Lafarge Cement UK has been given the green light for the development of a new £100m harbour eco-village on the site of the former Magheramorne Works and Quarry near Larne, Northern Ireland.
Plans for the 153-hectare (378.1-acre) site, which were approved by Northern Irish environment minister Sammy Wilson on 26 June, will include the creation of a major recreational and leisure attraction centred around a new World Cycling Centre incorporating an arena, holiday cabins and a sports hotel.
An All-Ireland Scuba Diving Centre, which will take advantage of a large lake on the quarry site, a bird watching and interpretation centre and visitor accommodation also feature among the proposals, as well as a short heritage railway line and historic railway visitor centre for the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland.
A 450-house harbour village will be created on a 15-hectare (37.1-acre) section of the site as part of the scheme, which aims to become Ireland's first One Planet Living Community based on a number of green initiatives, such as zero carbon and sustainable construction materials.
Lafarge has announced that it will use the profits generated by the sale of new homes to subsidise the implementation of environmentally-friendly measures and the operation of the planned leisure facilities.
Lloyd McInally, rating and regeneration manager at Lafarge Cement UK, said: "The site - equivalent in size to 220 football pitches - is the largest 'previously-used' or 'brownfield' site awaiting redevelopment in Northern Ireland and represents a unique opportunity to transform the fortunes of the local and regional economy.
"Now that we have the confidence of having obtained an outline planning permission, we will be continuing our discussions more intensely with the many organisations we have established contact with during the last few years. Then we will move towards the submission of detailed plans for approval by the authorities."
David Lock Associates has been working on the scheme as lead consultants and master planners since 2002, while Turley Associates has provided local town planning services and has managed the planning application process on behalf of Lafarge.
Jim Urwin, director at David Lock Associates, added: "There is the challenge of working next to Larne Lough (which is a Special Protection Area because of its birdlife), and of finding uses for the site that will bring real benefits to the area and which can be made to work alongside one another."
