Saintfield unites to fight cuts

Saintfield unites to fight cuts

22 February 2017

SAINTFIELD has united to reject the proposed downgrading of its long awaited new sports and leisure facilities.

Community, sporting and political representatives have this week send a strong message that Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s plans to strip a 3G indoor training pitch from the £1.5m project are unacceptable.

Two weeks ago the council sprung a surprise when it announced major changes to the design of the leisure centre, which will be constructed at the site of a former warehouse on the Belfast Road.

Council officials decided to axe the 3G pitch plan and instead upgrade a shale hockey pitch at the nearby Demesne. They also decided to create eight new business units alongside the leisure centre to generate revenue to help pay the centre’s running costs.

There was surprise and anger within Saintfield that the proposed changes had been made without discussing them with Saintfield Development Association or Saintfield Community Centre Trust steering group which will administer the complex when it is built.

However, on Monday night a meeting took place in Saintfield attended by senior officials from all local sports clubs, representatives of community development groups and all Rowallane councillors  at which the plan to remove the 3G pitch and develop business units was unanimously rejected.

A letter is to be sent to the council chief executive, Liam Hannaway, urging the council to reinstate the 3G training pitch while continuing with plans to upgrade the hockey pitch to a 2G multi sports pitch.

Damian Scarlett, chairman of the Saintfield Community Centre Trust steering group, said there was “shock” in the village when the council’s decision was announced. He said since then, two meetings have taken place “to mobilise Saintfield” which resulted in the decision to write to Mr Hannaway.

“The unanimous consensus after the two meetings was that the priorities for the town agreed by the community in 2014 have not changed,” said Mr Scarlett.

He said the letter to Mr Hannaway, which effectively rejects the downgrading plan, will outline the community’s preferred options for leisure and sporting development in the town.

“It will press the need for a community centre, with meeting rooms, kitchen and other facilities as planned for the Belfast Road site,” said Mr Scarlett.

“It will strongly articulate the need to upgrade the Demesne pitch to a multi-use, sand dressed pitch with fencing and improved floodlighting. This would be used by Darragh Cross GAC, Saintfield hockey club and the burgeoning Saintfield Striders athletics club.

“The latter will also press the case for the indoor artificial 3G surface which is a much needed facility and which would be used by the juniors and seniors of Saintfield United and Darragh Cross GAC and others,” he continued.

The chairman said there is growing interest in the project within the wider Saintfield community and a huge amount of support for the plan.

“I have been very impressed with the togetherness of people of Saintfield with this,” he added. “It has been a long time in coming and for me this is not about my age group it is about providing facilities for the young people of Saintfield.”

Rowallane Alliance councillor Patrick Brown, who is also chairman of the council’s influential Strategy, Policy and Resources Committee, supported the community’s response to the council plans. He said a consultation exercise in the town attracted 900 replies which backed the new 3G pitch and the refurbishment of the shale pitch.

“There strong support for development of both pitches given the number of sporting organisations in the town and I have absolutely no problem supporting the community’s appeal that the council go down this route,” he said.

DUP councillor William Walker said everyone who attended the meeting was ‘singing from the same hymn sheet” in support of the 3G pitch plan.

“We see the need for it and we are supportive of it and it is something the community of Saintfield gave widespread backing to,” he said. “The councillors are all four square behind the sports clubs who were all represented at the meeting and who are all united on the need for such a facility in the area.

“This plan to remove the 3G pitch must be scrapped and the council must get on with constructing this long overdue facility.”