Invest NI defend position over Minister’s visit
Thursday, 31 July 2008
Lorraine Kirk tries her hand at Morse code as she launches the Marconi Festival Day which will take place at Ballycastle seafront this Sunday, August 3. WK31802-M-KY
Invest NI defend position over Minister's visit
Invest NI has refuted claims that it ignored members of Moyle District Council at last week's investment announcement at the Bushmills Inn Hotel.
The event, attended by Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment, Arlene Foster, was organised to showcase a multi-million pound development at the hotel site, which will transform it to four-star status, and create 20 new jobs.
Invest Northern Ireland has pledged £480,000 towards the project, which will see staff numbers increase to over 70.
However, the unveiling of the development plan has been overshadowed by the concerns of Moyle councillors and council members, who felt they had been overlooked.
In a statement to The Chronicle, a spokesperson for Invest NI said: "The lunch held at the Bushmills Inn on July 22 provided Minister Foster with an informal opportunity to meet with a small number of local stakeholders from both the Moyle and Coleraine council areas.
“This meeting was not part of the Bushmills Inn investment announcement held earlier that day and to which only media were invited.
“In drafting the lunch invitation list, Invest NI invited senior representatives from both the Moyle and Coleraine councils, the Coleraine Chamber of Commerce, Causeway Enterprise Agency and Moyle Enterprise Agency, to ensure fair and equal representation from both areas.
“All invitations, including those to Moyle Council, were issued two weeks prior to the event and no late invitations were issued."
While the village is in the Moyle council ward, representatives from the Coleraine area were invited to attend to maximise the Minister's visit to the North Coast.
The spokesperson said: "It was a case of convenience. The Minister was going to Bushmills and when she was in the area she thought it would be a good idea to meet representatives from both areas.
“It was a good opportunity to meet local stakeholders from the bordering council areas. We were trying to get a balance and we wanted an informal event which maximised the time available."
She also rebutted claims that the Chairperson of Moyle District Council, William Graham, was invited to the event at the last minute, stating that he received his invitation on July 9, and his secretary replied the following day.
Cllr Graham said: "I am somewhat annoyed that Coleraine was able to take over in Moyle without our consent. I was at the event along with Marc McGerty, who was representing Moyle Enterprise Company. I was talking to a PR person from Invest NI and she said he was there on behalf of the council's development section aswell."
Council meeting
At a meeting of Moyle District Council on Monday, July 28, Bushmills Independent councillor, Price McConaghy said the event 'felt like a Coleraine take-over before 2011'.
He said: "Not one officer in Moyle knew about this. Kevin McGarry (Moyle District Council's Head of Leisure and Tourism) was not approached yet Moira Mann (Head of Development within Coleraine Borough Council) from Coleraine was there.
“It is scandalous and Invest NI should be severely reprimanded. Coleraine Borough Council did not organise the event but there is such a thing as etiquette. Our chairman was the only one made aware of it. We should write a strong letter to Invest NI and put them in their place."
Head of Development at Moyle District Council, Esther Mullholland, said she shared the councillor's disappointment.
“The event was badly managed by Invest NI. Moira Mann rang me and was very annoyed. She told the photographer they weren't on their own turf and she could not have been more apologetic.
“I have tried to discover what went wrong with Invest NI and I just heard the chairman was invited along with representatives from Moyle Enterprise Company."
The spokesperson for Invest NI said that invitations were not issued to the Chief Executives or Heads of Leisure and Tourism from both council areas, but she admitted that while Ms Mann was invited, her Moyle counterpart, Esther Mulholland was not.
Invitations were not issued to individual councillors in order to keep the event small and informal.
Sinn Fein councillor Cathal Newcombe said: "We can talk of oversights but this was a tremendous oversight, where a whole area and groups were overlooked."
Letters
Moyle residents have also voiced their concerns about the event.
In a letter to The Chronicle, one said: "Where has Moyle gone? Has Coleraine Council taken us over without anyone knowing about it? I though we still had a chairman and staff in Moyle. Were they not involved and if not why?"
In a separate letter, another resident raised similar questions.
He said: "Since when did Bushmills become part of the borough of Coleraine? The photograph of all eight smiling dignitaries included the Mayor of Coleraine, with his chain of office for all to see but no sign of the Chairman of the Moyle District Council. If he was present at the function he was obviously sidelined and should have been the main council representative."
“The Moyle District Council may disappear with the new super-council structure but that time has not yet come."
