Estate concerns to be resolved after 10 years

Estate concerns to be resolved after 10 years

27 April 2016

THE Housing Executive and Transport NI have been asked to join forces to address residents’ concerns at the Ardpatrick Avenue area in Downpatrick.

Residents are concerned that work to provide a footpath at the estate, which they claim started over a decade ago, was never completed while a fence which is the responsibility of the Housing Executive remains unfinished.

Councillor Cadogan Enright said the unfinished fence is allowing people to use Ardpatrick Avenue as a short cut to walk from the Killough Road towards the nearby Vianstown Road. He also confirmed he has been working alongside the Stream Street Residents’ Association in a bid to have the footpath and fence issues resolved.

“The Housing Executive has agreed to replace the fencing and is prepared to offer land it owns at Ardpatrick Avenue to Transport NI to allow work on the footpath to be completed. I will be discussing the Executive’s offer at the next meeting of the local community planning forum and hope roads officials will now complete the footpath,” explained councillor Enright.

“The missing fencing is also allowing irresponsible individuals to dump waste as well as cutting through some residents’ gardens on their way to the Vianstown Road. There has also been anti-social activity at this part of Ardpatrick Avenue.”

Councillor Enright said one resident, Mr Seams Blaney, whose garden is used an as unofficial short cut, described what is happening as “disturbing and upsetting.” Mr Blaney said the issue of rubbish being dumped in the area is a “huge problem.”

Councillor Enright added: “I welcome the Housing Executive’s offer to remove the dumped waste as residents cannot keep doing this voluntarily every time. The residents’ group is made up of volunteers and it is important the statutory agencies play their part in addressing the issues of concern they have raised.”