Protesters make their views known to NMD Council and the Mournes Gateway Project team
Newry Mourne and Down District Council has pressed ahead with the Mournes Gateway Programme and spefically the golndola project has created a huge raft of opposition from with Newcastle and much further afield.
Down News attended the engagement event at O’Hare’s in Newcastle on Thursday 7th November to gather some of the views of those opposed to the project of which there was no shortage. There were a number of display boards explaining the many aspects of the project.
And visitors to the engagement event were asked to fill in feedback sheets.
Declan Owens, an environmental lawyer, and organiser of SOD Off (Save Our Donard), said that the visitors’ centre proposed to be located at Thomas’ Quarry is “just a white elephant. It will trample over the Mournes and over local democracy.
“Apparently visitors will ascend by gondola to the visitor’s centre but will not be allowed out and about. There will be a perimeter in place. It seems to defeat the purpose.” But the health and safety implications for those not familiar with the outdoors and the Mournes is a serious risk.
And Eco Justice Director Anmanda McMillan added: “This project can be dome much better and it should involve the community. This all seems to be about putting the event fist and not the people or the community.”
Green Party representative Sean O’Boyle said: “The Green pArty beieve this project is indeed a white elephant – it is environmentally and economically totally unsound.
“THis project has been foisted on us against our will. The majority present today filling in feedback sheets are strongly opposed to it.
“Furthermore, we have not been privvied to comments from previous consultations.
‘One figure were are trying to understand is teh consultants reason for assessing the number of visitors. He seems to be saying that there are 180,000 visitors to the Giants Causeway so his projection is 360,00 visitors by the gondola or so. This is just pure nonsense.
“The Giants Causeway and the Mournes have been visited by tourists for at least 200 years but how many have visited – or know the existence of – Thomas’ Quarry ?”
Geoff Ingram who manages a Facebook campaign page called the Mourne Gateway Info Group said: “This project makes no sense economically or environmentally.
“The visitors won’t be able to access the Mournes or Slieve Donard from the centre at Thomas’ Quarry, so I just don’t get it.
“And there seems to be limited access for disabled persons. Our group consists of many professional people eg architects, mountaineers, and management consultants etc.
“It’s amazing that you can see the Mournes from 60 miles away and from the Isle of Man and from Belfast, but you can’t see very much with the design tucked into the quarry.
“One of our issues is that we have not been able to see the details of how many responses there have been in consultations and wherher they are for or against the project. It seems lacking in transparency that the developers will not open this up and show the level of support – or lack of it – for the project.
“I conducted a loose exit poll as people filled in their feedback forms and there has been no-one yet who said they were in favour of the project. It has been a 100% no so far. But there is still the evening stages to go yet.”
And retired National Trust Chairman Bob Brown also commented to Down News saying: “We should be looking at the quality of the landscape the our heritage more.
“The Gateway gondola project will have an impact on the landscape, on habitats and species.
“A proper consultation should involve the whole community at an early stage of developing the project and before costings are determined.”
David Thompson, a retired National Trust manager who had responsibility for Thomas’ Quarry for 16 years said: “There are many designation in this sensitive area eg Special Area of Conservation; Area of Special Scientific Interest; Area of Natural Beauty and others which indicate the very sensitive naature of this site especially above 1000 feet.
“Presumably this area at the visitor centre will be lit up and along the gondola pathway and how will this impact of wildlife? These questions must be asked… and answered. I fully agree with Bob Brown on all of this.”
Therefore, opposition to the gondola project in the Mournes Gateway Programme is strong.
Approximate guide to the project plan.
- Current period of consultation with community and businesses
- early 2025, feedback on findings from the consultation period.
- autumn 2025 pre-engagement process ends – may include design changes.
- winter 2025 – submission of planning application.
- through 2024-25 survey process.
- 2026 anticipated planning approval.
- spring 2027, project construction starts.
- 2029, project construction complete.
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