SDLP Glens Councillor Margaret Anne McKillop is Chair of the Council Leisure Committee which approved the application.
Cllr McKillop said she is "absolutely devastated" by the decision.
She said: "It is incredibly distressing for those of us who have pressed for this new development which would really lift the whole area.
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"As chair of the council leisure committee, I've been working closely with Friends of Glenariff who have given their all to get this project across the line. I cannot praise their efforts enough.
"Now to be told at the very last minute that the DUP has exercised the call-in mechanism which, given the timelines involved, will essentially veto the project is deeply upsetting.
"A community facility like this should be beyond grandstanding. We are elected to deliver positive initiatives like this and to work together to ensure they are welcoming for everyone. Pressing the nuclear button at the last minute is a disgrace."
(CD/JP)
