National Trust vetoes Mournes gondola plan

7 May 2025

A DAY after the Down Recorder revealed over £1m of ratepayers’ money had been spent on the controversial gondola ride into the Mournes, the National Trust pulled the plug.

The conservation charity – which first expressed concern about what was billed as a flagship tourism project eight years ago – refused to provide a lease for the land needed to deliver the £44m scheme.

It was proposed to build a cable car base station in Donard Park to ferry people to a visitor centre built at a disused quarry on Thomas’s Mountain.

When the controversial project was first mooted, it was described as the “district’s Giant Causeway” given the number of visitors it was predicted to attract.

The National Trust was always going to have the final say and while an accusing finger has been pointed at Newry, Mourne and Down Council for pressing ahead with a scheme on land it didn’t own, the conservation charity has also come in for stinging criticism with questions why it waited so long to refuse a lease for its land.

Over recent months, the conservation charity was coming under increasing pressure to say “no” and just before 10am last Thursday morning it issued a statement confirming it would not make its land available.

Last month during a public meeting in Newcastle organised by opponents of the scheme, calls were issued to the Trust to pull the plug on the project. Campaigners also threatened legal action if the multi-million pound scheme progressed.

Also last month, the Trust urged architects of the controversial gondola ride to consider “alternative projects” that are more sustainable tourism initiatives.

The charity made it clear it is not a partner in the Mourne Gateway project and is not involved in the development or the design, nor endorses the proposal and was encouraging the local authority to “consider alternative projects that could better meet their aims around sustainable tourism initiatives”.

It said as a landowner and provider of access in the Mournes, it is a key stakeholder of the Council in relation to the proposed tourism project, insisting its position on the gondola and visitor centre remained unchanged.

“We have serious concerns about the environmental impact and will not provide a lease for Thomas’ Quarry unless a full environmental impact assessment and our concerns about the potential impact of the project on the landscape, wildlife, livestock and water quality of the area have been addressed,” said a spokesperson.

“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.?

“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 flora and fauna which live in this landscape.?These habitats are internationally scarce and need special protection.?“

The Trust says given the environmental impact already caused by increased visitor numbers, it believes 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.?

And it confirmed it met with local council officials on many occasions and in the last year attended two working groups to hear about progress, share relevant data and highlight the charity’s environmental concerns and need for an environmental impact assessment.

Charity representatives also met Tourism NI and the Department for Economy to discuss sustainable recreation within the landscape.

The Trust says the land it looks after is of national and European importance for nature and it had concerns about the environmental impact on the land alongside disturbance of local wildlife.

It said there are also practical concerns related to a visitor centre in such a fragile environment, for example, providing water and power, dealing with sewage and wastewater and rubbish in environmentally sensitive ways.

The charity says that to date, ecological assessments have focused mainly on the development footprint, but it knows that recreational pressure will extend well beyond this boundary and into surrounding designated land which is highly sensitive.

“The proposed location for the visitor centre at Thomas’s quarry is particularly close to precious habitats. Increased visitor numbers in this area would present a high risk to these vulnerable ecosystems which are already under pressure,” said a spokeswoman.

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