Written evidence submitted by Mr John Anderson (TNI0016)

 

Author Mr. John Anderson

John Anderson 

Engineer

Former Independent Local Councillor,

Former Member Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside (CNCC NI Statutory Body) 3 terms

CNCC representative on European Environmental Advisory Councils Body

Former Member Special European Projects Body. Peace and Interreg Monitoring Committees and Review Panel member

Member Historic Buildings Council (HBC NI Statutory Body) and Chair of its Joint Committee on Industrial Heritage (JCIH) 1st term

Vice Chair, Ulster Architectural Heritage (UAH was established in 1968 and is a non profit charitable organisation recognised as the lead independent voice for built heritage in Ulster)

Member Glenarm Buildings Preservation Trust

Vice Chair Friends of Larne Lough

Founder Member, Military Vehicle Club of Ireland. (MVCI)

Views expressed in this submission are the author’s own and do not seek to represent any organisation in which the author has a role or interest.

A successful sustainable tourism industry is one which delivers memorable, pleasant and stress free visits with an incentive to return, while spreading the social benefits of interaction, income and employment to the widest possible base of communities and locations.

The achievement of such an ideal depends, worldwide, on being able to offer an authentic and sufficiently unusual and fulfilling visit which is distinct in its character. In the Northern Ireland context, (and for the purpose of this submission I believe that should consider all of the nine Ulster Counties) the base material is rooted in the three elements of History, Landscape and Culture.

  1. The Asset

‘World Class’ is an over used and rarely justified phrase, but the base which tourism in Ulster should have accessed, was, up to the early 1960s, actually largely still intact and probably worthy to be so described.

In a tiny geographical area, (5196 sq. ml) the concentration and variety of the three elements was exceptional and arguably unique. The strength never lay, as it does with Nation States, in showcasing empire, military strength and conquest or international banking, but rather in the story of how an agrarian population in the Northern part of an exceptionally visually attractive island on the mild, damp extremity of Western Europe, carried their ancient history, myth and literature forward into an age where Ulster became an industrial powerhouse of the then British Empire with a reputation extending worldwide through export of engineering, goods, and not least its people, via emigration both voluntary and of necessity.

1.1 Belfast, Derry and the county towns

Belfast with, at its height, the biggest Shipyard and Ropeworks in the world and a world leader in the design and production of textile machinery, industrial fans and the later diversification into the design and manufacture of aircraft. An impressive Victorian city with significant previous Georgian architecture surviving. A city of brick warehouses, mills, factories and workers terraces. Rich in ornate public houses, music halls and public baths, and whose coherent architecture, both in industrial buildings and that of its commercial centre, reflected quality and a level of detail typical of the era.

Derry, with its history dating back to the sixth century and its city status to the early 1600s, has retained much of its original fortifications surrounding later fine Georgian streets.  It was the commercial hub for the North West of Ireland with its speciality in the production line manufacture of shirts again at one time marked it a world leader. The City’s military connection spanned the time from the Sieges of 1649 and1688 to the crucial role played in two World Wars.

The character quality and industry of the two principal cities was reflected to a lesser degree throughout the county/market towns and villages of Ulster with an abundance of water power equally serving mighty textile and thread mills and modest rural corn and flax mills.  Again, there was a coherence of architecture from the grand philanthropic mill owner villages such as Herdman’s/Sion Mills, to the vernacular rural buildings traditionally blended into the landscape for shelter. Most of the towns would have had at least one family run small hotel and a number of ‘dining rooms’ serving substantial meals of ‘plain food’ using local ingredients prepared to the standard of home cooking. Towns and villages with the additional asset of a navigable port, canal or river estuary benefited further from the often interesting and attractive historic harbour and harbourside infrastructure.

1.2  Natural Environment, landscape, loughs and coastline.

The quality of Ulster’s characteristic landscapes needs no description; be they sea loughs, mountain and bog, County Down drumlins or the Antrim and Donegal Coasts, the inland sea of Lough Neagh and the Fermanagh Lakelands; all of these and the wildlife and flora they support highlight again the variety and diversity to be had in a small area. Unlike other parts of the world where a visitor may have to traverse hundreds or even thousands of Km of featureless lands to experience a variety of landscape, all of Northern Ireland remains accessible to any moderately enthusiastic cyclist.

