Cable car plan may move to Kilbroney Forest Park

A new location for a proposed cable car route in County Down is being considered after a plan to build it on Northern Ireland’s highest mountain was blocked.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council had hoped to install a cable car at Slieve Donard until the National Trust refused to lease land it manages for the project.

On Wednesday, the council confirmed it was now “exploring” the possibility of moving it to Kilbroney Forest Park in Rostrevor instead.

The cable car concept, also referred to as a gondola, has divided opinion for several years, with environmentalists objecting and some businesses arguing it would attract visitors to the area.

The council said the new cable car route was yet to be determined but confirmed it would not pass through the ancient oak woodland in Kilbroney.

“Environmental sensitivity will continue to be a core principle of the proposal,” the council added.

It said the updated proposal had secured the support of Warrenpoint, Burren and Rostrevor Chamber of Commerce who described it as “a game-changer”.

The chamber said it would “create a compelling tourism offering in the district, while also encouraging visitors to continue their journeys into the heart of the Mournes and beyond”.

The cable car or gondola plan is officially known as the Mourne Mountains Gateway project.

It would receive central government funding through the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD).

Politicians had expressed concerns that the blocking of the plan at Slieve Donard would put millions of pounds of BRCD money at risk.

Rumours that the focus of the Mourne gondola project could be moving from Newcastle to Rostrevor began circulating in south Down in the last couple of weeks.

It is understood a number of meetings have taken place with political and business leaders discussing the possibility of moving the scheme effectively from one side of the Mournes to the other.

To this end BBC NI asked the council to comment on the rumours earlier this week.

On Wednesday, they confirmed that the matter is indeed being considered.

Although the council press release does not state a proposed route for the ride, a number of sources have told BBC NI that they believe the preferred terminus to be in the vicinity of a landmark called Cloughmore (the Big Stone).

The huge granite boulder was deposited on the slopes of Slieve Martin during the last ice age and forms part of the legend of Fionn mac Cumhaill (Finn McCool).

There is already a mountain drive through Kilbroney to a large carpark just a couple of hundred yards below Cloughmore.

A series of popular downhill mountain bike trails already operate in the area.

Rostrevor, for its part, is already gearing up for the opening of the nearby Narrow Water Bridge just a few miles away.

There is a fresh focus on tourism on this side of the Mournes – whether this means the gondola will be welcomed or rejected is a question locals will now be considering.

The National Trust is responsible for the land in the Eastern Mournes Special Area of Conservation including Slieve Donard and Thomas Quarry – the site previously earmarked for the proposed gondola station and a visitor centre.

The proposed £44m project would have involved the development of a 1km cable car structure from Donard Park up to the disused quarry.

But in April there were almost 150 wildfires in the Mournes, which had a devastating effect on habitats in the mountain range.

In a statement on 1 May, the trust confirmed the proposed project would “risk placing additional pressures on already degraded upland habitats”.

It would therefore “not be considering a lease at Thomas Quarry”.

At the time, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said the trust’s decision was “particularly frustrating”.