Minister given first hand account of life for Saintfield residents

Minister given first hand account of life for Saintfield residents

21 November 2012

STORMONT Minister Danny Kennedy was in Saintfield last week to meet local politicians and regeneration officials to discuss various proposals for the town.

There are currently a number of exciting projects in the pipeline, including plans to redevelop the town square and provide a new play park at the New Line.

Saintfield Credit Union is looking to redevelop premises in Main Street, while work is progressing to develop a new sports centre. A bid has also been submitted for Heritage Lottery funding to support the repair, reuse and regeneration of buildings within Saintfield’s conservation area.

The upgrade of the town’s Main Street is viewed as one of the key building blocks in Saintfield successful regeneration initiative and this was outlined to Mr. Kennedy last week.

The roads minister described his visit as “fact finding” and said it’s important the government takes a holistic approach and that schemes like resurfacing Saintfield Main Street are done in conjunction with other plans and proposals from other agencies to ensure all the work is co-ordinated and everything is done at the one time.

But Mr. Kennedy said he could not make any promises on the availability of funding for work in Saintfield, explaining when issues are identified their priority has to be assessed, with the focus on how money can be used wisely to its maximum benefit.

“I welcome the various proposals which are being worked up for Saintfield. Local people are doing a great job and there seems to be very good engagement and interest and that self-help attitude is very positive and that’s something I have warmly welcomed,” he continued.

Mr. Kennedy said it’s important for him to get out and about and meet people and listen to the plans for their respective areas.

Strangford MLA Simon Hamilton, who organised last week’s visit, said residents and business owners are concerned about the state of Saintfield Main Street which they say is “not up to scratch and not in keeping with the character of the town.”

He explained he wanted Mr. Kennedy to see at first hand what the issues are in the town and that when bids come forward from the Roads Service to do work in Saintfield, the Minister will understand the context of the bid.

Mr. Hamilton said the main road through the heart of the town “is as bad as ever” and needs to be upgraded. He hopes that given the various proposals for Saintfield, the Roads Service will agree to upgrade Main Street.

He added: “Last week’s visit was not about ensuring Mr. Kennedy gets his cheque book out, but showing him what work is needed so he has a full appreciation and understanding of Saintfield and its needs. Upgrading Main Street will not happen overnight. But a strong case is being made for the work to be programmed alongside many other exciting developments in the town.”

Mr. Martyn Todd, of Saintfield Town Regeneration Committee, said it was important to show Mr. Kennedy the various community initiatives people are working on and how they could do with additional help.

“Everyone in the community is working together in a bid to improve Saintfield for their children’s future. It’s vital that anyone at Stormont who has any influence or say in where funding is allocated should think positively about Saintfield and its needs,” he said.

“We hope the bid for Heritage Lottery Funding will be successful and that the new community facility will be delivered. But we also have other ideas about how to improve Saintfield and boost its economic viability in the future. There is now a mood of optimism in the town which has not been there for years.”