Statement TUV Alderman Sharon McKillop:
“Closing Bushmills Education Centre would be a seriously retrograde step. Outdoor educational centres are important for young people not just when it comes to their health and physical activity but also contact with nature.
“Should this closure go ahead it will impact the most on children from poorer and more disadvantaged backgrounds who have little or no other opportunity to visit such places.
“Any decision to close the centre will adversely affect the very communities government claims it is most keen on helping.
“Being sited close to the Giant’s Causeway world heritage site Bushmills is an ideal location for an outdoor education centre. I strongly believe it should be retained. Importantly, it will obviously impact on the local people employed there and the local schools and community groups which utilise the centre. If there is a sustainability issue I believe opening the centre to tourists and other groups should be considered.”