The National Trust (NT) has lost its legal challenge over the development of a £100m golf resort and hotel near the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The project was approved by environment minister Alex Attwood last year.
High Court judge Mr Justice Weatherup rejected all the National Trust’s grounds of challenge to Attwood’s decision.
He backed a counter submission by the Department of the Environment that world heritage convention guidelines have no standing in UK law.
Attwood said: ‘My decision to grant permission was finely balanced but I was strong in my opinion that it was the right decision on the planning merits. This has now been endorsed by the courts,’ he said.
In a statement, the National Trust said it was ‘bitterly disappointed’ at the decision and that it was convinced the development was wrong.
The Trust added: ‘We still believe that if a development of this scale does go ahead in this location, the message is that nowhere in Northern Ireland, no matter how important or protected, is safe from development.’
Search Planning Portal: LINK
