By Ryan Sands
There were testy exchanges at a special council meeting on Monday, which had been arranged to give the National Trust an opportunity to explain why it had killed off the original Mourne Mountains Gateway Project plan.
At one stage, the conservation charity was branded “a disgrace” by Mournes DUP councillor Henry Reilly, who also called on the local authority to “take nothing more to do with the National Trust.”
At the start of May, the charity confirmed that it would “not be considering a lease at Thomas’s Quarry” to facilitate a visitor centre for the council’s £44 million Slieve Donard gondola project, for which £30 million Belfast Region City Deal funding had been secured.
In the immediate aftermath of this decision, councillors agreed to invite the National Trust “in front of full council to answer questions on the decision to pull out.”
Five Trust representatives appeared at Monday’s meeting, and April’s Donard Nature Recovery Report — which focuses on restoring Mourne habitats in the aftermath of 2021’s major fire — was central to their explanations.
Patrick Lynch, South Down Property Portfolio General Manager, highlighted that the report had shown “delicate habitats are under pressure with current visitor numbers, which are contributing to its unfavourable condition” and that “current infrastructure is not sufficient for existing visitor numbers.”
Jonny Clarke, the National Trust’s NI Assistant Director of Operations, added that the decision not to consider a lease was “based on the expert information available to us” and “was not taken lightly.”
“It was clear to us through our growing body of evidence — including our Donard Nature Recovery Report, which was supported by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency — that the proposed project in this location risked placing additional pressures on the fragile landscape,” Clarke said.
“The report was a key moment, using four years’ worth of evidence.”
Clarke stressed that the National Trust had “engaged in a spirit of goodwill” on the project but had “never endorsed or supported” it. He also suggested that there remains an opportunity to develop an adapted Mourne Mountains Gateway Project — one that “aligns with sustainable and regenerative tourism principles.”
However, frustration was voiced by Pete Byrne (SDLP, Slieve Gullion), who criticised the National Trust for announcing its decision while an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was still ongoing — and for informing the council just 20 or 30 minutes before the news broke publicly.
He questioned why the Trust had not brought the matter to the project’s Programme Board first, and whether, considering the existing memorandum of understanding (MOU), trust could be maintained going forward — even on alternative projects.
In response, Clarke said the charity “had to go with the information we had,” reiterating that the recovery report had been “a tipping point” following four years of ecological and environmental evidence.
Roger McKenna, National Trust Senior Estate Manager, added that the recovery report had “crystallised internally” that the mountain simply could not sustain additional footfall. He also noted that the MOU obligated the Trust to inform the council of any major decision within 48 hours to “ensure and safeguard any future expenditure.”
Callum Bowsie (DUP, Rowallane) countered that a “carefully designed project” might have managed visitors better and said it was “shameful” that the Trust had “pulled the plug on the gondola” before allowing the EIA process to conclude.
In the full article councillors express their frustration at how the project panned out.
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