A council has been left the “laughing stock” of Northern Ireland after the second refusal of a planned Mournes gondola project, it has been claimed.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) was “exploring” a move for its collapsed £44 million gondola project from Newcastle to Kilbroney Forest in Rostrevor.
The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (DAERA) minister Andrew Muir rejected the project this week over “environmental concerns”.
However, the council’s audit committee heard on Thursday that council officers were “not aware” on what the minister based his decision on as a specific route detail “does not exist”.
Rowallane DUP councillor Callum Bowsie said: “One of the consequences of this is the reputational risk to this council on the failure to deliver these projects.
“My fear is that we are now becoming a laughing stock across the councils.
“I am looking through the risk register to see if there is anything we could have done to mitigate some of these barriers and I see very little details.
“Did the council know that the Kilbroney project was dependent on DAERA and if so why was it not listed as a risk factor? There is no mention that we would need approval from the DAERA minister.
“When you consider the minister is Alliance and we know that party has a clear position on this project, would it not have been sensible to note that as a risk to the project?”
The council announced in May it was working to relocate the Mourne Mountain Gateway gondola project to the other side of the Mournes at Kilbroney Park in the village of Rostrevor.
The move came after landowners the National Trust withdrew co-operation from the project.
The failed Mournes Gateway project was to be funded with £30m from the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD), with the council making up the rest of the estimated £44m development.
The same funding mechanism was to be transferred to a potential new gondola in Kilbroney.
However, it has now emerged that DAERA, as the landowners, will not support the latest project, putting the future of the BRCD cash in doubt.
Downpatrick SDLP councillor Gareth Sharvin said: “It is now important that we identify a new project so that we as a council can retain £30m of investment that could be potentially lost.”
A council officer responded: “After the National Trust announcement on the Mourne Gateway the council agreed to explore the opportunity of moving the project to Kilbroney.
“The council did not make a decision to move it, but only to explore it and part of that operation was engagement with DAERA in respect of the land access.
“That had been happening over the last six to seven weeks and then this week we got a response from the department to advise that they would not permit the project to proceed on their land. The land is now not available.
“We are not aware of what information the Minister was in possession of in reaching his decision.”