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 Giant’s Causeway



The National Trust, Northern Ireland’s largest conservation charity, today 12 June 2008, will unveil its vision for new visitor facilities at the Giant’s 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 Trust’s 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 Giant’s 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 Trust’s 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 Giant’s 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 Giant’s 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 UNESCO’s 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 Giant’s 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 Giant’s 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 Giant’s 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 Giant’s 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 Giant’s 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

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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