1.3  Cultural Heritage

The rich mix of recorded events, story-telling, enhancing, or in some cases even altering history into myth, and linking with archaeological remains and sites dating back to the time of early man, are inextricably intertwined with landscape, religion and the historic focus of the two traditions, unfortunately polarised and senselessly devalued by sporadic violence over centuries and more recently by the segregationist, still prevalent politics of the ‘troubles’. Music, literature, language and poetry and the performing arts, ancient and modern have largely managed to transcend these divisions outside political vested interests.

1.4  Transport

In 1930 The Republic of Ireland had 3,500 miles of railway with Ulster having 750 miles. An exceptional system of coverage.  The main lines and a variety of quirky narrow gauge connections enabled a passenger to travel between most of the significant towns and smaller settlements throughout Ireland.  Harbour terminus stations linked travellers to the Irish sea ferries and the continental and transatlantic ships.  The competitive nature of the railway companies delivered stylish architecture and quality construction for a variety of railway buildings from goods sheds to main line terminus stations.

Belfast retained a fully integrated and city wide electric tramway system from 1905 until 1954 with the later electric trolley buses surviving until 1968.  The street infrastructure (now called public realm) was predominantly Mourne granite setts and kerbs with stone flags used for pedestrian pavements.  These high quality natural materials visually improved with age and had effectively infinite durability and repairability.

Ulster had eight canals in its system, connecting ports to the hinterland and with the Southern systems.  Typical of small systems throughout Europe most never generated sustainable profits.

  1. The Depleted Asset

In examining the depletion of Northern Ireland’s unique selling points in terms of tourism assets, it is pointless to engage in nostalgia or a fruitless exercise in hand wringing over what has already been lost. However, what must be addressed is that depletion continues apace with lessons not learnt from the consequent erosion of character and individuality, and that the apparent current mainstream fixation on themed ‘experiences,’ one off ‘events’, and homogenised newbuild accommodation, which, while generating significant profit for a small number of influential players, does not and will not, deliver the sustainable long term broad benefits described in the preamble.   ‘Progress,’ if it is to be of long-term benefit must be directed by way of enlightened planning, common purpose across Civil Service departments and political will free of influence from vested interests and core vote segregationism.

Sir Jonathon Porritt, the then Chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission was taken to Queen’s Island in Belfast to view the vision for the ‘Titanic Quarter’ property development, sometimes described as ‘Dubai on the Lagan’ and enthusiastically promoted by local politicians. He subsequently addressed a packed Long Gallery in Stormont as part of the UKSDC Plenary.  He described the scheme as ‘the biggest wasted opportunity he had ever seen’.  Many years on, with the magnificent Harland and Wolff Engine Works, with its acres of pitch pine block floors and massive machinery, demolished without a thought of its potential as a unique and authentically awe inspiring tourist visit, the development site remains largely wasteland with, apart from the monolithic ‘Titanic Signature Building’ just a few generic office and apartment buildings actually built. These do not complement the few remaining historic shipyard buildings.

 

    2.1  Belfast and Derry and the county towns.

Placing the blame for loss of historic fabric solely on the ‘troubles’ is largely unjustified. Statutory protection for historic buildings through the listing process was not introduced into NI until 23 years after its adoption in the rest of the UK. The ‘troubles’ however did reduce land and property values significantly and many historic buildings were purchased by a small number of speculators at knock down prices. Important buildings were ‘land-banked’ and often subject to progressive, unenforced dereliction or arson. Many were demolished and the sites used to generate income as carparking.  Two of Belfast’s finest buildings on Royal Avenue, the Grand Central Hotel and the adjacent GPO, were prevented from being listed, apparently on direct instructions from the Northern Ireland Office. They were demolished and replaced with the ‘Castle Court’ shopping mall, an incongruous concoction of glass and stainless steel pipes in a grand Victorian street. The now, very dated Mall suffers from a lack of core tenants like many similar ill conceived developments.

Belfast was a well proportioned city. Its streets were the correct width for the height of its buildings (generally 3, 4 or 5 storey).  Belfast City Council has been talking about a ‘Tall Buildings Policy’ for the city since the 1960s…..no policy is yet in place but buildings of 10 or more storeys are receiving planning approval on an apparently random basis. The resulting generic towers are too tall for the street widths, the nondescript architecture delivering a gloomy, and  oppressive atmosphere on all but the brightest days, but with developers’ slick Public Relations operations apparently able to mesmerise council planning committees into approving.

