night here in Ravenhill, can

Oscar manage to topple leaders Munster? And it's a weekend of

warnings, with a risk of snow in places tomorrow, and more wet and

windy weather for Sunday. It's been a day when tides were

higher in some places along the coast than anyone can remember.

Roads were damaged, although there wasn't the widespread destruction of

property that had been feared. At one stage, a call sparked a major

sea rescue operation in awful conditions. The call was a hoax. BBC

Newsline and our viewers have captured the effect of the tidal

surge from Newry to Newcastle, Cushendall to Coleraine. The first

reports comes from Helen Jones. It's not a day for a walk on the

promenade. Anywhere on the seafront. If you think that's bad, look at

this. In the thick of it, the RNLI search

for a missing man, putting their own lives at risk and all for nothing.

It was a hoax call. The canal basin in Newry has swollen, bringing the

flood water to people 's doors. A very near miss, I think it was about

18 inches of coming into the front door, so hopefully it will stay at

this level and not come any higher tonight when the tide comes

inching their way along the Ards Peninsula, vehicles take a soaking

as huge waves come over the sea defences. It's the holiday

destination but the sea has cut off this caravan park and the road has

collapsed. There will be a huge repair bill.

There was no playtime for children in this park. It's impossible to

stop nature's course. We were warned and we were ready.

Some were keen to get up close to get that shot. They are not the only

ones. You've been sending us pictures from right across the

country. Images like these have been cropping

up frequently this winter. We have been battered by storms since the

beginning of December and we're not out of woods yet, with more bad

weather forecast for Sunday. Council workers try to get to grips

with sealing off this bridge. Against the odds. And it's not the

only bit of repair work that will need done. These heavy bins and

concrete seats were uprooted by the elements.

Carrying on regardless, even though it is difficult to make it where the

road begins and the River ends. The Rivers agency says this was the

first time since 1903 that the elements have combined to create

this surge of water in Belfast. People living in the Sydenham area

of Belfast were warned yesterday there was a strong possibility of

flooding and some homes may be evacuated. Overnight and this

morning, sandbags were distributed to residents as the water levels

began to rise. It began this morning with householders grabbing emergency

sandbags to build stop waters on their doorsteps. Thousands of people

living in the Sydney area felt under threat after warnings of widespread

flooding today. Those homes near icons water river built their

defences higher than most. I've never seen sandbags in 30 years.

I've seen it once. But that was from rain. The police along with other

emergency agencies were out in strength. There had been a warning

that some homes may need to be evacuated. The floods bridged the

defences. The First Minister was among politicians at the scene, but

not everyone was happy they turned up. Where were you when people

needed you? The police are on the ball, services are standing ready

should it occur, but hopefully it will pass by today. On Monday we

will have the possibility of the same kind of situation arising, so

it is a case of over the weekend and on Monday being alert. There were

worried expressions as the waters rose towards midday. At one point

the nearby railway line looked in danger, at the floods receded. As

you can see from the watermark on this bridge, the water has gone

down. The high water mark when the flood was expected to be at its

worst was come and gone and the flood defences have not been

breached, much to the relief of people who live in this area.

Relieved, when you think of all the damage it could cause, a lot of

mess. It's a fact of nature. All you can do is make the best of it. You

have to deal with that. Across the harbour, flood defences were in

place, but again they were not needed on this occasion. People in

these parts of the city will remain alert throughout the weekend with

concerns of another flood tide driven by high winds on Sunday or

Monday. We'll have the weekend weather

forecast later in the programme, and there's a warning of more high

tides. Also coming up: Could there be billions of pounds' worth of gold

in these rocks in one of the border counties?

A housing association has submitted plans for a major redevelopment of a

disused factory site in West Belfast. Fold Housing is proposing

to build almost 250 homes. But as our economics and business editor

John Campbell reports, some nearby residents are not in favour.

