Causeway centre plans 'a failure'

Almost 500,000 people visit the causeway every year

DUP Assembly member Ian Paisley Jr has criticised a decision to approve a new visitors centre at the Giant's Causeway.

A fire destroyed the visitor centre at the causeway in April 2000 and it was only replaced with temporary buildings.

Moyle Council decided on Monday to build a centre costing about £1m which should be completed by summer in 2004.

The causeway is Northern Ireland's top tourist attraction, with nearly 500,000 visitors a year.

It will undersell the site and will fail to be the tourism success the locality deserves and requires.

DUP's Ian Paisley Jr

Mr Paisley said he had called on Minister Ian Pearson to bring all the parties together to find a joint initiative.

He said the private sector would pay upwards of £12m for a centre at the causeway.

"It will undersell the site and will fail to be the tourism success the locality deserves and requires," he said.

Some councillors have also opposed the plan, saying a private developer should have been allowed to build a more ambitious centre.

Moyle DUP councillor David McCallister said the council plan would not provide "a 21st Century solution" for tourists coming to the area.

"It won't provide a building keeping in line with a World Heritage site, the only one we have.

"It won't provide a building to cater for over half a million tourists that are coming at the moment," he said.

In February 2002, the council decided to retain the site for public ownership.

It rejected bids and development proposals from the National Trust and from a private developer, Seaport Investments.

The unique sprawl of hexagonal basalt columns that make up the Giant's Causeway, was formed when lava broke through the earth's crust 60 million years ago and cooled as it hit the sea.