Cunningham frustrated over UNESCO move

REACTING to news that UNESCO is to call for a further delay in the development of the Bushmills Dunes Golf resort project, SDLP Councillor Dónal Cunningham has expressed his frustration that this call, coupled with the National Trust’s decision to mount a legal challenge, will delay the revitalisation of the local economy.

Cllr Cunningham said: “The best interests of the people here and across the North haven’t been at the heart of this decision. This planning application is over a decade old; surely UNESCO and the National Trust have made their representations to the planners, the planning decision had numerous conditions attached, and the plan itself made great use of environmentally friendly technology.

“On the eve of the Irish Open to be staged in Portrush, when we’re all working together to try and create jobs and boost our local economy, the timing of this really couldn’t be worse.

“The tourism spin-off which could be generated from this golf resort is manifold, not just in Bushmills, but in Ballycastle, the Glens and the North as a whole.

“At a time when youth unemployment is soaring and there is such a deep sense of hopelessness among young people, these delaying mechanisms will do little in the way of discouraging our youth from emigration.”