To ask the Minister of the Environment how her Department has sought to better manage local heritage sites in the Coleraine area, and explore the potential value of such sites for local business.

My Department directly manages ten historic monuments in the Coleraine District Council Area, as State Care Monuments, including Dunluce Castle.

To conserve and promote local heritage sites, my Department continues to work closely with industry and owners, and to invest in these unique assets to ensure their protection and to realise their full potential value for local businesses.

For example, Mountsandel Fort suffered from a substantial landslide last December and DOE subsequently funded repair works to the value of over £28,000 to consolidate the impacted area of the mound and make it safe once again for visitors.

At Dunluce Castle, my Department is currently working with the NITB, Heritage Lottery Fund and local stakeholders to provide a unique heritage destination that complements other major tourist attractions on the north coast, by revealing the lost town of Dunluce and providing a world class visitor centre experience.

This project offers fantastic opportunities for partnership, not only with bodies such as NITB, the National Trust and the Causeway Coast and Glens Council, but also with the surrounding community.

In addition to Dunluce and Mountsandel, there are a number of other local heritage sites: namely

State Care Monuments:Nature Reserves:

Ballintemple BullaunAltikeeragh

Dunalis SouterrainPortrush

Gortycaven Mound

Lissanduff Earthworks

Mill Loughan Motte

Tamnyrankin Court Tomb

I will continue to both preserve their condition and explore their potential value to the local economy.