No stop for gondola plans as City Deal funding put on hold

No stop for gondola plans as City Deal funding put on hold

18 September 2024

FEARS that the future of the controversial Mournes gondola ride into the heart of the Mournes are hanging in the balance have been dispelled.

It was reported last Friday that the £44m Mournes Gateway regeneration project – which forms the centrepiece of a major flagship tourism scheme in Newcastle – was being paused by the UK government as part of its spending review.

Fast forward to Monday and after a series of high level meetings between politicians at Stormont and in London it was confirmed that work on the tourism investment project – which some have described as a white elephant and others as a tourism game changer – will continue.

Part of the so-called Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD), the proposed gondola ride is from Donard Park in the resort to a new visitors’ centre to be constructed at the site of a former quarry at Thomas’s mountain.

The multi-million pound project is being jointly financed by the BRCD (£30m) and Newry, Mourne and Down Council (£14m), but has split public opinion.

In total, £200m City Deal funding will be invested across the council area on a range of projects, with the gondola ride the highest profile.

On Monday, local council officials were informed via the BRCD Project Management Office that Mr Benn had confirmed that following communication with the UK Treasury that “nothing has changed” on the status of the City Deal signed in December 2021and which continues to make great progress.

The clarification that the gondola scheme has not been paused has been welcomed by the Belfast Region City Deal partners, which includes the local council.

“The City and Growth Deal projects are critical to Northern Ireland’s long-term economic growth, regeneration and transformation, supporting both inclusive growth and our competitiveness on a global stage,” the partners said in a statement.

“The Belfast Region City Deal – the result of a strong and established partnership – is now well into delivery phase, with 15 outline business cases approved, 12 legally executed contracts for funding signed totalling approximately £600m, 15 ICT contracts awarded, two projects in construction and a number of projects already in operation.

“It is a delivery vehicle which is clearly fit for purpose,” the statement continues.

The consortium partners say the Belfast Region City Deal is already creating more and better jobs in centres of excellence, leveraging additional external funding, supporting the delivery of crucial skills pipelines and developing inclusive growth and social value.

“Our Deal will create a wide range of opportunities for local SMEs, innovators and entrepreneurs to deliver inclusive innovation and to address regional challenges including sustainability, resilience and net-zero, as well as the health and wellbeing of our communities,” said the statement.

It adds: “The Belfast Region City Deal partners remain focused on fully implementing our Deal and on maximising the wide range of benefits this investment will bring to our region and the people who live here.”

Downpatrick councillor Gareth Sharvin, the leader of the local council’s SDLP members, welcomed the decision not to suspend City Deal funding.

He added: “Our area has suffered from a lack of government investment for generations and to take away £200m from Newry, Mourne and Down with the positive difference it could make would have been unthinkable.”

Several weeks ago, a petition was launched by the Mourne Gateway Info Group calling for the gondola scheme to be abandoned.

This week, the organisation is appealing to those opposed to the first ever tourism project of its kind in Ireland to write to Secretary of State Hilary Benn asking for the plan to be put on hold so it can be reconsidered.

The National Trust, which owns the disused quarry where the visitor centre would be located, has expressed concerns and said it would not be issuing a lease until a full environmental impact assessment was carried out.

The charity has also consistently expressed its concerns about the potential environmental impacts of the proposed gondola and welcomes a council decision to undertake environmental assessments.