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24/06/2003
Mournes 'National' Park talks continue
Plans for a National Park in the Mournes area were discussed today during a meeting in Co Down.
The meeting, held in Newcastle, examined both the proposal and to seek a consensus on how local people, elected representatives and various interested parties can most effectively participate in the process.
NIO Minister, Angela Smith, who was speaking at the DOE Environment and Heritage Service organised meeting, said that Northern Ireland could learn from other National Parks but that did not mean we had to copy others.
She added: "The model we choose for National Parks in Northern Ireland has to be one that suits our particular circumstances. It needs to be one that will be acceptable to local communities but at the same time does justice to the designation of a ‘national’ Park.
"The Mourne Mountains and surrounding countryside have a special place in the hearts and minds of many people in Northern Ireland. There are those who earn a living here, those who feel a strong cultural association with the area, and those who wish to visit and enjoy the many attractions that this area has to offer. These are all legitimate reasons for wanting to have a say in the shaping of the proposed National Park."
Other speakers at the seminar included Keith Bungay of Europarc Consulting and Eric Baird of the Cairngorms National Park Authority.
Mr Bungay, former National Park Officer in Exmoor, described how National Parks had evolved in England and Wales and in other parts of Europe. Mr Baird, meanwhile, talked about how the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland had recently been established and how the process there had involved local communities and user groups.
In September 2002, former Minister Dermot Nesbitt announced that he would set up a Steering Group to take forward the designation of a National Park in the Mournes.
This followed an independent study that he had commissioned about the implications of establishing National Parks in Northern Ireland. This study concluded that the Mournes was the area most suited for National Park designation.
(MB)
The meeting, held in Newcastle, examined both the proposal and to seek a consensus on how local people, elected representatives and various interested parties can most effectively participate in the process.
NIO Minister, Angela Smith, who was speaking at the DOE Environment and Heritage Service organised meeting, said that Northern Ireland could learn from other National Parks but that did not mean we had to copy others.
She added: "The model we choose for National Parks in Northern Ireland has to be one that suits our particular circumstances. It needs to be one that will be acceptable to local communities but at the same time does justice to the designation of a ‘national’ Park.
"The Mourne Mountains and surrounding countryside have a special place in the hearts and minds of many people in Northern Ireland. There are those who earn a living here, those who feel a strong cultural association with the area, and those who wish to visit and enjoy the many attractions that this area has to offer. These are all legitimate reasons for wanting to have a say in the shaping of the proposed National Park."
Other speakers at the seminar included Keith Bungay of Europarc Consulting and Eric Baird of the Cairngorms National Park Authority.
Mr Bungay, former National Park Officer in Exmoor, described how National Parks had evolved in England and Wales and in other parts of Europe. Mr Baird, meanwhile, talked about how the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland had recently been established and how the process there had involved local communities and user groups.
In September 2002, former Minister Dermot Nesbitt announced that he would set up a Steering Group to take forward the designation of a National Park in the Mournes.
This followed an independent study that he had commissioned about the implications of establishing National Parks in Northern Ireland. This study concluded that the Mournes was the area most suited for National Park designation.
(MB)
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24 September 2004
Take advantage of Mournes National Park, delegates told
Delegates at the annual Newry and Mourne Tourism Conference have been urged to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the proposed designation of the Mournes as a National Park.
Take advantage of Mournes National Park, delegates told
Delegates at the annual Newry and Mourne Tourism Conference have been urged to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the proposed designation of the Mournes as a National Park.
05 September 2012
Major Newcastle Meeting Against Mournes National Park
More than a thousand people have attended an event opposed to national park proposals for the Mourne mountains. The public meeting in the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle considered environment minister Alex Attwood's proposals to make the Mournes area one of two new national parks in Northern Ireland.
Major Newcastle Meeting Against Mournes National Park
More than a thousand people have attended an event opposed to national park proposals for the Mourne mountains. The public meeting in the Slieve Donard Hotel in Newcastle considered environment minister Alex Attwood's proposals to make the Mournes area one of two new national parks in Northern Ireland.
22 March 2004
Mournes National Park takes a step closer
A National Park for the Mournes area of Co Down took a step closer today after the Government confirmed a Chairman for the Working Party set up to bring about the plan is to be appointed.
Mournes National Park takes a step closer
A National Park for the Mournes area of Co Down took a step closer today after the Government confirmed a Chairman for the Working Party set up to bring about the plan is to be appointed.
11 April 2003
Mournes National Park moves a step closer
Minister of the Environment, Angela Smith, has revealed that a further step has been taken towards the designation of a National Park in the Mournes, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. A Steering Group, with nominees from a wide range of interested bodies, has been set up to take forward the designation.
Mournes National Park moves a step closer
Minister of the Environment, Angela Smith, has revealed that a further step has been taken towards the designation of a National Park in the Mournes, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland. A Steering Group, with nominees from a wide range of interested bodies, has been set up to take forward the designation.
05 October 2009
'Signature' Highlights National Park Bid
Initiatives to improve the tourist experience in the Mournes are continuing, regardless of a controversial proposal for its designation as a National Park, writes Carla Liebana.
'Signature' Highlights National Park Bid
Initiatives to improve the tourist experience in the Mournes are continuing, regardless of a controversial proposal for its designation as a National Park, writes Carla Liebana.
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