Cllr Truesdale welcomes a move to progress with an Integrated Consultancy Team for the Rock Pool and Newcastle Centre but says it needs careful consideration
Alliance Mournes Councillor Jill Truesdale has said a recommendation to progress the procurement and appointment of an Integrated Consultancy Team to advance the redevelopment of the Rock Pool and Leisure Centre for Newcastle is to be greeted with “cautious optimism.”
The item in the SPR agenda on Thursday night was passed at the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee (SPR) meeting in a closed session excluding the press and public on Thursday night 23 1 25.
Cllr Truesdale said: “We have to be very careful with language and how this is viewed.
“The two issues are highly emotive and much wanted for many, many years but the proposal was only for a budget to progress more consultants reports to create a planning application.
“Both of these projects have had extensive and very comprehensive integrated consultancy reports carried out within the last five years and I’ve urged the current Director for the knowledge within those reports to be taken on board, something he absolutely takes on board.
“However, we are voting through yet more expenditure when there is no pot within the budget to actually take either of these projects to fruition.
“In addition, if the money arrives into the capital expenditure budget at some future point, will we need more consultancy reports to bring it up to date, again?“
“The redevelopment of the Newcastle Centre and Rock pool have not been specifically identified as priority projects in Council’s Corporate Plan or the Active Healthy Communities Annual Business Plan.
“There is a general target of increased health and wellbeing throughout the district and a point on improving Newcastle’s recreation facilities but unlike other developments, such as Kilkeel Leisure Centre, neither the rock pool nor leisure centre are specifically named.
“I welcome any progress on either issue, but I would have liked to have seen a clear timeline of when either project will come to fruition.
“There has been no public engagement on the issues which is disappointing as I assumed the lack of consultation with the contentious gondola project would have shown a need to gain the public’s trust.
“The rock pool is a very specific project and no one knows it better than the people who use it.
“Perhaps if they had of been involved in an information evening showing the difficulties involved and an understanding of the scale of the project it would have provided more clarity.
“The same goes for the leisure centre. I am very unsure of a leisure centre in the middle of a town which consists of a single main street, especially when it comes to parking.
“Newcastle residents seem to be continually faced with a choice of, ‘we’ve found the money so lets spend it or else we will lose the money’, this has been going on for decades.
The Mournes Councillor added: “Over Christmas I engaged with former members of the community group known as Newcastle 2000 and all their associated documentation.
“hey had put forward plans to use money coming from an Olympic fund to build a beautiful, self-sustainable, sedum roofed visitors centre and swimming pool in Donard Park.
“It was well ahead of its time, the planning was meticulous, the meetings extensive. So, the council put forward their plan, which was a velodrome.
“Neither project happened but only one made any sense.
“Obviously, that was under the old Down District Council and staff have now changed, although some councillors are still around, but the same point still has to be made, engage with the local community and look at what has gone before.
“This point clearly hits a key objective within the AHC Business Plan which is to ‘create a strong base to engage, empower and build the capacity of local communities, ensuring their views inform the work of the council and its partners‘ “.
