DUP rep fears council the “laughing stock” of Northern Ireland after major project refused

An audit committee had raised concerns the Alliance DAERA Minister made his refusal decision when project details don’t exist

A DUP rep “fears” his council has been left the “laughing stock” of Northern Ireland following an Alliance Minister’s refusal of a major Co Down tourism project.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s (NMDDC) was “exploring” a move for its collapsed £44m Mourne Gondola project from Newcastle to be moved to Kilbroney Forest in Rostrevor.

Landowners, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) Minister Andrew Muir (Alliance) rejected the project this week over “environmental concerns”.

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However, NMDDC’s audit committee heard on Thursday, July 31, that council officers were “not aware” of how the Minister based his decision as specific route detail “does not exist”.

Rowallane DUP rep, Callum Bowsie said: “One of the consequences of this is the reputational risk to this council on the failure to deliver these projects.

“My fear is that we are now becoming a laughing stock across the councils. I am looking through the risk register to see if there is anything we could have done to mitigate some of these barriers and I see very little details.

“Did the council know that the Kilbroney project was dependent on DAERA and if so why was it not listed as a risk factor? There is no mention that we would need approval from the DAERA Minister.

“When you consider the Minister is Alliance and we know that party has a clear position on this project (against) would it not have been sensible to note that as a risk to the project.”

The council announced in May that it was working to relocate the Mourne Mountain Gateway gondola project to the other side of the Mournes at Kilbroney Park in the village of Rostrevor. The move came after landowners the National Trust withdrew co-operation from the project.

The failed Mournes Gateway project was to be funded with £30m from the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD) with the council making up the rest of the estimated £44m development. The same funding mechanism was to be transferred to a potential new gondola in Kilbroney.

However, it has now emerged that DAERA, as the landowners, will not support the latest project, putting the future of the BRCD cash in doubt.

Downpatrick SDLP cllr, Gareth Sharvin added: “Did the Minister have all the information that he required to actually make an assessment? I don’t even know what was to be at Kilbroney so I don’t know how he did.

“I am trying to understand what information we shared with the department for such a judgement to be made.

“Certainly when you see that the Alliance website had the news up before any of the media outlets the next day, you have to wonder where judgement is and that is for me to say, not the council .

“It is now important that we identify a new project so that we as a council can retain £30m of investment that could be potentially lost.”

A council officer responded: “After the National Trust announcement on the Mourne Gateway the council agreed to explore the opportunity of moving the project to Kilbroney.

“The council did not make a decision to move it, but only to explore it and part of that operation was engagement with DAERA in respect of the land access.

“That had been happening over the last six to seven weeks and then this week we got a response from the department to advise that they would not permit the project to proceed on their land. The land is now not available.”

He added: “We are not aware of what information the Minister was in possession of in reaching his decision.

“We had engagement at a high level with the Forest Service (DAERA) and advised them of our intention to explore the opportunity within Kilbroney and that was the extent of the engagement.”

“We did not look at defined routes, entry or exit points etc…that detail does not exist, because we didn’t know.”

NMDDC chief executive advised the committee that time would need to be taken to consider the matter and report back to the committee on managing a way forward.

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