Alliance Motion Gets Support To Seek Investment For Downpatrick’s Town Centre
Downpatrick Alliance Councillor Cadogan Enright’s brought a motion to Newry Mourne and Down seeking greater investment in Downpatrick and around the town centre showing a wider commitment to the County Town of Down.
The motion, which received support from the Newry Mourne and Down District Council’s Economic Regeneration and Tourism Committee, was econded by Alliance Rowallene colleague Cllr Lee-Surginor.
Cllr Enright said: “The Alliance motion aims to copper-fasten public funding guarantees for the lands around the Irish Street car-park and old Police Station as envisaged by the legacy Down District Council.
“We want Newry Mourne and Down District Council to renew the commitment to restoring our County Town of Downpatrick by carrying through the aims of the 2011 Downpatrick Masterplan.
“My motion was triggered by recent attempts by the new Council and the Department for Communities to sell off several sites, including derelict properties in Irish Street to the private sector and abandon the original plan for a public-sector led investment plan for the town.
“Unsurprisingly this proposal failed to attract private sector investment. This motion calls for renewed efforts by Council to invest funding to ensure Downpatrick can develop as previously promised.”
Cllr Enright added: “Since putting this motion forward, there now appears to be an emerging consensus from all parties with the Alliance position that this needs to be a public-sector led project.
“These lands were assembled over 30 years with a view to a planned development of the town centre, improving access and revitalising the old retail centre of the town to make it competitive with out-of-town shopping.”
South Down Alliance MLA Patrick Brown said: “I am pleased to continue working with my colleague Cllr Enright to continue to promote Alliance’s work to Restore our County Town by taking these key steps at a council level.
“Attracting investment to Downpatrick is a key part of our plan, and this starts with public funding from council to secure break-throughs such as investing in regenerating the car park and derelict buildings around Irish Street.
“I am glad this motion succeeded at the ERT Committee meeting last night.”
The Motion reads:
“This Council recognises the disparity of Council investment between our County Town of Downpatrick when compared to large public-sector led investment proposals for Newry City or the Gateway Project in Newcastle.
“The recent flawed private sector-led project in our County Town failed to attract any private sector interest in redeveloping Downpatrick’s Town Centre.
“This project aimed to sell off the land-bank built up by Down Council over 30 years including the old Police Station, the main town car-park and derelict properties in Irish Street under the 2011 Downpatrick Masterplan.
“Council notes NM&D’s fresh opportunity to deliver a meaningful, large-scale public investment-led regeneration of Downpatrick’s old retail centre in line with the 2011 Council-led Downpatrick Masterplan.
“This Council directs Management to reinstate the original public-sector led project for the town centre aspect of the Downpatrick Masterplan.
“Including the intown 2-lane one-way system, additional on-street parking, enhanced pedestrian areas from ASDA to Irish Street and improved access to the old retail centre of the town to make it competitive with out-of-town shopping, LIDL or ASDA.
“Council notes that original estimates suggest that this could be achieved with 10% of the estimated cost of the proposed major Newry development or less than half the budget for the so called Mournes Gateway project in Newcastle.”
