The £44 million Mourne Gateway project in Newcastle, County Down, involves building a visitor centre at the disused Thomas Quarry on Slieve Donard, the highest mountain in Northern Ireland.  The proposal, for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, includes a 1km-long cable car running to Donard Park. London and Belfast-based AJ100 practice TODD Architects is also on the project team, led by Arup and also featuring Gleeds and design consultancy Tandem Design. But in a decision this month, the National Trust, which owns the quarry, said it was suspending its engagement with the proposals because it had not received enough information about its environmental impact, amid concerns over the impact of thousands of visitors to the site.Advertisement The trust said it had ‘consistently stated the need for robust and comprehensive environmental assessments' for the project and that, in the absence of such an assessment, it was 'pausing our engagement at this time’. A National Trust spokesperson argued that the habitat on Mourne Mountain was ‘exceptionally fragile’ and contained internationally scarce dry heath, blanket bog and specialised flora and fauna, which were devastated by wildfire in April 2021. She told the AJ: ‘Our strategy prioritises nature restoration and looking after wildlife, historic places, and landscapes, and, as a conservation charity, we need to prioritise where we use our resources towards our core conservation objectives.’ She added that the organisation remains open to engagement in future and had shared data about its efforts to restore habitats following the 2021 fire with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The move follows warnings first aired in 2023 over the environmental impact of the proposed £44 million tourism project, as the AJ reported at the time.Advertisement The council has now said that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) will be ready before the end of the year. A council spokesperson told the AJ that it ‘has shared with the National Trust all the environmental information that we hold, and acknowledge that the environmental concerns they have raised are shared by the council and are being fully considered, and will be addressed as part of the development of the EIA’. The spokesperson continued: ‘This is a considerable piece of work that involves seasonal environmental/ecology surveys and regular engagement with key stakeholders, which is encouraged, including with the National Trust.’ d-on architects was previously engaged to RIBA Stage 2. The project went out for consultation in March 2023 with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council aiming for its completion in 2029. Initial designs for the scheme, also known as the Mournes Gondola, were criticised by some, including a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly, who called it a ‘metal monstrosity’, and a resident who likened it to a ‘Bond villain base’. Nial O Neill of d-on architects called it a ‘modern intervention on the scarred landscape left by the process of industrial quarrying’.