A mystery over car-parking places was today adding to the questions
surrounding the Causeway visitor centre controversy.
Environment Minister Arlene Foster last week signalled her intention to
grant planning approval for a commercially-developed centre at Northern
Ireland’s top tourist attraction.The Minister’s press release said
the blueprint tabled by developer Seymour Sweeney involved a total of 200
car-parking places.But the rival plans - now halted - for a
Government-funded Causeway centre involved provision for some 400 places.
The Belfast Telegraph has learned that problems meeting the 400 target were a
major reason behind the delay in the public sector scheme.Moyle
Council, one of the main partners in the Government-led centre project,
currently runs the 220-space car park at the Causeway.This was
deemed inadequate for the publicly-funded scheme that has now been shelved
by Minister Nigel Dodds.This newspaper understands that protracted
discussions were held on ways to provide an extra 180 spaces without
breaching planning restrictions in the area.It is believed that
the option of simply extending the existing Moyle Council car park met with
objections from planning officials from Mrs Foster’s Department of the
Environment, as this would have involved greenfield development.
Alternative options under consideration involved providing extra parking in
nearby Bushmills.Sources close to the discussions say a planning
application for a publicly-funded centre would have been submitted months
ago if the 400 parking spaces conundrum had been solved.Delays
with this application have been cited in support of the Stormont decision to
advance the private sector alternative.Moyle Council would be
under no obligation to provide its car park to Mr Sweeney, in the event of
his development going ahead.Both the council and the National
Trust could also retain their existing visitor buildings, if a new
commercial centre is built.
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