Sweeney Causeway scheme opposed

Proposals for the Giant's Causeway caused a row

Planners opposed a private developer's scheme for a visitor's centre at the Giant's Causeway, it has emerged.

Papers released on Tuesday show that officials opposed the application, two months before the environment minister said she was "minded" to back it.

The minister, Arlene Foster, later rejected Seymour Sweeney's plan.

In a statement, Mrs Foster said she had regarded Mr Sweeney's plan as a "viable way forward" but there were aspects she wanted "clarified" before deciding.

"Last week I made my decision public when it became clear that those aspects could not be resolved satisfactorily," she said.

"Those are the facts, they have not changed."

However, Sinn Fein's Daithi McKay said he still has questions about the minister's rationale.

The Causeway attracts nearly 500,000 visitors a year.

The previous visitors' centre on the site burned down in April 2000.

Renowned for its polygonal columns of layered basalt - resulting from a volcanic eruption 60 million years ago - it is the only World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland.