Minister delighted over ‘high-quality’ pump track

Minister delighted over ‘high-quality’ pump track

17 September 2025

THE opening of Downpatrick’s new £500,000 urban sports park has been welcomed by Stormont communities minister Gordon Lyons.

Featuring a pump track for cyclists and a skateboard park and located at Dunleath Park, it has been described as a “cutting edge facility” which includes an 80-metre pump track, incorporating a dynamic series of banked turns and undulations, alongside a state-of-the-art 400 square metre skatepark.

Finance for the project has been provided by the Department for Communities and Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

The skatepark includes ramps and grind rails as trick features, offering an exciting and modern space for urban sports enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels.

The government department provided just over £439,032.28, with the local authority chipping in with just over £74,500, with the combined £513,559 investment aiming to deliver state-of-the-art facilities to Downpatrick, designed to enhance community health and wellbeing while revitalising the local area.

The major investment forms part of the wider regeneration of Downpatrick, designed to attract visitors, strengthen links with the town centre and nearby Down Leisure Centre, and encourage healthier, more active lifestyles.

Mr Lyons said he’s pleased his Department was able to support the Dunleath development.

“This investment has delivered a high-quality space that will promote health and wellbeing, encourage active lifestyles and draw more people into Downpatrick town centre,” he said.

“It’s a project that will deliver long-lasting benefits for the whole community.”

The sports park was identified as a priority through the Downpatrick Living High Streets initiative and championed by the Downpatrick Regeneration Working Group. 

Local council chairman, Philip Campbell, described the project as a “great example” of how partnership working and collaboration can deliver real results for the district. 

“Dunleath Urban Sports Park is a vibrant, modern facility that will support our young people, encourage outdoor activity and contribute to the ongoing regeneration of Downpatrick. We are proud to see this vision become a reality,” he added.

Regeneration Working Group chairman, Mal McGrady, said the opening of the urban sports park “marks an important milestone” in our efforts to revitalise Downpatrick. 

He added: “It not only provides young people with a safe and inclusive space to enjoy, but also strengthens the town centre, helping to build a more connected community.”

In addition to the urban sports park, there are also plans to transform the current shale sports pitch at Dunleath into an ultra-modern 3G facility, with the walking track around the perimeter of the park proving hugely popular and the base for the weekly Saturday morning parkrun.

The new sports facility borders Thomas Russell Park and the Ballydugan Road industrial estate and stretches as far back as housing developments at the Vianstown Road.

Local politicians and the Downpatrick Regeneration Working Group want to see Dunleath’s significant development potential fully utilised, with a working group established to help oversee the park’s development.

Stormont communities minister, Gordon Lyons, said his department was pleased to provide significant funding for the Dunleath Park development.

He said the exciting addition to the sporting landscape of Downpatrick will provide a dynamic new space that supports health, community and economic growth in the area.