Minister challenged over u-turn on Causeway Visitors Centre

Daithí McKay

North Antrim Sinn Féin MLA Daithí McKay has challenged Six County Environment Minister Arlene Foster to clarify if there was a u-turn made within her Department from recommendation to decline the private sector application for a Visitors Centre at the Giant’s Causeway to being of ‘a mind’ to approve it.
He was speaking on Monday last after obtaining a copy of an internal DETI memo dated 2nd April 2007 which stated that “a recommendation to decline the (private) application is expected to go to the Planning Service Management Board this week”.
“The internal memo which I have had sight of this morning clearly shows that representatives of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment were aware that a recommendation to decline the private sector application for a Visitors Centre was to go forward to the Planning Service Management Board in April
“I would ask the Minister to clarify what has happened since that recommendation was made as the fact that the Minister is now of ‘a mind’ to approve the private application suggests the Department has done a complete u-turn on this issue since she took up office in May”, McKay said.