Tourism centre future talks put back to New Year

Tourism centre future talks put back to New Year

11 December 2019

DISCUSSIONS on the future of Downpatrick’s visitor information centre are to be held early in the New Year.

It was widely expected that talks about the future of the dedicated centre would have been held on Monday evening, but the matter did not feature on the agenda of Newry, Mourne and Down Council’s Enterprise, Regeneration and Tourism  (ERT) Committee meeting.

As exclusively revealed in the Recorder last month, Downpatrick could lose its dedicated visitor information centre under radical proposals being considered by the local authority.

The issue was briefly debated during a behind-closed-doors meeting of the council’s ERT Committee in Newry last month, with the matter again raised at last week’s meeting of the full council by Downpatrick councillor Cadogan Enright.

He criticised the local authority for agreeing to hold discussions on the future of the visitor facility —  located at the St Patrick Centre — in secret.

While no formal decision has yet been made, the Recorder understands that council officers are considering ending the dedicated presence of staff in their current base at the St Patrick Centre in the town. 

Council officials have confirmed that a report which considered the future opportunities for visitor information centres within the district was tabled for discussion in November, with the meeting held in committee and no final decision made.

It is understood that there had been no consultation with local politicians about the future of the visitor information centres prior to last month’s proposal being discussed. 

Last week, the council chief executive, Mrs Marie Ward, explained that as the visitor information centre issue debated by the ERT committee fell under a section of the local government act in relation to financial or business affairs, it was not for public discussion.

She added: “As staff are involved I think it important to make it clear that there is no proposal to close the visitor information centre in Downpatrick. The matter will be discussed at the next ERT Committee.”