Ballynahinch plans need council money

Ballynahinch plans need council money

21 August 2013

THE Lough Park development proposals in Ballynahinch are in danger if Down Council does not hand over its share of the funding, it has been claimed.

Councillor Mickey Coogan said those behind the Ballynahinch regeneration project were concerned the £400,000 worth of funding committed by the council in January had not yet materialised.

All funding has to be in place by March next year for work on the project to begin.

Proposals for the £1.7m project include a full size fenced and floodlit 3G pitch for sports, new pathways, interpretative panels and picnic benches, community allotments and play areas.

Speaking at Down Council’s Recreation committee on Monday, councillor Coogan said: “I have serious concerns about progress or the lack of progress made on the Lough Park scheme in Ballynahinch.”

He said the Ballynahinch Olympic and Hillcrest Drive Community Partnership, working with GroundworkNI, had relocated the scheme to accommodate potential future plans of the Council. He said they had also provided all additional information subsequently requested by council.

“The main concern of the public, and I share those concerns, is that council are dragging their heels on this scheme and that there is a lack of communication between senior council staff both internally and certainly with the community,” he said.

Councillor Coogan also claimed community representatives had been treated with a lack of courtesy at a recent council meeting.

“A senior officer was rude and in my opinion behaved inappropriately during the discussions and the community reps were left feeling that council officers have no desire to deliver the scheme and in fact are doing all they can to obstruct it,” he said.

“It is for this reason that I have asked the chairperson of the Recreation Committee to raise this as an urgent late item on the upcoming full council agenda, as I believe council needs to send a clear message to the community in Ballynahinch that they will uphold their end of the bargain. Anything short of a full assurance would be unacceptable.”

Councillor Billy Walker said he shared councillor Coogan’s concerns.

A meeting for all stakeholders to discuss the project in the Market House in Ballynahinch is planned for tomorrow evening at 7pm. Jim Shannon MP and Finance Minister Simon Hamilton will be attending.

No-one from Down Council was available to comment.