This car parts factory was shot down in 2009. 200 workers lost their

jobs. This aerial photo shows the scale of the site, which has been

unused for five years. This housing association has big plans. It wanted

to transform the area, building homes, a committee centre and

business units. Fold said the development is a key part of

tackling housing shortages in West Belfast, that some people who live

here say the site is not right for housing. This has always been a

commercial development and it should remain a commercial development. We

want long-term employment, sustainable jobs here for younger

people and for the wider community. We feel that building houses on it

will take that away. Local politicians say it is a balancing

act. I hope this sack -- this site is developed with the business

community can help reduce the housing waiting list but can also

create employment opportunities. There is a need for jobs in the

area, too many sites have been lost, and if we lose this site there

will be no jobs in the future and we need to make sure the balance is

right between jobs and housing. The housing association says it is

listening to residence' concerns. We have taken a lot of their ideas on

board and we have revised our design proposals prior to our planning

submission but we are very much committed to this site, we will be

here for the long term, we have an excellent record in terms of adding

support to communities, and our intention is to build a sustainable

living committee with work opportunities. The future of this

site now rests with the planners. It will take several months to make a

decision and if they get a green light, construction these will take

three or four years. Fishermen are fighting to stop a

major wind farm being erected off the County Down coast. The project

could produce one-fifth of Northern Ireland's power. But the fishing

industry says it's wrong to put so many turbines in one of the most

intensely fished parts of the British Isles. The fishing fleet in

Kilkeel faces a future where out to see the horizon may change. Plans

are advancing for a first big wind farm off our coast, which could

comprise up to 100 turbines like these, already operational nearer

Britain, but the project faces opposition. Fisher men are not

saying no to wind farms per se, but we are saying no to wind farms being

built in some of the most intensely fished grounds around the UK. The

area was elected by the Crown estate which owns the sea bed. The wind

farm would be sited somewhere still to be chosen within this area.

Turbines would be at least five miles from the shore. We are only at

the start of a process which will draw out over several years, but if

all goes to plan, I2020 we could have a forest of wind turbines off

the County Down coast, providing up to 20% of Northern Ireland's's power

needs -- by 2020. Fishermen claim evidence gathered at other offshore

wind farms give rise to concerns. Fishing patterns do change but the

question is why, it had the fear of having to navigate a forest of wind

farms or is there something more sinister, do shellfish stocks not

recover after wind farm activity? That question is outstanding and the

evidence we have that sphere in the minds of fishermen. Consultations

are underway involving the energy consortium behind the scheme. We

recognise in certain circumstances like adverse weather conditions, it

is more dangerous to fish within a wind farm, and that is why it is

important for us to sit down with fishermen touring this design phase

of the project so we can work out how best to design a project that

meets their needs, and locate it to avoid the areas of most significant

fishing activity. But the fishermen want a more radical solution, a new

zone for the wind farm. This project is seen as vital not only to

achieving storm and target on cleaner energy but in reducing our

dependence on imported fuel. The IRA's attempted assassination of

the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1984 almost led to the collapse

of secret peace negotiations. The details were revealed in Cabinet

papers released today under the thirty year rule. Dan Stanton

reports. Five people were killed and 31 others injured by the IRA bomb at

the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Mrs Thatcher's response came within

