From the pages of the Down Recorder, August 2, 1995

From the pages of the Down Recorder, August 2, 1995

30 July 2025

DOWNPATRICK – Opponents of Downpatrick’s controversial link road proposal will decide later this week if they are to take their battle to the High Court.

Members of the Downpatrick Town Debate are considering seeking leave for a judicial review into a decision by a planning commissioner to allow Roads Service chiefs to press ahead with the £2.1m scheme.

Their deliberations have been strengthened by the comments of the commissioner who presided over the public inquiry and ruled that his final decision had been made on the “finest of margins”.

Opponents of the scheme now have another four weeks to compile their comments and forward them to the Department of Environment.

Over the next few days they are to examine the possibility of raising cash to fund a judicial review which could prove costly, but it is understood a number of options are being considered.

The first would involve seeking donations from major groups which also voiced opposition to the scheme, but is seems the most likely outcome will be a legal aid application.

NEWCASTLE – Newcastle’s jazz group, Jazz Impressions, heads down to the resort’s County Wexford twin, New Ross, to take part in a major festival this weekend…but there will be one notable omission from the band’s line-up.

Downpatrick sax player, Johnny Peters, who has played a pivotal role in the band’s development, won’t be joining them for their intensive three-day series of engagements. He’s currently laid up in a New Orleans hospital bed after being shot by a mugger in a random street attack.

It’s a bitter irony for both Johnny and the whole group that it was his involvement with Jazz Impressions and the Newcastle Jazz Workshop that led the 22 year-old to New Orleans in the first place.

Johnny was attending a jazz course at the famous Skidmore College of Performing Arts when the attack took place, and he was planning to return to Downpatrick this week to join the rest of the Jazz Impressions group for their trip to New Ross.

However, Johnny is expected to remain in America for at least six weeks, but for the rest of the group, the show must go on.

CASTLEWELLAN – The number of people suffering from food poisoning following a charity barbecue at a local restaurant has doubled, it has been revealed.

A major investigation was launched last week after 30 people fell ill after a fundraising event at the Slieve Croob Inn, at Seeconnell, near Castlewellan.

But after an appeal from Eastern Health and Social Services Board officials, urging anyone who attended the function and developed symptoms of food poisoning to contact their local doctor, the numbers increased to 64. A pregnant woman who attended the charity function is still in hospital.

The cause of the outbreak is still being probed by Down Council’s environmental health officers and the Eastern Health Board, which has managed to contact 110 people who attended the barbecue.

ARDGLASS – The owner of a fish processing factory in Ardglass has this week warned that vandalism may force him to erect more security fencing at his Strangford Road complex.

Although full production has not yet commenced at Mr Kenny Kennedy’s £1m state-of-the-art factory, it has been consistently targeted by vandals who have caused damage estimated at £15,000.

Police have investigated a number of incidents at the factory and it is understood that if the culprits persist with their actions, they will be prosecuted.

Over the past number of weeks, a series of golf balls and stones have been launched at the factory and one employee escaped serious injury when a ball flew a matter of inches past his head.

Things came to a head last Thursday morning when a golf ball smashed through the window of a vehicle belonging to Mr Kennedy’s wife, causing damage estimated at £200.

He said his young children are normally in the four-track car and explained they could have been showered with flying glass and seriously injured if they had been in the vehicle at the time of the incident.

DOWNPATRICK – Over half of Downpatrick’s proposed new £5m shopping centre at the town’s Ballydugan Road is expected to house state-of-the-art leisure facilities.

If the plans are formally approved by senior planning chiefs it is believed that a multi-screen cinema, 10-pin bowling alley and High Street style hot-food bars could be established in Downpatrick.

Plans to build the shopping and leisure complex moved a step closer this week when the developer behind the ambitious scheme lodged an application for outline planning permission.

The retail warehousing section of the 2.9 hectare site will take up 3,300 square metres of space with an additional 3,400 square metres earmarked for leisure development.

Details of the scheme were first made public in May when it was claimed the £5m flagship shopping centre could be open for business by the end of next year.

KILLYLEAGH – It had all the ingredients of a magical musical experience – a fairytale castle, a balmy summer’s evening and an Irish pop legend.

Yet strangely it wasn’t a winning recipe.

The organisation was faultless, the rain stayed away and both the warm-up group, Celtic Mystery Orchestra and co-star, Brian Kennedy, were excellent. But the main attraction, Van Morrison, was not the man.

The East Belfast singer, clutching his beloved saxophone and dressed in black trilby and shades, just didn’t seem in the mood to party. On the other hand, the purple-clad Kennedy certainly “Captured” the hearts of those who knew his music and others who were unfamiliar with it.

However, the setting of a large outdoor concert, attended by over 2,500 on Friday night, is probably not the best place to hear one man and his guitar and Kennedy’s sweet tones would be appreciated more at an intimate gathering.

Despite this, the boy from Andersonstown gave us a lovely rendition of the traditional song, “Carrickfergus” and boosted the crowd with the message “Fear is the Enemy of Love” and “Intuition”, as well as the old Sam Cooke classic, “You Send Me”.

DOWNPATRICK – The chairman of the Down Community Health Committee has this week warned that money for Downpatrick’s new multi-million pound hospital could become trapped in bureaucratic red tape.

Mr Cecil Maxwell says he is becoming “increasingly concerned” about the lack of movement since the Eastern Health Board gave its backing in principle to the business case prepared by the Down Lisburn Trust.

It is believed the case does pave the way for the new £13.5m facility to be built at the Ardglass Road site in the town, but although the document was given guarded approval in June, there has been little movement since.

Judgement by the Board on the finer details of the case has been reserved and closer dialogue has been called for between its officers and senior managers from the Trust.

KILLYLEAGH – Prince Andrew has told the people of Killyleagh that he expects to visit the town before the end of the year.

The news was relayed recently in a letter from Buckingham Palace to the chairman of the town’s Royal British Legion branch, Mr Gerry Walsh, who had invited the Baron of Killyleagh to this month’s VJ Day celebrations.

Mr Walsh said Prince Andrew apologised for not being able to attend a planned ecumenical service outside the town’s castle on August 20, but gave a guarantee he will be in Killyleagh before the end of the year.

The Prince last visited Killyleagh on St Valentine’s Day in 1988 when he won the hearts of the locals. On that occasion he was accompanied by the Duchess of York, but he is expected to be alone for his next trip.

The couple were greeted by cheering crowds of well-wishers and news of the Prince’s return to the town is set to be welcomed by everyone in Killyleagh and set the place buzzing with anticipation.