£36m tourism case nearing completion

11 December 2019

AN outline business case designed to pave the way for a £36m investment in a flagship tourism project in Newcastle is expected to be completed next May.

A series of ambitious plans — including a gondola ride into the heart of the Mournes — have been outlined to revolutionise tourist facilities in the resort and significantly increase visitor numbers.

Included among the proposals is an Alpine coaster ride enabling people to hurtle down the side of the mountain on a single track in a buggy.

The highly ambitious proposals are among key projects included in Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s bid for a share of £1bn investment package under the Belfast City Regional Deal.

The local authority has appointed a dedicated team to deliver the outline business case designed to pave the way to secure funding to help build the project. An economist is also helping compile the document.

City deals are packages of funding and decision making powers which allow councils to boost the economy through the development of large projects in their respective areas.

The deals are designed to allow councils to take charge and responsibility of decisions that affect their area, do what they think is best to help businesses grow, create economic growth and decide how public money should be spent.

Newry, Mourne and Down is one of five local authorities paired with Belfast City Council, universities and the

private sector who have committed £100m to help deliver a raft of schemes across the Province, with the remainder of the cash expected to come from the Treasury and Northern Ireland Executive.

At this week’s meeting of the council’s Enterprise, Tourism and Regeneration Committee, politicians were told that officials have been working on the detailed outline business case since last May, with a consultancy team helping prepare the document.

Council officials say that when work on the business case is completed next spring, it will provide a detailed analysis and assessment of the project’s strategic fit within the City Deal.

In addition, the document will also outline detailed project costs, the benefits, risks and funding requirements.

Politicians were told this week that the document’s analysis will recommend a particular procurement route in order to deliver the scheme.

It has also been confirmed that the ongoing development of the business case involves planning considerations and the development of exemplar design and output specifications, prior to any formal procurement exercise being undertaken.

Politicians were informed on Monday night that the outline business case will provide detail on the technical expertise in terms of the design, construction and maintenance of similar international attractions and also provide detailed analysis of commercial operations of a visitor attraction of this scale.

It is understood that council officials are working alongside Tourism NI to secure financial backing for other aspects of the tourism investment and support to move the projects through a series of key stages, including the preparation of business cases and planning approval.

Other aspects of the Mournes Gateway scheme include an elevated tree top walk in Tollymore Forest Park, a new visitor centre and bird hide at the Murlough Nature Reserve and a new bridge constructed under the main Kilkeel Road at the Bloody Bridge on the outskirts of the town.

Consultants appointed by the local authority to look at developing the resort’s visitor infrastructure have also come up with proposals for the Islands Park, with upgrades planned for existing car parks, alongside new public toilet provision.

There are also proposals to reduce the the tree line in Donard Forest on the slopes of the Mournes, with a so-called green travel network which would allow visitors to hire bicycles and electric bikes to make their way round various attractions is also suggested.

The various proposals form the core of the so-called Mourne Mountains Gateway Study and have already been discussed with the National Trust, Forest Service and Environment Agency and other key players.

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