By Ryan Sands
A planning application for the multimillion-pound Treetop Walk Mourne for Castlewellan Forest Park has been submitted.
In recent weeks, plans for the £6.8m visitor attraction were lodged with council planners by Treetop Adventures Ltd, the company tasked with progressing the project by the local authority.
The proposal description states that Treetop Walk Mourne would include an arrival building, a raised walkway, a landmark tower structure with a smaller connected tower, which would include slides and a landing block, and an amphitheatre/temporary events space.
The existing children’s play area would be relocated to facilitate the development, whilst the current exit onto the Bann Road would be widened to accommodate two-way traffic.
A planning statement attached to the application notes that the Castlewellan development would be the second treetop walk in Ireland—following Avondale Forest Park in County Wicklow—and the first in Northern Ireland. It adds that: “The proposed development will be situated within an established publicly accessible recreation and tourism asset, characterised by woodland, intersected by walking trails and open parkland. The site lies to the south of Castlewellan Lake and is accessed via the existing forest park infrastructure.”
Giving an overview of the proposal, it is highlighted that “the experience commences at the arrival building, where the visitor gains access to the treetop walk”. It continues: “The visitor then progresses along the raised walkway to the lookout platform and the landmark tower. Direct access can be gained from the main tower to the smaller tower with slides to the landing block. The proposal also includes an outdoor temporary events space, utilities and all associated development.”
The statement concludes that “treetop walks are predominantly wooden, easily accessible and built with the highest standards of architecture in a nature-friendly design. They integrate perfectly into their environment and enhance their surroundings as an adventure destination.”
