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Giant's Causeway Competition,
Northern Ireland
World Heritage Site
Architecture competition winners 2006 : Heneghan Peng Architects

June 2008
The National Trust unveils Planning Application and announces over £6million
investment for new facilities at the Giants Causeway

The National Trust, Northern Irelands largest conservation charity,
today 12 June 2008, will unveil its vision for new visitor facilities
at the Giants Causeway. Since November, the charity has taken the
lead on the delivery of facilities at the Causeway, in partnership with
Moyle District Council. The Trust will also announce a funding commitment
of over £6 million towards the delivery of facilities at the World
Heritage Site.

The Trusts Director for Northern Ireland, Hilary McGrady, said:
We said we would deliver and we have. Today we have submitted a
full robust planning application befitting the Giants Causeway World
Heritage Site and the surrounding landscape. This design brought to us
by heneghan.peng.architects Dublin, was selected as the winner of the
International Design Competition in 2005. The visitor facilities will
have a strong environmental basis and a focus on sustainability, with
no additional green field development.

The Trust in partnership with Moyle District Council has made enormous
progress since last November. Today is a significant milestone, and we
are confident and determined to deliver visitor facilities which will
enhance tourism and benefit the local area and indeed everyone in Northern
Ireland.

Discussing the Trusts announcement of investment towards the project,
Hilary said;
Today I am delighted to announce that we (The National Trust) will
contribute over £6 million into this project. This significant investment
coupled with our ability to lever other funding sources will mean the
cost to Government and the tax payer, looks set to be less than half of
the £21 million previously anticipated. Key to all of this is that
this investment will ensure that the Giants Causeway visitor facilities
remain in public ownership.
Looking ahead to the next stage of the process, Hilary said:
Today we have delivered on the first stage. Subject to planning
approval by the end of 2008, funding being in place and tendering being
completed, we would hope to be on-site by autumn 2009 with the new visitor
centre open by spring 2011. This is a challenging target, which
we hope all stakeholders will work with us to achieve.

This really is a significant milestone for the Giants Causeway,
the National Trust and Moyle District Council. We are confident that this
Planning Application, and the proposal we have mapped out will deliver
the key objectives set out by the former Enterprise Minister, Nigel Dodds:
a solution which will protect the integrity of the World Heritage Site
in line with UNESCOs requirements, provide world-class visitor facilities,
will be good value to the public purse and will be timely.
Heneghan Peng
Architects
Ireland Architecture
Timeline
September 2007 The National Trust and Moyle District Council agree to
joint principles regarding realising new visitor facilities at the Giants
Causeway. These are facilities should remain in public ownership, there
should be no impact on the World Heritage status of the site, and the
heneghan.peng international competition winning design should be delivered.
November Moyle District Council agrees in principle to lease its holdings
at the Giants Causeway to the National Trust to allow the Trust
to take the lead in development of new facilities.
The National Trust and Moyle District Council jointly request release
of design information to allow development of planning application.
December DETI agrees to give the National Trust access to all information
relating to proposed new visitor facilities at the Giants Causeway
emanating from the international design competition.
January 2008 The National Trust undertakes assessment on and confirms
viability of previous Government led scheme.
February DETI and the National Trust agree a Memorandum of Understanding
allowing the charity to use information relating to proposed new visitor
facilities at the Giants Causeway emanating from the international
design competition to develop a planning application.
The National Trust confirms the appointment of heneghan.peng as architects
for proposed new visitor facility.
The National Trust, advisors and architects agree changes to designs without
affecting concept.
Formal pre-application discussions begin with Planning Service who confirm
that the application is of strategic national importance and will be dealt
with by Special Projects Team in Headquarters.
March The National Trust confirms the appointment of the Hamilton Architects
design team for the proposed new facility.
April May Detailed design work undertaken to allow for the submission
of planning application.
Environmental and traffic assessments completed.
June Moyle District Council formally agrees Heads of Terms with The National
Trust which will allow the Trust to take over the management of the whole
World Heritage Site and lead on the development of new visitor facilities.
DETI formally consents to allowing the National Trust to use the international
competition winning design.
The National Trust submits a full planning application for new visitor
facilities at the Giants Causeway.
Subject to Planning Approval by end 2008
Autumn 2009 Building work to commence
2011 Visitor Facilities open
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Images & Text from National Trust + heneghan.peng.architects 180608
Irish Buildings
- main page
Comments / photos for the Giants Causeway Building page welcome:
info@e-architect.co.uk
Giants Causeway Ireland Architecture
: page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt
Further details of the planning application : www.nationaltrust.org.uk/giantscauseway
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