£100m green light for Magheramorne scheme
EAST Antrim MP Sammy Wilson said Friday past was "one of the most pleasing days I have had as a public representative in this area and as Environment Minister".
One of Mr Wilson's last duties as planning department chief was to announce that Lafarge Cement UK had been granted outline permission for its mammoth Magheramorne Reinvented scheme.
A 100 million harbour eco-village consisting of 450 environmentally-friendly homes is the centrepiece and driving force behind the project which will also feature restaurants, retail units, a community centre, a hotel, a harbour-side tourist point with viewing tower, boating facilities and a chandlery, a heritage railway and visitor centre, an ecology/art park and film studios.
On a visit to the Magheramorne quarry site which Lafarge intends to transform, the DUP representative said: "This is an imaginative and unique opportunity for Northern Ireland that will reuse what has become a redundant quarry and replace it with a major tourist attraction.
"With strategic rail and road transport links readily available due to its close proximity to Larne, one of the gateways to Northern Ireland, this will provide a boost for the tourism industry across the Province."
It is envisaged that Magheramorne will become Ireland's first One Planet Living Community based on a number of principles including zero carbon, zero waste, sustainable transport, sustainable construction materials, local and sustainable food, sustainable water, natural habitats and wildlife, culture and heritage, equity and fair trade.
In addition, the plans include a world class cycling centre, an events area, a bird watching and interpretation centre, a diving centre, an industrial archaeology park, visitor accommodation and facilities and associated infrastructure.
Mr Wilson said: "Two hundred years of quarrying and cement production has taken its toll on the landscape and I am delighted that this scheme will remove what has become a major eyesore from one of our valued scenic routes and rejuvenate the area."
Friday's announcement - revealed exclusively in last week's Larne Times - is the first step in the planning process. Lafarge has been waiting for nearly three years for the decision which has not been completed in full, pending further examination of conditions to be attached. There will follow more detailed submissions for each of the components of the scheme.
Nevertheless, in commending the Kent-based company, Mr Wilson urged Lafarge project manager Lloyd McInally and land and planning director for David Simms: "All I can say is - bring the diggers in."
The MP also paid tribute to the many groups and individuals who had campaigned for over 20 years against the quarry being used as a superdump. He added that the green light from Planning Service “lifts a cloud from this area”.
Mr Wilson said: “There was always a fear - real or not, it didn’t matter - and it was always on the minds of the people here.”
Friday’s decision was the result of considerable interdepartmental cooperation, he added, and singled out Sinn Fein’s Regional Development Minister Conor Murphy for particular praise “because they did have to move this on”.
East Antrim UUP MLA Roy Beggs Jnr has also welcomed the outline permission for the regeneration of the former Blue Circle quarry and cement works.
“The decision to give the green light to the visionary plan from Lafarge to regenerate the disused Magheramorne Quarry must be warmly welcomed,” he said. “The decision in many ways was a no-brainer but it would be churlish not to recognise that the Minister has, finally, made the correct and proper decision to approve.”
Mr Beggs, who lives near the site, added: “Uniquely, everyone in the local community and all elected representatives have been fully in favour of the scheme. This, in my experience of planning applications of such a scale, is an all-time first.”
DUP MLA Alastair Ross commented: "The Magheramorne site is similar in size to the Titanic Quarter in Belfast, which has also been granted permission for a major development. The quarry proposals are a massive project that will create hundreds of jobs and have a hugely positive impact not only in the local area but on the building and construction industry regionally.”
Pressure group Friends of Larne Lough said in a statement this week that members are “delighted” that the all-important first step had been taken.
“We look forward to working with Lafarge when more detail is to be decided upon and we hope that the Government departments involved will be able to match the imagination and foresight that has been put in to the project when it comes to setting conditions for the final form,” the group added.
The scheme will be completed in a number of phases, the first being development of the world cycling centre - the first purpose-designed mountain bike events facility in Ireland and one of the first in the UK.
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Weather for Larne
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 9 C to 19 C
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