4.12A Restructuring and contested decision

• rural regeneration can also be contested through other stakeholder like farmers or the local council
• rural regeneration and rebranding strategies generate more conflict within local communities than others, such as:

  • Renewable energy 
  • Housing developments
  • Local residents often oppose housing developments
  • Derelict land
  • Conservation
• Regeneration North Antrim Coast - Giant’s causeway visitor centre:

  • Provides 75 full-time jobs 
  • Challenges for local communities: 
  • Overtourism (too many visitors)
  • The money spent on parking etc goes to the National Trust, not the local community
  • Community access to the site is now limited by the National Trust, despite having had access to it for thousands of year
  • 65% of the community were not involved in the tourist industry, so make little monetary gain or contribute to tourism development
• Regeneration Along the North Antrim Coast - Criteria of success for different stakeholders:

  • National Trust - increased visitor numbers, increased revenue
  • Moyle District Council - more employment, higher tax revenues 
  • Local community - less disruption due to tourist numbers
  • Translink (public transport network) - increased demand for services, more profits 
  • Local businesses (e.g. cafes, craft shops, hotel) - more customers, more profit
• Regeneration Along the North Antrim Coast - Conflict created via proposed golf course:

  • Development plans to create the Bushmills Dunes Golf Resort and Spa at Runkerry
  • Runkerry is 500 metres away from the Giant’s Causeway - a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which led to objections from environmentalists (e.g. the National Trust, UNESCO)
  • Due to strong opposition and inadequate finances, the golf course did not go ahead