Giant row over Causeway
A ROW has erupted over an announcement on Monday by Stormont ministers saying they favour going with a private developer - Seymour Sweeney's Seaport Investments - to build a new Giant's Causeway Visitors' Centre.
Already the National Trust have slammed the decision to sideline a publicly funded proposal on which a substantial amount of money and time has already been spent.
Moyle District Council, who also have an involvement with the Causeway, have kept tight-lipped about the developments but they are set to hold an emergency meeting on the matter this Friday.
Stormont Environment Minister, Arlene Foster (DUP), commented on Monday on a privately funded proposal for a new visitors' centre for the Giant's Causeway.
The Minister said: "I have recently received a report from the Planning Service on a planning application by Seaport Investments Ltd for a new Visitor and Study Centre at the Giant's Causeway World Heritage Site. I have given this report my fullest consideration and have also taken the opportunity to visit the site.
"Having done so, I have concluded that there is considerable merit in what is proposed and I am of a mind to approve it. I have asked my officials to engage with the developer and key local stakeholders on some aspects of the proposal so that I can make a formal decision on it at the earliest opportunity."
The Minister added: "I am of course conscious that this announcement will have implications for the public sector proposal which has been under development by DETI and the NITB but which has not yet led to a planning application. I understand that my colleague, Nigel Dodds, will be making a separate statement on this issue."
The private sector planning application, which was accompanied by an Environmental Statement, was submitted on February 25, 2002.
The application seeks outline planning permission for the development of a visitor and study centre – to be located under a grassed circular dome and measuring 2,823 square metres in size – which has been designed to accommodate up to 750,000 visitors per annum and which includes the following elements: An interpretative area, including an audio visual theatre; A 200 seat restaurant, kitchen and related catering space; Retail space for the sale of gifts and souvenirs; Visitor services including a post office and bureau de change; Staff offices and library facilities.
Also included are: parking provision for 200 cars (the majority of which will be underground) and 8 coaches; A reorganisation of the road access involving a realignment of the Causeway Road, Runkerry Road and the access to the existing car park and visitor centre and Causeway Hotel; areorganisation of the pedestrian links in and around the site and reorganisation of the access and car parking facilities at 'The Nook' Public House.
Meanwhile, Stormont Tourism Minister Nigel Dodds (DUP) wants to see a world class visitor facility, worthy of its surroundings, at the Giant's Causeway.
Minister Dodds was commenting on the Environment Minister's announcement that she is of a mind to approve Seaport Investments' planning application for a new visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway.
Mr Dodds said: "The Giant's Causeway needs and deserves world class visitor facilities and I would encourage all the key local stakeholders to work together to help achieve that prize.
"I welcome the fact that Minister Foster has made her views known on the private sector application for a new visitor centre."
The Minister went on to explain what this decision meant for the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment and the Northern Ireland Tourist Boards' proposals for developing a visitor centre.
He said: "The Department and NITB became involved as a potential developer of last resort. This was at the request of the key stakeholders who were unable, over an extended period of time, to reach agreement."
The Minister continued: "It would not be a prudent use of taxpayers' money to proceed further in the circumstances, given Minister Foster's position on the private sector planning application. The DETI/NITB project would cost in excess of 21million.
"The people of Northern Ireland will no doubt look to all local stakeholders to work constructively to deliver the facilities expected by visitors to this magnificent tourism asset."
Reacting to the comments from the ministers, Seaport (NI) Ltd, in a statement, said: "This is good news for Irish tourism, Northern Ireland and the North Antrim coast. The outline planning application was lodged in February 2002 by Seaport Investments Ltd, a company owned and operated by Seymour Sweeney which has since been renamed Seaport (NI) Ltd.
"The planning application is for a world class visitor and study centre on lands wholly owned at the Giant's Causeway by the developer and his company and has been conceptualised and designed by a team with a global track record for working on and delivering schemes of similar unique specification including other UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
"Recognising the uniqueness and sensitivity of the Giant's Causeway World Heritage Site, the planning application has been designed to ensure that the Visitor Centre is assimilated within the natural topography thereby respecting its environs as well as removing the need for building on the ridgeline of the World Heritage Site the planning application addresses and solves the present unsatisfactory state of road access and planning issues at the site.
"Seaport (NI) Ltd is fully aware of the importance of the project in all-Ireland terms and would welcome the opportunity to discuss in detail how best to implement any planning approval given with the other interested parties namely Moyle District Council and the National Trust.
"We genuinely would ask those parties in the light of both Ministers comments to work with Seaport (NI) Ltd in order that this outline planning application be implemented as soon as possible thereby benefiting everyone concerned."
The National Trust has expressed grave concern at Monday's announcement by Environment Minister Arlene Foster that she is "of a mind to" grant planning permission "for an additional visitors centre on a greenfield site beside the Giant's Causeway."
The conservation charity, which owns and provides access to Northern Ireland's only World Heritage Site, said it strongly believes that pursuing a separate, private, planning application for a greenfield development is not the right solution for Northern Ireland's most visited tourist attraction and one of Northern Ireland Tourist Board's signature projects.
The Trust's Director for Northern Ireland, Hilary McGrady, said the charity would be astounded if planning permission could be granted to the private developer. Any development so close to the Giant's Causeway World Heritage Site – and particularly on previously undeveloped land – would fly in the face of planning policies for the area.
Such a decision by the Minister could immediately put the World Heritage Site status of the Giant's Causeway at risk, said the Trust.
Responding also to the statement by the Environment Minister's DUP colleague Nigel Dodds, Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment, Ms McGrady said: "The National Trust has been and remains committed to working with all stakeholders, including Moyle District Council and DETI, to achieve world class, sustainable and economically viable visitor facilities on the existing site at the Causeway, without violating the principle that there should be no further greenfield development in the area.
"A huge amount of money and time has already been invested in working towards an agreed solution to the development of new visitor facilities. If Mr Dodds is saying that the existing stakeholder process is dead, we are very disappointed. We do not believe that the private application currently being considered is the appropriate solution," she added.
"Given our conviction that a second visitor facility, on a greenfield site, would be wrong and would set a disastrous precedent for development so close to the World Heritage Site, we will now be seeking advice on all our options."
The Director concluded: "The over-riding concern for the National Trust is the protection of the World Heritage Site and its setting, and to achieve the right solution for visitors to the site. In this context we remain committed to working with all stakeholders to achieve the right solution.'
North Antrim Sinn Fin MLA Daithi McKay said that he is shocked "at two DUP Ministers' comments in regard to a privately funded proposal for a Visitor Centre at the Giant's Causeway".
Mr McKay said: "The announcement from the Minister of the Environment that she is seriously considering approving a private counter-proposal for a Visitors Centre at the Giant's Causeway has effectively sounded the death knell original public sector proposal which has already cost between 1-2million of public money.
"The building of this private Visitors Centre will take place on an entirely new site and will result in a lot of damage to the landscape around the World Heritage Site. There is a lot of concern that the full environmental impact of this proposal has not been taken into account.
"The publicly funded Visitors Centre would have seen profits from the Giant's Causeway being reinvested in the area through Moyle Council and the National Trust and local people are totally disgusted that the profits that are to be raised through our World Heritage Site are to go straight into the private sector.
"People working in the tourist sector here are disgusted at these latest developments. There are a lot of questions which remain unanswered, especially in regard to the lengthy delays that the public sector proposal faced," said Mr McKay.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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