The way has been paved for a serious counter bid to developer Seymour Sweeney's Giant's Causeway visitor centre.

An official partnership between The National Trust and Moyle Council has been forged which should lead the way for a planning application to replace the council-owned visitor centre which was damaged in a fire in 2000, as opposed to Mr Sweeney's plans for the centre to be built on nearby land in his ownership.

The National Trust owns the famous Causeway stones, while Moyle Council owns the existing visitor centre site and car-park, under the partnership the council's landholding will be leased to the Trust who will lead scheme planning.

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The partnership no longer want the Department of Enterprise involved as a partner.

Representatives from the council and the Trust met with DUP Enterprise Minister Nigel Dodds to outline their plans.

Madeline Black, chair of Moyle District Council, said: "We had a really positive meeting with the Minister and his officials. Moyle District Council strongly believes that visitor facilities at the Giant's Causeway should remain in public ownership and that income generated... should be reinvested there and in the wider area."

Hilary McGrady, the National Trust's Director for Northern Ireland, said: " Our goals are the same as those of Minister Dodds. We too want to ensure that new visitor facilities at the Causeway will be of a world-class standard, provide good value to the public purse and are timely. We are also committed to ensuring that UNESCO's requirements for the protection of the World Heritage Site are met.

The Trust and council had been on board a long-standing Government-led scheme for a new Causeway centre but Mr Dodds put that project on hold in September, after DUP Environment Minister Arlene Foster announced she was "of a mind" to grant planning permission to Mr Sweeney's rival blueprint. A final decision on his application has yet to be taken.

(GK/SP)