Giant’s Causeway

A judicial review brought by the National Trust against the decision of the Minister for Environment in Northern Ireland to grant permission for a new 365-acre golf resort and spa at Bushmills, close to the Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site.

Issues concerned the extent to which consultation was required with the World Heritage Committee, the approach to assessing economic benefits, EIA and habitats (in particular the claimed use of planning conditions to defer assessment until after the grant of permission).