North Ireland native Darren Clarke voiced his opinion, calling those in opposition with the construction of the Bushmills Dunes Resort "treehuggers" in a tweet.
All the treehuggers coming out in support of the NT against the new golf course on the north coast at home! #seethebiggerpicture #getalife — Darren Clarke (@DarrenClarke60) January 10, 2013
His tweets came on the opening day of the Belfast's High Court judicial review of the Environmental Minister's decision approving the construction of the resort on the north coast of Northern Ireland.
The NT that Clarke refers to, the National Trust, claims that Environmental Minister Alex Attwood's decision to approve the project overturns a series of policies that protect the landscape and environment around the proposed resort, according to a report by the Belfast Telegraph.
On the opening day of the judicial review at Belfast’s High Court, Stuart Beattie QC, trust counsel, said the minister didn’t consult Unesco before his decision, announced in February.
His own conservation department, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency had repeatedly cautioned him to do so earlier and warned the Causeway could be stripped of World Heritage status over inappropriate development.