Fragile Mournes habitat under threat by plans for gondola

Fragile Mournes habitat under threat by plans for gondola

5 February 2025

NESTLED near the foot of Slieve Donard, the North’s highest peak, is a disused quarry on Thomas Mountain.

It sits majestically less than 250m above Newcastle but is a world away – peaceful, quiet, and home to some very special flora, fauna and native species. 

Currently the most direct route is via the Granite trail – used in the 1800s to carry highly sought after granite from the quarry via a funicular railway. 

Now a series of steps, accessed from the harbour area brings you up to the foot of the mountain, close to the quarry, passing some impressive woodland along the way. 

Whilst very close to the Glen River track, the main route up Slieve Donard, this area sees much fewer footfall. It also has had its fair share of challenges in recent years, including a massive fire in 2022 which had a devastating effect on the upland heath, blanket bog, rare plants, and animals that live there.

Fast forward five years, under controversial plans, it is proposed that from 2029 thousands of visitors a year would travel up to a large visitor centre to be built at Thomas Mountain quarry via a gondola cable car from Donard Park in Newcastle. 

This is part of the Mourne Gateway project being led by Newry, Mourne and Down Council, with funding from both the Belfast City deal and the council to create a so-called ‘iconic’ tourism attraction. 

The cost was originally estimated to be £44m, although the council has said ‘there cannot be absolute certainty over the final cost’, with fears from campaigners that, with inflation, the true cost is closer to £50m or more.

Whilst no final plans have been agreed, under concepts which have been released, the new centre could contain a café, interpretative exhibition, viewing galleries, toilets and an ‘event’ space.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council said that the project is at “concept design” stage and “is undertaking evidence and gathering surveys to inform the environmental impact assessment and design development”.

The intention, they say, is to have a planning application submitted this autumn.

However, significant concerns have been raised about the impact the proposals would have on this designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB), Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). 

Local campaigners have criticised the council for a lack of engagement and constructive dialogue and highlight that an environmental impact assessment has not been completed to date. 

They say this is particularly important as the National Trust, who own the land around Thomas Mountain quarry, have confirmed that they will not provide a lease without a full assessment of the environmental impact of the proposals.

In a statement the Trust said: “We have consistently expressed our significant concerns to Newry Mourne and Down Council about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed gondola project. 

“We have made it clear to the council that we will not provide a lease for Thomas Quarry, which we own, without a full assessment of the environmental impact of the proposals.”

The Trust continued: “The habitat on Slieve Donard is exceptionally fragile. The area is designated as a Special Area of Conservation due to the montane and dry heath, blanket bog and the specialised flowers and fauna which live in this landscape.?These habitats are internationally scarce and need special protection.  

“We have been engaging with the council at every stage of the process. In response to our concerns, it has undertaken further research and survey work, all of which and more will be necessary as part of any future planning application process.”? 

The council says that the aim of the project is to minimise any tree felling and that consultation is ongoing with the Forest Service. 

Andy Carden, who can be found on the Mourne Nature Watch Facebook page, questioned how the gondola was going to be installed without impacting on ‘wonderful old trees’ planted by the Annesley family in the Donard Lodge grounds. 

He said some of the trees are recorded on the Woodland Trust’s register of Ancient, Veteran and Notable trees.  

“In the lower part of the forest and along the banks of the Glen River there are fantastic woodland trees, mainly 

oak, beech, sweet chestnut, lime, Scots pine, silver birch and strawberry trees,” he said.

“Around the site of the long gone Donard Lodge, there are also holm oak, tulip, giant redwood, monkey puzzle and western red cedar trees. Rhododendron and Portuguese laurel are an invasive problem and make access very difficult in places.   

“A bit higher up the forest slope, in the noble fir plantation, again there are giant redwood, monkey puzzle and western red cedar trees, which are not native, but they are very significant, enormous trees. Regardless of whether the gondola installation would go higher than treetop height or lower, it is a serious risk that the surrounding trees would be cleared to build the pylons and prevent trees from falling on the cables,” Andy explained.

In total, there are thought to be more than 40 different species of tree in the demesne, woodland and forest, providing homes for roosting bats and nesting birds and, of course, so many invertebrates.

The area is also a haven for red squirrels, pine martens, fallow deer and field mice, with the quarry being home to grayling butterflies, lizards and three species of dragonfly which breed in the pools there. In the centre of the quarry wall the remains of a raven’s nest can still be seen and nearby the sound of a woodpecker in the trees can be heard.

Mountaineer and conservation architect Dawson Stelfox said there was no public need for a visitor centre to be built in designated areas.

