Amount raised so far
£801,749.57
The National Trust is leading the project to build new visitor facilities at the Giant’s Causeway. These are based on the international competition winning design by heneghan.peng architects from Dublin. The new facilities will improve the experience of visiting the Giant’s Causeway, provide new opportunities for people to learn about the heritage of the area and participate in our conservation work.
As well as a new visitor centre, there will be new interpretation on site. Trail paths will be upgraded and new paths created, and importantly the project will ensure the protection and conservation of the World Heritage Site.
The National Trust’s planning application for new visitor facilities at the Giant’s Causeway was approved by the Environment Minister Sammy Wilson on 27 January 2009. There are a number of planning conditions to be met by the National Trust and we are confident that these will be satisfied by the end of 2009.
The National Trust has appointed teams led by heneghan.peng and Hamilton Architects to develop plans to tender stage. This will allow the tendering process to begin by late summer 2009. Building contractors may be appointed before further funding and planning decisions are taken but work will not be able to commence until confirmations are received.
The building contractors will be appointed after an open competition in line with EU legislation. It is expected that there will be significant opportunities for local companies to compete.
The current expectation is that work will begin on site in February 2010 with building work completed by the end of 2011. This is an optimistic but achievable target which the National Trust is fully committed to realising.
See how the project is shaping up.
In launching this appeal, we are very aware of that members and supporters have shown massive generosity towards our work in Northern Ireland.
If it were not for this support we would have been unable to complete the important acquisitions of Divis and the Black Mountain in Belfast or Runkerry Head on the North Antrim coast; so we know that everyone wants us to care for these special places. As a conservation charity we truly care for the Giant’s Causeway and we want to ensure we can continue to protect it so that it can be enjoyed by future generations.
The overall cost of the Giant’s Causeway project is £18.5m. This will bring about new visitor facilities, improve the experience of visiting the whole Giant’s Causeway site by upgrading and expanding the existing path network, improve interpretation, provide new opportunities for people to learn about the heritage of the Causeway and ensure improved conservation standards across the site. The National Trust has agreed to contribute £4m towards the project. That leaves £14.5m required to bring the Giant’s Causeway experience, including the new facilities, to fruition.
In taking forward the fundraising for the remaining £14.5m, the National Trust has submitted substantial funding applications to the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, which, we hope will raise to over 80% of the monies we require (around £12.25m). However, there is no guarantee that we will receive any or all of this funding. We have submitted detailed proposals to both organisations, and hope to receive positive responses by early 2010. If successful this will allow us to concentrate on raising the remaining £2.25m required to allow us to complete the project.
At The Giants Causeway, there are over 38,000 hexagonal columns of basalt. This amazing site is visited annually by over 600,000 people from across the world. Flick through the gallery to see more incredible images of this famous World Heritage site.
To deliver this £18.5m project is a Giant challenge. The National Trust in taking forward this project has agreed to fund £4m. We have submitted funding applications to Heritage Lottery Fund for £3m, and to the Northern Ireland Tourist Board for £9.25m. That leaves a shortfall of £2.25m which A Giant Cause aims to raise by the end of 2011.
In June 2008, the National Trust announced that its Board of Trustees had agreed to provide £4m to help deliver the project which will see new visitor facilities, new interpretation, upgraded trail paths and new paths at the Giant’s Causeway, World Heritage Site and improved conservation work by the end of 2011.
In December 2008 the National Trust was informed that it had been successful in the first stage of its application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for grant support of £3m. This does not guarantee funding although it is a very encouraging indication of HLF support. To help develop the second stage application HLF offered development grants to undertake four specific projects. These are:
The Trust intends to submit a second stage application to HLF in early autumn. The Heritage Lottery Fund is expected to make a decision on the Trust’s application in January 2010.
In December 2008 the Trust submitted a detailed business plan to support an application to NITB for £9.25m.
NITB has appointed ‘PricewaterhouseCoopers’ to undertake a detailed economic appraisal of the plan. Following the report by PwC the application will then be considered by the Board of NITB and the NI Executive. A decision is expected by autumn 2009.
Within the National Trust there are a number of people involved in the Giant’s Causeway project.
For all Communications and Marketing enquiries or enquiries related to Community Fundraising please contact:
Maurica Lavery
A Giant Cause Communications & Marketing Manager
E maurica.lavery@nationaltrust.org.uk
T 028 9751 2329
For all enquiries related to fundraising for the Giant’s Causeway project, please contact:
Wendy Elliott
Fundraising Manager
E wendy.elliott@nationaltrust.org.uk
T 028 9751 2307
Should you wish to discuss the Giant’s Causeway project in detail please contact:
Graham Thompson
Giant’s Causeway Project Director
E graham.thompson@nationaltrust.org.uk
T 028 9751 2362
The Trust’s team is supported by a dedicated group of professionals.
These include the following:
| Project Architects | heneghan.peng, Dublin |
| Design Support | Hamilton Architects, Belfast |
| Client Advisors | Consarc, Belfast |
| Project Management and Quantity Surveyors | Edmond Shipway, Belfast |
| Mechanical and Electrical Engineers | Bennett Robertson, Belfast |
| Landscape Architects | Mitchell Associates, Belfast and Dublin |
| Planning Consultants | Turley Associates, Belfast |
| Civil Engineers | WYG, Belfast |
| Environmental and Traffic Consultants | ARUP, Belfast |
| Structural Engineers | ARUP, London |
| Façade Engineers | Dewhurst Macfarlane, London |
| Lighting Consultants | Bartenbach LichtLabor, Aldrans, Austria |
| Legal Advisors | Cleaver Fulton Rankin, Belfast & Johns Elliott, Belfast |
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