| New golf resort will boost north coast economy - Attwood |
| Tuesday, 21 February 2012 12:58 |
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Environment Minister Alex Attwood today announced his decision to grant planning permission for the Bushmills Dunes Golf Resort and Spa. The £100million proposed development is expected to create 360 new jobs. It includes an 18-hole golf course and hotel and conference facility, and will be built close to Bushmills and Portballintrae on the North Antrim coast. Announcing his decision today: the Minister said: “The recent success of our golf champions has created an international interest in golfing opportunities in Northern Ireland and this ambitious development will provide a further stimulus. It will bring significant benefits to the North Coast in terms of tourism - creating new jobs and providing new accommodation and so provide a significant boost to the local economy. “This has been a demanding decision and I have not taken it lightly. Before deciding, I wanted to ensure that I was fully aware of the environmental aspects of the proposal – the likely impact on the setting of the World Heritage Site at Giant’s Causeway, the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the local wildlife - and so recently spent time at the site assessing it from a number of different vantage points including the system of sand dunes. I particularly interrogated the issues around World Heritage status, the role of the World Heritage Centre (WHC)/UNESCO and the approach that may be taken by the WHC. I have acted with a high vigilance and challenging approach. “I have carefully considered both sides of the argument but given the boost to tourism and the economy that the proposal will bring, I have decided to grant planning permission. To ensure that the environment is fully respected, my decision will be accompanied by stringent conditions which will mitigate the impacts of the development on the ecology of the site and the local landscape. “The development is an important one for the Causeway Coast and for Northern Ireland, will help to grow tourism, create new job opportunities, enhance our golf product and continue to protect our natural heritage, such a big part of the quality of our lives.” |