hours as the party conference went ahead later. This government will

not weaken. This nation will meet that challenge, democracy will

prevail. No one knew at the time that months earlier the Prime

Minister had sanctioned secret moves to find a resolution to the conflict

in Northern Ireland. Days after the explosion, her officials told her

that the Taoiseach wanted to move forward on an Anglo-Irish

Agreement. What has become clear today is just how close the bombing

came to scuppering further progress. Private correspondence

between Mrs Thatcher and her closest advisers revealed she deliberately

tried to cool the negotiations after the bomb. She wrote, we must go slow

on these talks, if not stop them. It will look as if we were bombed into

making concessions to the Republic. The man who saves the day is the

Foreign Secretary who says we can not let the bombers out of seeking a

settlement. He says that the answer was continued negotiations. Margaret

Thatcher finally left Downing Street when she lost the leadership contest

in 1990. Political moves to find a peaceful solution in Northern

Ireland continued. Still to come on the programme before seven... The

long awaited Ashes debut of Tyrone man Boyd Rankin ends in

disappointment in Sydney. But can he recover in time for Day two? With a

debt bill of 60 billion euros still to pay off, the Republic's

government has been looking at the potential of natural resources like

oil and gas to generate money. But they didn't expect a cross border

geological survey would discover such 'golden' results, possibly

worth billions. Andy Martin reports from County Monaghan. The Irish have

never been short on imagination, but even the wildest rumours could not

have foreseen what lay beneath their feet. There is gold here, in

staggering quantities. As you can see, it has been bricked up. It was

mined in the late 1700s. They did not realise there was gold here? Not

at all. They drove through the gold and threw it away as waste. They

came back in the 1950s and then they realised. A cross-border survey

conducted mainly from the air has identified gold deposits right

across Ireland. It confirms what one optimistic explorer has believed for

years, 16 years, of drilling and dreaming and filling up a vast sheds

with cylinders of rock. We expected to find gold, but not anywhere near

as much as we have. We are very excited. It is a major discovery. We

had no idea it would be as big as this. Mining has been carried out in

this area for centuries, but only recently has it been firmly

established how much gold exists under the ground here. It is not

millions, but potentially billions of pounds worth and the Irish

government is extremely sympathetic to any mining companies that want to

come here and exploit the resource. I am excited. It is great to look at

the map and see the gold there. It will bring more jobs, it brings

greater knowledge of where our mineral deposits may be and where

you can exploit to see if there is more opportunities there. In this

area, this company intends to extract over ?500 million worth of

gold. Geologists believe the deposits could be worth as much as

?6 billion. It has taken many years and it is great to be at the stage

where we can begin to think of bringing in a mine. What was once

just a twinkle in the eye of this Explorer has now been matched by a

glint in the rock. The Ulster rugby team taken on the Pro12 leaders

Munster this evening. Thomas Niblock is here with the sport. Thanks

Donna, it's a pretty ugly night weather-wise at Ravenhill, but it's

also one of the most attractive fixtures in Irish rugby. Ulster lost

away to Leinster last week and coach Mark Anscombe has demanded a

response from his players for tonight's inter-provincial clash

against Munster. Mark Sidebottom is live tonight at Ravenhill. Mark, a

crucial game for both sides? Indeed. Munster topped the table by

seven points and Ulster need to win. You mentioned the weather, I know we

were expecting an ugly night, but it is a pricing, despite those biblical

waves, it is a positively benign evening -- surprising. Johann Muller

joins me now. The temperature is about to rise. Munster is the old

enemy, but you must win. It is a must win. Munster have had a great

season. It is a must win for us. Last week was disappointing. You

mentioned the disappointment, underperformed and there has been

criticism of the Ulster squad, not least from this other media. -- this

other in media. We did not play well. Leinster lost two in a row.

They were desperate to win the game and it showed on the field. Derby

games like this come down to who wants it the most and they wanted it

more than us. Let us look at the performance tonight and then we can

make a comment. There were children looking for autographs will stop

they want to know if you are staying. We are not looking for an

exclusive, but it -- but is it reasonable to say that you would

miss this Ravenhill crowd? It is a brilliant place to play rugby. There

has been a lot of speculation this week. I can honestly say, no

decision has been made yet. David Humphreys knows where he stands with

me. Nothing has changed from what I said to you guys seven months ago. I

will make my decision at the end of January. Maybe you will get an

exclusive them. I think your father wants you back on the farm. I am

lucky that I have the farm back home, but I have loved my time here

and my family is happy. There is no reason why I cannot play for another

five years. I have to listen to my body. The next four weeks will be

critical. We wish you well in your recovery. We are predicting an

Ulster win. And that game is live on BBC Two television, coverage starts

at seven o'clock. Now, it's a long way from the quiet village of Bready

in County Tyrone to the bright lights of Sydney, but, Boyd Rankin,

who quit Ireland in 2012 in the hope of playing test cricket for England,

achieved that dream in the early hours of this morning.

