Council backs plans for £1.5m centre in Castlewellan

Council backs plans for £1.5m centre in Castlewellan

22 May 2013

AMBITIOUS plans to transform Castlewellan Community Centre have received a boost from Down Council.

The local authority has agreed to draw up a draft lease for the Castlewellan Community Partnership which is spearheading the £1.5m redevelopment of the Circular Road building.

Politicians agreed to draw up a draft lease at Monday night’s meeting of Down Council’s Recreation and Community Services Committee and to have the documentation approved by its legal advisors.

In addition, the council is to consider a request from the Castlewellan group to be reimbursed for £7,000 it has spent to date on planning fees.

The ambitious redevelopment programme involves keeping the front part of the building and demolishing the remainder. The new facility will incorporate a four-court sports hall at the rear.

The main part of the building will still house a multi-sports hall that would have a partition and enable it to be cordoned off. The first floor of the building will include a reception and gym area, with new changing rooms accessible from both the sports hall and synthetic pitch.

The Castlewellan centre is home to the town’s Irish language nursery school and also provides accommodation for a community playgroup and an Irish language mother and toddler group.

It is also used by Girl Guides, Home Start, an Irish dancing school, a local youth club and fishing club. The Circular Road centre is also used by a range of church and sports groups.