Belfast’s waterfront suffers from equally unimaginative planning decisions with gloomy apartment and office blocks crowding in on what should be primarily ‘people space’ with development properly designed, scaled and set back from the river.  Quality new architecture and historic fabric are largely absent and what should have been a second tourism focus point with things to do and see within a short walk of the historic core, is visibly and understandably underused, its potential wasted.  Council strategy documents claim to value the characteristic Victorian warehouses and workshops once common in the City, for retention and conversion as is accepted practice in more progressive cities. There is little or no evidence of this on the ground. In fact in one example a developer closely linked to Belfast City Council has demolished almost a complete block of such buildings including three fine and distinctive Victorian shops which were about to be listed ( the Council had been notified and the papers were awaiting the next BCC meeting). No enforcement action was thought to be appropriate.

Derry, in some respects has fared better. The City does have a sense of its place in history and of the value of its walls and best buildings. Sites for speculative development do not currently attract the potential for ‘hit and run’ profit taking seen in Belfast. However, unfortunately, the (literally) mad dash for ‘Prime Retail’ 20 or more years ago, severely degraded Derry’s quays, which were of potentially European tourism standard. The imposition of the city’s main traffic route and the service side of multinational retail on the city’s historic quays was disastrously ill-conceived.

The ‘Peace Bridge’ is a big positive although the imposition of an architectural ‘Flight of Fancy’ on the approaches to the exceptional Ebrington Barracks was not optimal. This represents the classic Northern Ireland obsession with making something old into something new, rather than primary respect for the historic asset taking precedence.

The smaller towns suffered worse still with cheap shop fronts and roller shutters evading planning and loss of key historic buildings to illegal demolition. The exceptional historic water/river fronts of Enniskillen, Newry, Carrickfergus, Ballymena and Bangor were sacrificed to traffic schemes, retail, apartment blocks or loss making concrete marinas.

2.2  Natural Environment, landscape, loughs and coastline.

Planning, Pollution and ‘bulldozer farming’ represent the main degradations, with the absence of a ‘Right to Roam’ seriously limiting potential.   It has been suggested recently that American visitors to Donegal who expected to see the Ireland of Tourism Brochures…..pristine landscape and coast with unobtrusive historic and vernacular buildings adding interest…..feel that they have been miss sold a landscape that no longer exists.  Intrusive over development with traditional drystone and hedge replaced with ranch fencing and stone cladding battlements with electric gates and gold eagles.  While this may be an exaggeration it illustrates similar trends in the rest of Ulster. Massive overdevelopment in coastal settlements such as Portstewart and Portballantrae have effectively removed any potential for a quality visit or incentive for return. The proliferation of single dwellings in the countryside reached a peak some years ago when 12 times the total number approved in England Scotland and Wales combined were approved in Northern Ireland that year. Since then farm businesses are now permitted one planning approval every 10 years with many holdings subsequently split into 2 to double the sites.  This is completely unsustainable and is simply a blatant vote gathering move on the part of the main political parties.  Contrary to all policy ribbon development is common, together with intrusive developments of inappropriately designed ‘townhouses’ imposed on valuable landscapes with obviously no regard for the Landscape Character Assessments available to planners.  Similarly, the placing of wind turbines, either singly or in farms appears more to do with the political ’clout’ of the applicant than the consistent application of policy.  (The writer is in favour of appropriately sited renewables).  The high profile and apparently politically popular Sperrins Gold Mining and proposed Fracking operations attract massive local opposition seemingly to little avail.  A number of years ago the political ‘Flavour of the Month’ was the development of Golf Resorts, with the most high-profile being the Runkerry proposals which threatened the World Heritage status of the Giant’s Causeway. It is hard to comprehend, without fore knowledge of the political mindset that prevails in Northern Ireland, how such proposals gain any traction.  Luckily this proposal never got off the ground and the landscape is now safe in the care of a new owner. Others were built and simply failed.

Agricultural pollution of rivers and lakes continues to be a problem.  Coarse and fly fishing is an important tourism asset, promoted as ’pristine’ Fines and enforcement are so minimal as to be little deterrent.  The absence of ‘Right to Roam’ as is common throughout Europe is simply ‘parish pump politics’ in action.  There are very few Public Rights of Way in Ulster and although the local councils hold the powers to designate, these are very seldom used with the Government Departments responsible for drawing up the legislation denying any further role.

