Green village set for derelict quarry

The developer plans to build about 450 homes on the site

A £100m environmentally-friendly harbour village is to be built on the site of a derelict quarry in County Antrim.

About 450 homes will be built at the Magheramorne Quarry on the shore of Larne Lough, along with restaurants, shops, a community centre, a hotel, a harbour-side tourist point with viewing tower and boating facilities.

Developer Lafarge Cement UK also plans to build a heritage railway and visitor centre, an ecology/art park and film studios.

The project was approved by Environment Minister Sammy Wilson, who is also MP for the area.

He said the site on the Antrim coast would become a "major tourist attraction".

"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," he said.

Aerial view of the derelict Magheramorne quarry

The plans also include a cycling centre, an events area, a bird-watching centre, a diving centre and an industrial archaeology park.

Mr Wilson said: "The project will be completed in a number of phases and the first phase will see the development of the World Cycling Centre, the first purpose-designed mountain bike events facility in Ireland and one of the first in the UK."

The site has lain derelict for some time - quarrying ended almost 30 years ago, while the cement works closed in 2001.

Construction work is expected to begin next year.

Lafarge Cement UK land and planning director David Simms said the project was not about profit.

"For the best part of 100 years, the cement works at Magheramorne was a major employer in the area and a fundamental part of the day-to-day life of the local community," he said.

"This project is a big 'thank you' to the local community. It is not about making money, it is about leaving a legacy from which the next generation can benefit, at the same time as creating an exemplar of how we can all live our lives in a more environmentally-conscious way."