Unfortunately, his Ashes debut proved to be disappointing. This is

the moment when the dream turned into a nightmare for Boyd Rankin, a

hamstring injury ending his Ashes debut. When he arrived at the

cricket ground earlier that day, and presented with his first test cap,

he was receiving physio -- Test. He was not showing any ill affects

later. He was causing concern for the Australians. A first wicket

looked to have come before lunch, a wicked bounce just avoiding the

Aussie stumps. Then, disaster. This does not look good. I reckon he is

going off. Just before lunch, he pulled up with a hamstring injury,

he did come out after the break to bowl again, the English selectors

insisting it was just cramp, but he did not last and the day that

started as a dream, ended in disappointment for England and Boyd

Rankin. Athletics history will be made at tomorrow's Antrim

International Cross Country event, for the first time in its 36-year

history. Greenmount has attracted the reigning world champion,

20-year-old Kenyan, Japhet Korir, seen here winning last year's World

Cross Country title in Poland. He's the hot favourite for the men's

event scheduled to get underway at ten to three tomorrow. The women's

race at 2.25pm sees Ireland's Fionnuala Britton against Gemma

Steel of England. The Football Association has charged Brendan

Rodgers for allegedly questioning the integrity of a referee. The

Liverpool manager's comments were made following his defeat at

Manchester city on Boxing Day. Finally in sport, All of this

weekend's sporting fixtures will be subject to the weather and probable

pitch inspections. At the minute, tomorrow's Irish League fixtures and

Sunday's Gaelic football McKenna Cup matches go aheaad. Should that

change, we'll keep you posted on the BBC Sport NI website. That's

bbc.co.uk/sportni. Earlier, we had flooding pictures sent to us by

viewers. Our thanks for them and for all of the pictures that you've

shared over the past year. We've selected a dozen that we think

represent our weather during 2013. Take a look. And this year, keep

those photos coming into us. The email address is: [email protected].

Now, for the latest forecast, here's Angie.

It looks as though it will be a weekend of warnings. We had a deep

area of low pressure, combined with the high spring tides and that led

to all the coastal flooding. To some extent, particularly in the north,

the winds had a hand in it. We had a gust of 67 mph, those winds have

been slowly easing, but we still have warnings in place this

evening. Still quite gusty, those winds will continue to bring

showers. For anyone at Ravenhill, wrap up warmly and have the

waterproofs. Not too many showers and through the night, as the breeze

continues to ease down, we will find the showers easing back towards the

north and west. Many places will turn dry, quite cold. We are looking

at frost and given that we had showers earlier, there will be some

icy patches. For tomorrow, it looks as though the West will be best. The

driest weather is here, but in the east, we will see rain moving in and

it could turn to sleet and Hillsdale and a warning has been issued. Most

places should get off to a dry start, some sunshine in parts of the

West, but it will be quite frosty. The cloud will gather in the

south-east as that area of rain, sleet and snow moves in. Staying dry

out towards the West, but cold. Tomorrow night, any rain, sleet and

snow showers will die away, but it will be a cold night, frosty, low

temperatures, mist and fog forming, which could linger into Sunday. As

the wind picks up, that will clear, it will be wet and windy again and

there is an early warning for more heavy rain and localised flooding.

We'll be keeping a close eye on the weather all weekend. Finally, we

thought we'd show you the lengths BBC Newsline goes to bring you the

news of the day. One of our reporters, Gordon Adair, got a

little too close in Newcastle. He's just to the left of the screen.

Soaked, he was. Our late summary is at 10.25pm. You can also keep in

contact with us via Facebook and Twitter. From BBC Newsline,

goodnight.