The UK Marine and Coastal Access Bill has all its access references removed in its Northern Ireland form. In contrast the Wales Coastal Path is 870 miles of walks and cycling.

2.3  Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage and place are inextricably linked, and often cannot exist one without the other.  In the writer’s view Cultural Heritage extends well beyond the commonly held conceptual boundaries of music, the spoken and written word. It encompasses the culture of work, of working the land, of religion and of political allegiance and of the buildings, lands and the archaeological artefacts and remains that have shaped and inspired the broad definition of culture. While the arts regenerate and are also effectively ‘portable’ the bulk of cultural heritage as defined above needs a focal point to achieve maximum impact.  An, on the face of it, frivolous analogy is the ‘fake’ heritage of Game of Thrones…..it simply does not work for an enthusiast without the location.  In exactly the same way a visitor cannot genuinely experience the work culture of Belfast Ropeworks, Harland and Wolff, the Sirocco Foundry or a Linen Mill if no trace remains…..VR and interactive technology in a newly built ‘Cultural Heritage Centre’ is no substitute for the real thing.  Is the cradle of Irish myth and legend in the borderlands of Slieve Gullion devalued by ribbon development, multiple single new-builds and an almost total absence of heritage buildings? The answer must be ‘of course’, followed by ‘how was this allowed to happen?

2.4  Transport

The extent of Ireland’s rail network and the quality and variety of its associated architecture, together with Belfast’s Electric Tramways and the world’s first Electric Tramway which took visitors from the fine railway terminus in Portrush to the Giant’s Causeway, would have been the envy of world tourism…..if they still existed. More imaginative governments and cities across the world had the foresight to retain, if not the actual systems, though many did, the value concept of such systems. In the writer’s view this has been the single greatest failure and wasted potential in promoting sustainable tourism in Northern Ireland. It also offers the single biggest achievable long term opportunity. Additionally, on a purely operations based note, what country would tolerate having three airports all within sight of a railway but with no rail connection, and what national tourist body would fail to comment!

Of our eight canals only the Erne Shannon is navigable. Despite decades of talk and many thousands of volunteer hours, no clear departmental or political commitment to reopening has emerged.

The ferry services from Belfast and Larne are, or should be, a facilitator for tourism. They have benefited over many years from public and European assistance. How then can it be that the North Channel is often described as ‘the most expensive stretch of water in the world’? The labyrinthine websites of both Ferry operators promise discounts, offers and value for money, but the reality has always been ridiculously high fares with the cost of a two hour crossing to Scotland or a ten hour crossing to Liverpool being substantially the same whichever operator is chosen. Already expensive fares rise astronomically at peak holiday periods and yet often the ships appear only partly filled.  The writer has witnessed the disbelief and exasperation of European travellers at the high prices and an apparent complete lack of need to operate ships at capacity, as with budget airlines.  It is not surprising that there is a widely held view, albeit with a complete absence of formal evidence, that the Ferries are a cartel which the politics of Northern Ireland and the tourism bodies have unaccountably chosen to ignore.

 

       3.1 Cause and Effect…. A summary of the roots of the problem.

 

 

Ultimately this can lead to situations where no single or grouped entity is prepared to take responsibility for anything.

 

It is the author’s impression, as with council planning, that policy has, both historically and currently, been too influenced by the advice and aspirations of major hotel chains and ‘experience’ providers, rather than focused on long term sustainability.  Another worrying aspect is the readiness of TNI to express full support for schemes which can appear to fail to deliver broad tourism benefit, but on the other hand remaining absolutely silent when the tourism asset is damaged or under threat.

The author used the example recently of the sewage pollution of many of Northern Ireland’s best beaches before the EU Waste Water Treatment Directive fines forced the then Water Service to rectify the problem.  NITB was silent. The problem is re emerging with more than 30 WWTWs now over capacity and as many as 100,000 unregulated septic tanks.  The author queried TNI’s silence but was told that issues such as this are simply outside TNI’s remit.

I would argue that issues like this, i.e. Protection of the Tourism Asset should be at the core of TNI’s remit as it is with Tourism Bodies in other jurisdictions.

 

Essential Background Reading:  Bearing in mind both of these reports are out of date and new, in depth reviews on progress, or otherwise, are needed. The Select Committee’s Findings will be relevant.

