THE new prison proposal at Magilligan has prompted debate on whether the coastal site is suitable, given that there is potential space for the building at nearby Ballykelly at the former MoD site.
There are concerns about the impact of a new prison on the area’s tourism potential. The site is close to the popular scenic eight-mile stretch of beach, running from Downhill to Magilligan Point, and a nature reserve.
Jim McClenaghan, managing di
rector, Lough Foyle Ferry Company, said it is one of only a few such coastal beauty spots left in Northern Ireland.
“There is big potential to develop it for tourism,” he said.
In his view there is scope for a golf course, a water world centre and for a marina.
“If you build a prison there, that potential will all be destroyed,” he said.
He is concerned that a new prison would bring with it security issues and possible roads access issues.
“There is plenty of ground at Ballykelly. You can build a prison in any place and still have the workforce,” he said.
“We have eight miles of one of the best beaches in Europe, with two-thirds of it closed down,” he said.
He wants to see the entire beach opened up.
In the last five years business on the ferry between Magilligan and Donegal has increased, opening up Northern Ireland’s NW and North Coast, Limavady, Giant’s Causeway and Antrim Glens to tourists, travelling up from the west coast of Ireland, he said.
He added that any development would have to be sensitive to the area’s natural beauty, eco-tourism potential, and with tight controls on any holiday homes.
The full article contains 285 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