“The selected site is within the SAC and ASSI – our two strongest designations for the protection of the natural environment – and, in principle, I do not support any new buildings within those areas,” he said.

“Planning policy supports this view unless it can be shown to be in the public interest. Although a quarry, the environment is still very much dominated by natural rock and adding a building of steel, concrete, glass etc. is a complete transformation in character.”

Dawson added: “Apart from the obvious visual impact on the iconic view of Donard rising above the town, putting a visitor centre on Thomas’s Mountain will create two ‘desire lines’ which will inevitably significantly increase erosion on the open mountain — between the centre and the Glen River trail, and between the centre and the summit of Donard, up the valley between Millstone and Thomas mountains,” he said.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council has said that “it is the aspiration of the project to allow visitors who wish to access the Mournes from the visitor centre to be able to do so in a controlled manner”.

However, campaigners have questioned how this could be facilitated in a safe and environmentally friendly way. 

Questions have also been raised about predicted visitor numbers as it emerged at a recent information day that the original estimate of around 350,000 (by Year 5) had been readjusted to around 80,000 in Year 1, rising to below 300,000 by Year 6. 

This compares to the Nevis Range Cable car which has around 200,000 annual users, and the Cairngorm Funicular which has around 150,000 annual users, both of which serve winter skiing, as well as summer walking and cycling.

And then there is the Irish weather to contend with. 

Whilst there are no direct views of the wider Mournes from this spot, on a good day you can see out over the Irish Sea, as far as Strangford Lough, and sometimes the Mull of Galloway or even the Isle of Man in the very distance. 

On a bad day you can see very little.

Geoff Ingram, from the Mourne Gateway Info group, which includes significant numbers of concerned local residents, highlighted the impact the weather could have. 

“We did some research using an international weather database covering three years. Winds are often high throughout the year around the mountain, but when we applied a formula used for calculating wind speeds at the quarry (220 metres), the graph we produced showed that the gondola could not operate for large parts of the year,” he revealed.

“We contacted the Nevis Range to ask about the speeds their gondola would have to shut down — they told us that anything close to 30mph with gusts of 40mph plus would be enough to close it. Other weather factors like mist, low cloud, heavy rain sleet and snow would also add to the days the gondola was inoperative.”

In response, the council has said that gondolas are typically built in mountainous regions, are designed to operate in a wide range of weather conditions and that “the specialist design team will carry out the necessary evidence-based surveys and assessments to inform the design, maintenance and operational arrangement for the facility”.

Andy Carden remains unconvinced: “You only have to see the large trees that are continually uprooted and tossed over or snapped off by the winds to realise the wind force up there. 

“You get a whirlwind effect. You get vortices and you can see them when they come down over the sea very clearly. It's quite clear that there's a lot of days in the year that a gondola would have to close just because of the wind.

“But, on top of that, there's all the issues to do with trees blocking the road or the risk of trees falling against the pylons and against the cables. There are issues to do with the rain as well. It's washing away the track up there. After heavy rain, the quarry is full of water and it overflows. So, it's not a straightforward building proposition.”

The Mourne Gateway Info group and others, whilst opposed to the current proposals, stressed that they are very supportive and see the clear benefits of a gateway project that promotes sustainable and eco-tourism, opens up the outdoor experience to a greater range of people, whilst also protecting this special habitat. They have called for the council to consider other options.

Some of the alternatives that have been suggested include creating a hub in Donard Park to act as a gateway to many outdoor activities in the surrounding area, the introduction of accessible green transport around Donard forest using existing forest roads, linking together a number of viewpoints, and further development of Silent Valley.

The Mourne Gateway Info Group has started a petition against the gondola (https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/no-gondola-in-the-mourne-mountains) which has now almost 6,500 signatures.

The petition includes a request for the council to look at more sustainable alternatives, with further information is available via the Mourne Gateway Info group or Friends of Donard Consultation Group Facebook pages.

The National Trust has also echoed the call for any new developments to be environmentally sustainable.

”Given the environmental impact already caused by increased visitor numbers, we believe any new proposals for this area must have sustainable tourism at its heart, ensuring the community, environment and local economy can thrive now and in the future,” it says.

“Our understanding is the project is still in the conceptual stage and we expect that all our concerns, which we have consistently stated, will be considered fully, through robust environmental impact assessments.” 

David Attenborough famously said: "It seems to me that the natural world is the greatest source of excitement; the greatest source of visual beauty; the greatest source of intellectual interest. It is the greatest source of so much in life that makes life worth living.”

Protecting special places like the Mournes for future generations is a sentiment local campaigners definitely agree with.