 

Northern Ireland Audit Office Reports:

 

Safeguarding Northern Ireland’s Listed Buildings   March 2011

 

Northern Ireland Tourist Board-Review of the Signature Projects

December 2011

 

John Anderson   18th April 2019

 

Addendum to submission to NI Select Committee Inquiry into Tourism

Mr. John Anderson

Brief Case Studies

  1. Antrim Coast

In 1896, Henry McNeill of Larne set the pattern for tourism on the Antrim Coast. His formula, before the arrival of mass private car ownership, was to retain visitors, in and around the landscape, for up to two weeks between Larne and Portrush and back.  Today this would be ‘slow tourism,’ and remains the ideal model for today. McNeill established the Antrim Coast as a ‘must see’ for visitors to Ireland.

TNI has endorsed and promoted the packaging of cruise ship passengers and other visitors in coaches so that Coast and Causeway can be ‘done’ in less than a day. This is ideal for operators who profit from ‘get them in, take their money, and get rid of them, but is far from McNeill’s proven model.  The TNI model prioritises rapid turnover, monetising packaged ‘pay at the door’ visitor ‘experiences’ and notional spend per head, rather than visitor focused, stress free enjoyment of the broad asset.  There is little or no provision for ‘slow’ tourism for walkers or cyclists or those using public transport for ‘hop and stop’ and the road is not suitable for large coach traffic.  As an example of the lack of focus on maintaining high quality tourism assets, TNI has been silent regarding Department for Infrastructure works to the Coast road walls.  Crude and ugly sections bearing no relation to the established historic walls have now been in place for several years with no objection from TNI or local politicians. 

  1. Inappropriate siting of Wind Turbines

Since local councils were given planning powers in 2015 this has been a growing problem. ‘Parish Pump’ planning by council committees will rank generating income for applicants before landscape quality.  TNI remains silent. One turbine has, apparently ‘accidentally’, even been allowed to break the long standing ban on out of settlement development on the Antrim Coast Road. Visible for miles in both directions, the applicant is the husband of a local councillor, and is currently applying for another on the strength of the first permission.

Three of seven randomly sited turbines on the arterial route from the Larne Ferry Terminal. 

  1. Belfast Waterfront/ Industrial Heritage/Titanic.

All that remains of the largest Ropeworks in the world….a vinyl banner on the waterfront railings as part of the ‘Belfast Maritime Trail’. Note the ‘ownership politics’ re ‘Ulster Scots’ and the sadly ironic use of the ‘World Class’ description.  Contrast this with the Chatham Historic Dockyard’s preserved working ropeworks.

A similar banner celebrating HMS Belfast, which, although built in Belfast, can only be physically visited in London. Government and Tourism bodies have made no attempt to acquire a significant H&W built ship. The Canberra, with its ground-breaking design, cruise and Falklands history went to scrap, as have a number of well known Naval and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.

Vinyl banners are a pathetic and embarrassing substitute for tangible and authentic maritime heritage.

Food waste and the service side of the of the SSE Arena on Belfast’s Lagan quayside river walk. Not exactly a ‘world class’ picture for visitor or citizen.

Council and TNI are silent, apparently content to emphasise Titanic signature building visitor numbers and notional financial benefit to the NI economy. The word ‘authentic’ is used only once in the Titanic signature building promotional material.  It refers to the ‘authentic’ re creation of

an early 1900s Belfast Public House.

To hide built heritage dereliction in times of ‘important politically showcased events’ such as the G8 Summit and the Giro D’Italia, N I Government Departments spent £8m on vinyl banners and hangings, fixed and draped over derelict heritage buildings. This had the additional predictable effect of concealing ongoing deterioration. £8m could have allocated £15,000 to each of 530 listed buildings for repairs and upgrades, providing on the job skills training and employment. Tourism and local politics, focused on the next ‘big event’ judged the ‘vinyl’ expenditure a success.

  1. Cumulative loss of built heritage tourism asset.

Overnight, weekend demolition of three buildings which were about to be listed, seen to rear of listed Art Deco former Bank which was damaged in the process. Demolished by a sister company of Belfast City Council’s ‘development partner’ McAleer and Rushe. No planning permission for the demolition, which required an Environmental Impact Assessment relating to cumulative loss of built heritage under the EU EIA Directive. No enforcement deemed necessary by BCC.  TNI was silent.

