Residents of Ballyhornan and Bishopscourt are pressing government agencies for improvements to the infrastructure of the five estates in their area.
Their main concern is the state of the roads, the poor sewerage system and inadequate lighting. For almost twenty five years the local infrastructure has declined making accessibility in many parts quite difficult and now the residents have had enough.
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Calling for action: Local residents Bobby Magee, Gerry Young, Geraldine McMullan, Sandra Lewis and Harry Doherty pictured at Killard Square ay Ballyhornan.[/caption]
Residents Speak Out
Geraldine Doherty of the Ballyhornan Development Association said: “We are constantly trying to improve the state of the environment where we live. Since the MOD pulled our of Bishopscourt in 1990, the place generally has been a mess. It was sold to private individuals who then sold it off in lots and as single sites to home owners. The problem has arisen now, who maintains the crumbling roads and sewers which are technically in private ownership?
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A disabled couple Kevin Owens (registered blind) with his wife Anne, pictured beside the Mustard Seed centre in Ballyhornan.[/caption]
“We need an action plan t0 get this all sorted out. It is a huge problem covering the five different states. We really are the forgotten village. Government departments and councils to date have not done a great deal to help but hopefully we can turn this round.
“Basically we need a road system with lights where people from the five estates can move about safely. For example, We have a disabled couple, one registered blind, who come over from the Bishopscourt end to the Mustard Seed house at Killard Square and they have to walk over puddles, potholes and uneven ground. It is just plain dangerous and unacceptable.
“Many of the local roads are narrow, poorly lit or unlit, and there are dips on the roads. It is difficult for children to walk safely to the beach or to the new Ballyhornan Family Centre and they need an adult to accompany them for safety. These roads tend to flood in the area and fast moving vehicles are a danger to local children.
“We occasionally have groups down from as far as Belfast on a visit and many of these would be elderly or disabled people who find it hard to negotiate the puddles and potholes. And it is just almost impossible to push a wheelchair around or a pram.”
And Association member Gerry Young added: “This is really quite a difficult situation. People risk life and limb walking around this estate. We had an elderly resident who fell and broke her hip when she tripped on a pot hole last year, and another resident fell on a pot hole and knocked himself out and we had to call an ambulance.
“We have Groundwork NI doing survey work for us at the minute and we hope we can build a strategy to move ahead on this. Recently we met with DARD Minister MIchelle O’Neill and we will be looking very closely at the rural development LAG grants coming out at the start of the year. But ideally we need central government funding to clean up the area once and for all. This is an extraordinary set of circumstances resulting from the MOD pulling out very quickly and the roads and general infrastructure is getting worse on the estates. We need to do something fast. Government must take some responsibility.”
Ballyhornan Regeneration Campaign Arrives At Stormont
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Chris Hazzard, Sinn Féin MLA for South Down.[/caption]
Chris Hazzard MLA has welcomed a delegation of residents from the Ballyhornan Residents Association and campaigners to Stormont where they met with DARD Minister Michelle O’Neill.
Mr Hazzard said: “I have been working alongside a number of local campaigners in recent years, as we continue in our efforts to regenerate the Ballyhornan area.
“I was delighted to be able to facilitate a very productive meeting with Minister O’Neill, where we discussed a number of issues including vital infrastructure improvements and funding opportunities.
“The minister accepted the real need to tackle issues such as rural isolation, and has committed to doing all that she can to find solutions to the problems in the area.
“Due to the very unique and complex situation that Ballyhornan finds itself in, it is vital that we continue to build a constructive partnership between central and local government. It is only with such a collective approach that the needs of the area can be finally met.”
Bailie Lends Support To Ballyhornan Residents
Downpatrick Councillor Naomi Bailie said: “I have raised the issue at the recent DEA meeting and have also met in the last two weeks with assistant director of the Council ERT department. He had agreed to come out with me on a walk about in the next week or so and I’ve invited Geraldine and members of her group to that too.
“Eventually I want to get the Council Chief Exectutive Liam Hannaway and senior officers out to Ballyhornan / Bishopscourt to agree a way forward. The assistant director of ERT has agreed to put a focus on the issue in coming weeks and we are looking at the council-led regeneration of Forkhill as a model to replicate in conjunction with other agencies.
“I’m trying to drive this through in my role as chair with a view to getting that Task Force or similar body moving in coming weeks.”
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With the seven new District Electoral Area (DEA) groups being set up in the Newry Mourne and Down District Council, the Downpatrick area DEA forum may just provide the necessary mechanism to address many of the key issues around Ballyhornan and Bishopscourt boosting the operational capacity of the local Ballyhornan Development Association.
On these relatively new DEA groups with the locally elected area councillors sit government agencies such as the DOE, DRD, NIHE, PSNI, and the group is serviced by officials from the Newry Mourne and Down District Council. It is a natural conduit to have matters raised at Council level and pressed on to higher government levels and may yet prove to be the route to solving some of the key issues in local areas such as at Ballyhornan.
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