Mournes Gondola: National Trust pauses engagement with local council
Plans for a 1km (0.6mile) long cable car ascending Slieve Donard have taken a major blow after the National Trust - one of the landowners on the mountain - said it would be pausing engagement with the local council behind the project.This, the Trust said, is until it receives robust and comprehensive environmental assessments on the proposals.The news will come as a major blow to Newry, Mourne and Down Council who hoped the facility would be operational by 2029.BBC News NI has contacted the council for comment.
The Mournes Gateway Project, better known as the Mourne Gondola, is a cable car ride that would ascend some 230m from Donard Park in Newcastle to the disused Thomas Quarry on Slieve Donard.The quarry sits just above the treeline on Northern Ireland's highest peak and is owned by the National Trust.
The project is expected to cost £44m, with £30m coming from the Belfast Region City Deal and the remainder from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.During its development, it has had a mixed response with positivity from many in the local business community and opposition from others, including environmentalists.In December last year a petition of nearly 6,000 objections was presented at the Assembly. Following that the Council promised a series of engagement events.First reported by the Irish News, on Tuesday, the National Trust has said that it is "pausing engagement" with the council behind the project.
Andy Carden was the man behind the petition objecting to the project and also sits on the stakeholder group."I can't speak on behalf of the other stakeholders, but my impression has been that the process has been poor," he told BBC News NI."Most of the stakeholders probably want to talk about the fundamental issues about building a visitors' centre in the quarry on the mountain."Instead it feels like a tick box exercise discussing minor parts of the issue."Newry, Mourne and Down Council had hoped the facility could be open by 2029. BBC News NI have asked the council where Tuesday's developments leave the project.
Trust needs 'robust and comprehensive environmental assessments'
The Trust's statement said: "In the spirit of our Memorandum of Understanding, we remain open to engage with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) and key stakeholders."Despite not being directly involved in the project development, we have engaged throughout, sharing our own environmental data on the area, including information on ongoing efforts to restore the fragile upland habitats and maintain existing paths."Our strategy prioritises nature restoration and looking after wildlife, historic places, and landscapes and, as a conservation charity, we need to prioritise where we use our resources towards our core conservation objectives."We have consistently stated the need for robust and comprehensive environmental assessments and until we receive this, we are pausing our engagement at this time."
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