Residents in Shrigley are celebrating that their village green will no longer be sold off by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
At a Full Council meeting on Monday (12th Jan) evening, councillors unanimously agreed to no longer progress with disposing of the land in Shrigley after objections were made by Rowallane DUP councillor, Callum Bowsie.
Cllr Bowsie said: “After a year-long fight, the Council’s plan to sell off this vital community space in Shrigley has finally been scrapped this evening (Monday 12th January 2026).”
The land was first identified as ‘surplus to requirements’ by the council in 2020. However, Cllr Bowsie insists this land should never have been considered as surplus.
He said: “It is hard to believe that a village green would be stuck on a ‘surplus assets’ list and the land disposed of without any community consultation.
“This one-acre grass area is used for recreation throughout the year, such as the recent ‘Shrigley 200’ festival for the village’s bi-centenary.
“The area also has historical importance as it is where the old Shrigley village once stood until 1970 with much of its rubble still buried beneath the grass.
“When I joined the Council’s Resources Committee in 2024, I was horrified to see this important parcel of land on the ‘surplus assets’ list and had been in the process of being disposed of since 2020.
“And when I spoke up and opposed this, I was labelled ‘difficult’ by other parties and voted down.
“Unsurprisingly I had the full support of Shrigley Community Group, and along with Michelle McIlveen MLA, we met with council management to highlight the importance of this public green to the people of Shrigley.
“There is also a deed of covenant stating this land must be retained as an open recreational space which would have limited the revenue raising by the council anyway.
“Even if a well-intentioned body bought the land and allowed public use of it, there was no guarantee that person or organisation would have the money or interest in 5, 10 or 20 years’ time to regularly maintain this space and accept any liabilities that may arise.
“Why would residents agree to ditch a secure council maintenance schedule for an unknown arrangement by a private unaccountable body?
“I therefore argued that not only were the council’s plans to dispose of the land not thought-through, but the modest four-figure sum of ratepayers’ money that was annually used to maintain Shrigley’s only public green, was money well spent in its ongoing effort to enhance community cohesion and health.
“Credit must go to Shrigley Community Group who made clear ‘Shrigley’s green is not for sale!’ I am pleased the other political parties have (eventually) supported me in objecting to these plans.
“It’s a small win, but there is still a lot to do in Shrigley to improve community facilities in this once thriving village.”
Cllr Bowsie added: “I would like to thank council staff and other political parties for latterly working with me on this and supporting my proposal for the council to retain this cherished green space.
“Thanks also go to local residents Kathleen Stockton, Amy Breen, and Chris and Michelle Hagan for their invaluable support in this campaign.”
