Climbing bodies welcome refusal to lease quarry

Climbing bodies welcome refusal to lease quarry

7 May 2025

MOUNTAINEERING Ireland and Mournes Mountain Hiking have welcomed the National Trust’s decision not to lease its land for the construction of the gondola and visitor centre at Thomas’s Mountain.

Mountaineering Ireland said it had been “fundamentally opposed” to the development from the start on the grounds that large-scale tourism infrastructure should not be “built on mountain land covered by our highest nature protective designations” – Area of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation.

The organisation, which is the national governing body for hillwalking, rock climbing and all facets of mountaineering across the island of Ireland, said it recognised that there were merits to a ‘Mourne Gateway’ centre or centres to support sensitive and responsible use and care of the mountain environment, promoting and explaining the rich natural, built and cultural heritage of Mourne. 

However, it believed they “should be positioned at the entry points, like Donard Park, and not within the fragile environments themselves, and not behind a high cost pay barrier like a gondola ride”.

“The tourism climate has changed since this project was proposed for inclusion in the South East Coast Masterplan in 2012,” it said in an online statement.

“Visitors want to tread more lightly on the earth. Tourism is evolving from a quick voyeuristic experience into a more active and empathetic immersion in a community and environment.

“Mountaineering Ireland looks forward to working with the council and other key stakeholders to look at alternative proposals that will meet the Belfast Region City Deal criteria, securing the investment in a sustainable development that enhances nature and supports the local community and visitors to this special area.”

Mournes Mountain Hiking, a forum for walkers and hiking in the Mournes, said the National Trust confirmed what most people already knew “without having to resort to expensive studies, namely gondola construction could cause environmental damage in the Mournes”.

In an online statement, one member said it should not have taken so long for “this pretty obvious fact” to be confirmed.

The organisation said in the meantime, substantial public funds appeared to have been wasted by Newry, Mourne and Down Council “on this obvious white elephant”.

The statement continued: “The National Trust appears to have wasted time (and presumably therefore money) trying to engage with the council on this ridiculous abomination.

“As a current National Trust member, I feel that my subions could have been better spent. 

“In my opinion, this process has been an outrageous waste of public money. I feel that those in charge of all the relevant institutions should be ashamed of themselves and should be held to account.

“This is no way to spend ‘other people’s money’. The only people who have won here are the consultants.”