Disclosure of the firm stance adopted by the Department's Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) will add to the row surrounding the DUP Minister's views on the scheme tabled by businessman Seymour Sweeney.

Meanwhile, it has been discovered that Mr Sweeney, a DUP member, used party leader Ian Paisley's name in a grant application for his controversial plans.

The developer listed Dr Paisley as a prospective trustee of his planned Causeway centre in an unsuccessful submission for Heritage Lottery Fund money in 2002.

The views of EHS on Mr Sweeney's planning application were spelt out in a document sent to DoE Planning Service in December 2002.

Written by Dr John Faulkner, EHS director of Natural Heritage, the letter stated: "EHS has major concerns in relation to this proposal and recommends that planning permission be refused."

Dr Faulkner proposed a rejection on the grounds that Mr Sweeney's blueprint would breach three separate policies relating to the protection of the Causeway's setting.

He voiced particular concern that the development would be in addition to existing visitor buildings.

"The effect of this proposal would therefore be to expand significantly the developed area at the Causeway Head," Dr Faulkner stated.

"EHS considers that this would have a major adverse impact on the landscape character and quality of the approach to the world heritage site.

"As a consequence, the visitor experience to this outstanding natural phenomenon would be markedly devalued."

The document is included in the DoE file on the long-standing Sweeney application, inspected by this newspaper yesterday.

Papers in the file also indicate that Planning Service officials were working towards a refusal recommendation in recent years.

Draft reasons for rejection were drawn up, although the option of a public inquiry was also floated at one point.

However, the final advice given to Mrs Foster by top officials in the Planning Service's planning management board remains unknown at present.

The minister stated on September 10 that she was "of a mind" to grant approval. She emphasised again in the Assembly yesterday that a final decision has yet to be taken.

Mrs Foster has made clear that no one made any representations to her on the proposal and that she was unaware of Mr Sweeney's DUP membership when she reached her preliminary view.

Her party has nevertheless been dogged by "cronyism" allegations, mainly because of the strong support given to the businessman over a number of years by MLA Ian Paisley Jnr.

His DUP leader father is also on record as describing alternative plans for a new public sector centre as "fool's gold".

Mr Sweeney's bid for a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant was made through his fledgling Giant's Causeway World Heritage Trust, a charitable body intended to oversee his visitor centre.

Documentation submitted as part of this application has been released by HLF to this newspaper under the freedom of information act. HLF stated that the application was made in the second half of 2002 and turned down the following year.

The documentation reveals that Dr Paisley was named in Mr Sweeney's grant application as one of three people who would "shortly be trustees" of the trust.

The Giant's Causeway World Heritage Trust remains in existence, but is described as a dormant company in returns to the Government's Companies Registry. The DUP and Dr Paisley's Government department were both contacted yesterday evening, but had not issued any response at the time of going to print. Mr Sweeney has also made no comment.