It has been suggested that BCC and McAleer and Rushe, wish to create ‘The Belfast Story’ as a monetized VR ‘experience’ joint venture in another ‘iconic’ new-build on this site, now cleared of its ‘inconvenient’ heritage buildings. This type of developer driven ‘conveyor belt tourist experience’ cannot act as substitute for towns and cities of character and authenticity.

Unlisted Victorian brick warehouses (which Belfast City Council claim to value for conversion) on the same site in course of demolition to landfill.

All heritage demolition must be assessed for the environmental impact of cumulative loss of heritage architecture.

NI Councils and NI Government Departments are choosing to ignore and disregard their responsibilities under the EU EIA Directive which is enshrined in UK and NI statutes.

This exposes the UK to risk of enforcement while benefitting land-banking speculators.

 

  1. Bridges and Silo Government

The Boyne Bridge, Belfast, with its Art Deco masonry and lamps and surviving H&W riveted steelwork

The Boyne and Burntollet bridges have individual architectural and industrial heritage merit and both very significant and different social history value. Boyne is highly valued by the local Unionist culture in the Sandy Row district of Belfast whereas Burntollet, in County Derry, was the scene of pivotal events in the emergence of the NI Civil Rights Movement. Both bridges were suggested for listing on their merits. Both have been rejected by the Department. It is relevant to note that both are earmarked for demolition under proposals run by another Department. The Boyne demolition forms part of the grandiose Belfast ‘Multi Modal Transport Hub’ likened in City Council Strategy documents to Berlin Hauptbahnhof. The NI Rail ‘network’ however, is an insignificant 201 miles compared to Berlin’s European and Asian connectivity.  The demolition, in reality, is to facilitate an adjacent but apparently unrelated speculative property development.

In contrast, the Burntollet bridge is a fine surviving example of a craftsman built historic stone single arch with unusual curved buttress, spanning the Burntollet tributary of the Faughan River and Tributaries ASSI/SAC, and adjacent to the Ness Wood Country Park, both administered by DAERA (NI) and promoted as Tourist assets.  The Bridge, despite its obvious quality has not been listed or scheduled by the Historic Environment Division of the Department of Communities (NI) and is to be demolished to facilitate the A6 road widening scheme, a Department of Infrastructure (NI) project. DfI and its sponsored public transport company (Translink) are also responsible for the demolition of the Boyne Bridge.  DfI is regarded, not least by itself, as an ‘Alpha Male’ Department which appears enables it to mesmerise other agencies and council planners. Coincidentally it is also responsible for the oversight of planning functions and for the application of the EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directive (specifically in these instances relating to cumulative loss of historic built architectural/industrial/built assets). Functions which it has singularly failed to fulfil. This serves to illustrate the disastrous effects that diffuse responsibilities often enables.  Both the A6 and the Transport Hub are supported by TNI with no reference to loss of assets contributing to maintaining the NI National character and tourist offer.

  1. Rail Tourism, squandered opportunities.

As a consequence of historic bias in favour of the private car, Northern Ireland lost threequarters of its railway network. This was accompanied by successive responsible Departments permitting and encouraging the various entities of railway management to demolish, dispose of, or, often by default, to allow to fall derelict, distinctive railway infrastructure and built heritage; stations, signal boxes and goods/engine sheds often designed by prominent architects. Some will have been listed but lack of resources/diffuse onward responsibilities means many have been lost. The Railway Heritage Trust oversees all railway heritage buildings with a Science Museum committee looking after artefacts. Unfortunately, neither bodies’ remit extends to NI.

NI has two remaining historic Terminus stations (Belfast has lost all three of its grand termini;  The Lanyon Waterside in Derry and the Berkeley Deane Wise mock Tudor curiosity in Portrush are listed and have survived disposal to date.

The line from Coleraine to Derry was targeted by DfI/Translink for closure. It has featured in several high profile rail tourism television programmes (Michael Portillo, Michael Palin etc.)  A campaign run by ‘Into the West’, a community rail lobby based in Derry, saved the line which has prospered since. DfI/Translink were persuaded to buy back the Waterside Terminus and lobbied to restore and sympathetically extend the station/train shed with landscaped public riverside. This was judged to be a tourism bonus at the Derry end of the line. An added attraction proposed was a turntable for the steam excursion engines. 27m euro in grant was secured for the proposed ‘Multi Modal Transport Hub’ with additional support from DfI.

