Major extension at Newcastle’s Donard Park set to get approval

Major extension at Newcastle’s Donard Park set to get approval

9 March 2022

FORMAL planning approval is expected to be granted today for a major extension to the Donard Park car park in Newcastle.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council is investing £250,000 to formally develop a grass overspill area at the foothills of the Mournes to provide 163 new spaces.

A recommendation to allow the scheme to proceed will be discussed at today’s meeting of the local authority’s Planning Committee. The extended car park will include 13 dedicated parking bays for people with mobility issues.

As part of the development proposal on land west of the existing car park, a six metre high ball stop fence is being erected and a 1.8 metre high paladin fence. There will also be new footpaths, lighting and drainage.

None of the statutory agencies have objected to the local authority proposal, but concern was expressed by one resident about the anti-social behaviour of young drivers using the car park.

Recommending that the council proposal should be approved, planners said the current overspill car park is considered to be site a “sufficient distance” from adjacent dwellings to prevent “any unacceptable impacts”.

Planners say taking into account planning policy, consultee responses, planning history and responses, approval is recommended, also stipulating that prior to any work starting, a final drainage assessment, including a detailed drainage network design and demonstration of how so-called out-of-sewer flooding will be addressed, must be agreed with them.

No retained trees will be allowed to be felled or uprooted as part of the work to provide the new parking spaces.

Planners have also warned that care will need to be taken during the construction phase to ensure there are no polluting discharges.

The contractor appointed to provide the new spaces must submit a so-called final construction method statement and that work cannot begin until approval is in place for the discharge of storm water from the development site has been secured from the Rivers Agency. A final drainage assessment must also be submitted.

Protection zones for badger setts in the area must be established, with all trees and hedgerows retained with no external lighting provided until a lighting plan has been submitted to planners and approved.

Local politicians are pleased that the main car park in Newcastle is to be extended which will make a difference during the busy holiday periods.

They say there will be a return on the local authority’s significant investment to provide additional parking for visitors and residents in the resort.

Previously, the overflow area for cars at the rear of Donard Park has been described as “unsightly” and particularly difficult to manage in wet weather, with the extension providing a modern parking facility to meet the needs of a range of drivers.

It’s also understood that the overspill car park may include a number of charging points for electric vehicles.