Meeting on Saintfield community centre plans

Meeting on Saintfield community centre plans

10 May 2017

RESIDENTS in Saintfield are being encouraged to attend an important consultation event in the village next week.

Organised by Newry, Mourne and Down Council, the event being held at the Rowallane Community Hub in Main Street is designed to collect people’s views to help update the village plan.

Residents, community and businesses representatives are encouraged to attend the event which starts at 6.45pm and is scheduled to conclude at 9pm.

Rowallane councillor, Robert Burgess, said the event will also seek people’s views on priorities and opportunities for driving forward the Saintfield’s development and he hopes there will be a large turnout.

One of the key issues likely to be discussed will be the proposed new community centre at the Belfast Road.

The project was initiated by the Saintfield Development Association and it is determined to see the project through to fruition, with the support of the recently formed Saintfield Community Centre Trust which has been handed the task of overseeing the delivery and running of the much-needed new facility. 

Councillor Burgess confirmed there is agreement on the way forward between the Development Association, the new Community Centre Trust and sports clubs. He is also confident the centre will be developed to meet an increasing need for sports and community provision.

“I hope people in Saintfield will make the most of next week’s opportunity to have an input into updating the village’s plan. It is important they make their voices heard,” said councillor Burgess.

“I also hope it won’t be long before we see major progress on the new community centre. The premises were purchased a long time ago and people in the town are eager to see this new facility delivered. There is a sense of frustration that not more progress has been made but I am confident that is about to change.”

Councillor Burgess said people want to see builders on site at the Belfast Road and hopes this will soon happen.

He added: “A lot of people have invested a lot of time to help deliver a new community centre and I hope their efforts will be rewarded shortly. This is a much-needed facility in an area which has been starved of major public sector investment for far too long.”