Mourne Mountains Gateway Project

Mourne Mountains Gateway Project Update

As part of the ongoing development of the Mourne Mountains Gateway Project, Arup on behalf of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council held a public engagement event on Thursday 7 November.

The drop-in event was held at O’Hare’s, Central Promenade, Newcastle. The display boards from the event are now available to view or download here. Further events have followed with the business community and local schools.

A list of frequently asked questions has also been developed following a review of engagement responses. To access these click here

A Project Stakeholder Forum has been developed, which is made up of representatives from a broad range of local community groups and organisations. The Stakeholder Group has been established to promote openness and transparency, with a range of stakeholders and interest groups engaging on the ongoing development of the Project.

Stay Informed and Get Involved

We encourage you to stay informed about the project's progress. We will be updating this webpage regularly and providing further details about the public engagement opportunities. Check back here or on our social media pages to keep informed.

Project Aim

“To deliver a world-class tourist attraction that will support the sustainable regional growth of tourism in Northern Ireland and help to position Newry, Mourne and Down as one of the premier tourism destinations on the Island of Ireland. The project will provide major enhancements to the visitor experience in and around the Mournes, whilst protecting and enhancing the natural heritage and habitat of the region.”

A £200 million package of investment is coming to the district through Belfast Region City Deal funding for projects based on tourism, regeneration, and innovation. Other projects benefitting include Newry City Centre Regeneration and the Newry Southern Relief Road.

The Mourne Mountains Gateway Project is potentially transformative for Newcastle and Newry, Mourne and Down.

Scheme Summary

Estimated Project Cost: £44million (£30million from Belfast Region City Deal and £14million from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council).

Construction Proposals: The proposal is for the establishment of a Visitor Centre at Thomas Quarry in the Mournes, with a Gondola uplift that will commence in Donard Park.

Status: RIBA Stage 2 Concept Design - Underway.

Background

The concept of the Mourne Mountains Gateway Project has evolved for almost 20 years, stretching back to the Newcastle Tourism Development Strategy and Action Plan in 2004 and South East Coast Masterplan for DSD in 2013.

A Strategic Outline Case and Outline Business Case for the project, developed from 2017 involved consultation with key stakeholders and identified the Thomas Quarry site as the preferred option for the Visitor Centre location.

Outline Business Case approval was secured following consideration by Tourism NI, Department for Economy and Department of Finance in 2022.

Design

This will be a major tourism project in Newcastle, creating a “standout experience” for visitors, that will be sensitive to the environment and local community, and comprise of the following:

Gondola

• Gondola to a Visitor Centre at Thomas Quarry (a distance of 1km and 230m elevation).

• Lower gondola station at Donard Park positioned to ensure protection of protected trees.

• Upper gondola station integrated into the proposed visitors’ centre.

World Class Visitor Centre

• Visitor Centre at Thomas Quarry, recognised as a World Class visitor attraction, catering for 350,000 visitors annually by year five.

• Inspiring building within a beautiful setting, that offers visitors the opportunity to experience the natural surroundings of a unique environment.

• Building will include Viewing Platforms, Flexible events space, Café/ bar, Interpretation Space.

• Design to facilitate scalability and flexibility with a central services area allowing all public areas to be multi use.

• The building has been specifically located to allow views over both the existing site features including waterfall and rock formations as well as over Newcastle, the Irish Sea, Scotland and the Isle of Man.

Links from the Visitor Centre

• A comprehensive visitor management plan will be developed to manage the visitors to the site.

Sustainability

• Highest environmental considerations for Visitor Centre, operations, and transport, with emphasis on a “light touch” carbon footprint.

• Consideration of wider community impact.

• Priority given to reinvestment back into the protection of the natural environment.

Benefits

• Deliver a world class ‘must see’ experience to market to Out of State (OoS) visitors south of Belfast, balanced between the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Titanic Belfast, and the Giant’s Causeway to the north coast. The Mourne Mountains Gateway Project will further enhance the offering from the Causeway Coastal Route through to the Mourne Coastal Route, on to Dublin, and thus the overall Irish tourism offering.

• Provide a greatly enhanced and accessible Mourne offering, with significant improvements to the infrastructure of Newcastle and its natural assets, to make for visitor experiences which are of international quality.

• Deliver major enhancements to the narrative around the Mournes and the surrounding area and habitat, which shall augment an events programme, and which will make the town an appealing year-round visitor destination.

• Deliver a rebranded and repositioned Newcastle with a heritage/landscape-led tourism package incorporating must-see visitor attractions and offering increased regional dispersity.

• Create jobs in a relatively rural location, ensuring inclusive employment opportunities for all.

• Support local hospitality businesses to address the opportunities from increased OoS visitors to the area.

• Provide an exemplar of a sustainable tourism offering that will attract positive attention internationally.

• Through access to the natural environment, support wider agendas of health and wellbeing.

Environment and Ecology

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council are aware of their obligation to protect the environment through the project development. There are several designations in the area, such as:

• Eastern Mournes SAC

• Murlough SAC

• Eastern Mournes

• Murlough ASSI

• Mournes Coast ASSI

• Shimna River ASSI

• Mourne AONB National

• Annesley Demesne SLNCI

The key scheme environmental considerations and further investigations that will need to be undertaken:

• Ecology & Biodiversity

• Habitat and Species Surveys

• Noise & Vibration

• Odour / Air Quality

• Hydrology / Hydrogeology

• Soils / Geology

• Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment

• Erosion

• Archaeology / Heritage

• Potable Water Source

• Wastewater Treatment and controlled discharge

• Electricity Supply

• Waste Disposal

• Flood Risk Assessment

• Drainage Plan

• Construction Environmental Management Plan

• Geotechnical Ground Investigations

• Thomas Quarry Cliff Face Stability Assessment