Unfortunately the final design was for a bland Translink corporate branded conversion of the listed terminus and surroundings, which the renowned travel journalist Simon Calder, speaking on BBC radio Foyle described as having completely lost the magic that historic railway architecture invokes in visitors.

A petition of over 2000 signatures was raised in Derry, specifically opposing the loss of rail heritage tourism potential. Despite this DfI Translink were championed with support from TNI who failed to engage with the supporters of the rail tourism approach. Significant information on the background to the proposals is being withheld under Freedom of Information on the grounds of ‘contrary to the public interest’.  In the author’s long experience of dealing with Government Departments and Councils the levels of arrogance and unprofessional nature of the promotion of the DfI/Translink proposals has been unique.

Showing potential for restoration and reproduction of the historic rail tourism potential for the Waterside Terminus with appropriate modern facilities and riverside restoration located to left of right hand image.

The bland DfI /Translink corporate ‘vision’ supported by TNI

The Portrush Terminus.

This unique listed building was sold off by the railway and has since functioned as an amusement arcade, a club and more recently a discount store, with the loss or covering up of its railway heritage interiors. Portrush and Newcastle, Co. Down were NI’s two premier seaside resorts. Newcastle no longer has a rail connection. The Portrush line served the long demolished Giant’s Causeway Electric Tramway which terminated just outside the station. Another example of a prime (missed) opportunity for  re-creating what would be ‘sustainable and impressive heritage tourism’, much valued in more enlightened and imaginative countries.

DfI/Translink/TNI apparently gave no thought to the possibility of repurchase of the historic station, but instead have built, at considerable expense, a brand new station directly behind the listed station. Typically the new station is corporate and devoid of any character or tourism appeal. The concourse to the front of the listed original station is now a concoction of meaningless public realm geometrics and public art.

Significantly DfC/Translink do not employ a heritage officer, despite theoretical Departmental responsibility for Buildings in State Care. DfI have denied responsibility for Waterside as they believe that their sponsored ‘Go-Co’ Translink does not constitute ‘State Care’.

Once again the potential for inspirational rail tourism as conceived in the 1890s

 

And the genuine surviving historic asset consigned to a degraded future and the bland realisation of the DfI/Translink TNI vision setting the pattern of disregard for rail heritage.

 

As a final example, the eleven NI councils are preparing their individual Local Development Plans.

Mid Ulster, which has a number of exceptional heritage buildings, uses four examples in the built heritage section of its LDP: their characteristic is that of ‘moneyspinner’.

One shopping mall, unrecognisable as a former mill.

Two de-listed hotels. (presumably de-listed due to inappropriate additions and alterations gaining planning approval) This is not untypical.

The newly built ‘Seamus Heaney Homeplace’ on the site of a demolished police station.  The Heaney material is indisputably ‘world class’ but the building is just a new building. Just a few hundred meters away is the superb fortified Plantation era Bellaghy Bawn, an exceptional listed building in state care but open to the public for only two hours per week.  This unique building formerly displayed some of the Heaney material adding an authentic and locally rooted, historical setting for the poet’s work.

But enormous expenditure, promoted by the council, and again supported by TNI, produced a new building of little or no character and simultaneously de-purposed the Bawn House.

The few preceding examples are indicative of loss of potential across all aspects of Northern Ireland’s eroding individuality.

It is possible on many roads to travel the length and breadth of NI without seeing a single surviving example of historic townscape, vernacular or industrial character in often degraded landscape. Undoubtedly pockets of excellence remain but, as with the natural environment these require quality ‘corridors’ as links throughout our small area. These are sorely lacking.

It appears that most Government Departments and Local Councils pay only lip service to the value to their tourism asset of heritage character and its relationship with landscape and the natural environment. Rather there is an obsession with monetising and throughput for ‘showcase’ one off events, and packaged, often contrived, fleeting ‘conveyor belt experiences’ with planning criteria determined apparently proportionally, not to the sustainability, broad community benefit or authenticity, but to the superficial ‘glitz’ of the particular theme or event.

The situation is just about retrievable but the political will and cross Departmental ‘buy in’ is simply not evident.  As a component TNI must be upskilled and learn from politically driven past and ongoing mistakes, although it is possible that only constituting a completely new and vociferous independent body with a remit to sustainably preserve, re-purpose and enhance NI’s individual asset character can hope to reverse the trend.

 

1 May 2019