Newry and Mourne District Council

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Newry City Centre Strategic Development Framework March 2004 3.3 SWOT Analysis The following list is compiled from the results of the consultations with traders, community groups and the general public. a. Strengths - Restaurants and night life - Location near Mournes and South Armagh is beneficial for tourism - A number of prominent quality buildings - A good mix and choice of shops, large retailers and shopping centres - The canal, river and Albert Basin - Good taxi services - The bus station is good and centrally located - The presence of enterprise and training centres and industrial estates - Major employers, such as Norbrook and Glen - Good road infrastructure outside the town centre - Historical heritage c. Opportunities - Public space for events should be considered close to Hill Street - Develop North St Flats site for multi-storey car parking and offices - Develop more city centre offices - Develop “Living over the shops” in Hill St and Monaghan St - Develop water sports at the Albert Basin - Make better use of the canal and river - Corry Square site (PSNI) in Newry will be offered for sale - Frank Curran Park (behind convent on Canal Street) has interest from developers - Large vacant building on Canal Quay – Clanrye Mill - Opportunity site exists between Merchants Quay and Lower Catherine Street - Museum and TIC planned for Bagenals Castle site - Opportunity site at the health centre site - Marcus Square could be used as a venue - A multi-storey car parks are required in the city centre; b. Weaknesses - Leisure facilities are not all under one roof or on one site - The waterways are under utilised and the tidal river can be unattractive in places - The market is in decline - There is no proper taxi rank - The train station is not properly developed - City Centre is not disability friendly. There are no disabled toilets and poor disabled parking - Unsafe night time environment - No major tourism attraction and not enough events to bring people into the city - No public square or events area - Not enough car parking at certain key locations and directions to parking is illegible - Poor traffic management and enforcement - Traffic Congestion - Invest NI are running out of space for all businesses in Newry - Anti-social behaviour - Finding way around is difficult, linkages are poor - No provision for cycling – both cycle routes and parking d. Threats - Failure to realise the full potential of the water bodies - Further retail development to the south of the city centre - Continued dominance or the car, onstreet and surface car parking - Failure to deal with traffic congestion - Failure to “Think Big” In summary, Newry City Centre has the potential to offer a lot to the resident and visitor alike. It is well-located near major tourist areas and is renowned for its attractive buildings and range of shops and historical heritage. The canal and river are great assets and the city has a significant draw for new businesses. On the down side, the waterways are under utilised and the city is inaccessible and not disability friendly. There is a lack of open space, event space and major leisure facilities. Cars dominate the spaces, yet parking is poor and illegible. Traffic congestion is a major problem. The traditional shopping areas are under threat from major retail developments and the urban area is not inviting at night. There are however, a number of significant development sites and the area between the river and the canal could be put to better use. The scope exists to redevelop buildings to give Newry more of a high-density city appearance and surface car parking could be replaced with multi-storey. The following tables show how the weaknesses may be addressed and how the current strengths may be used to the advantage of the city Ferguson McIlveen in association with Mentor and Scott Wilson Page No. 8
Newry City Centre Strategic Development Framework March 2004 3.4 Converting Weaknesses to Strengths WEAKNESSESS - There are a number of leisure facilities but not all under one roof or on one site ACTION - Ensure area plan has land zoned and site identified for major leisure use - The waterways are under utilised and can be unattractive in places - Gradually remove surface parking in the central area. Redevelop the central area between the river and canal as a central park - Remove physical barriers between Merchants Quay and Mall - Canal front at the Coal Yard site should be retained for frontage development and pedestrian access - Any developments on or near the canal should not stymie a long term goal to reopen the canal as a usable water way. - Redevelopment of the canal side should consider the history of Newry as a merchant settlement and steps should be taken to regain the traditional quay side along the length of the canal within the city centre - Maximise waterfront potential of Albert Basin site and The Quays - Consider water-based uses for the Albert Basin, Canal and River - Explore the options in controlling river levels - The Area Plan should include policies that ensures that new development or redevelopment of buildings along Merchants Quay, Mall and Buttercrane Quay should be at least 4 storeys in height so as to improve the relationship of the streetscape with the canal and river. - The market is in decline - Create strong link from Market to Buttercrane across river and canal - Consider additional development above the Market - Consider developing the market into a themed market and expand the number of uses - There is no proper taxi rank - Remove taxi rank from Hill Street - Consider the option to relocate the taxi rank to the Mall, where a more typical linear arrangement could be adopted – this will ensure that the system operates efficiently - The train station is not properly developed - City Centre is not disability friendly. There is poor access, no disabled toilets and poor disabled parking - People commute out of Newry to go to work - Work with Translink to find the most suitable location for the train station and develop to a high standard - Ensure that the bus links from the train station to the centre of Newry continue – measures should be explored with Translink to improve this service - Designers and contractors working on EI schemes should be encouraged to consult Development Control Advice Note 11 and Planning Policy Statement 3 in relation to Planning Service policy, standards and advice on providing for people with disabilities in the urban area. - Set up public awareness meetings with a body such as the William Keown Trust to allow the ‘providers’ and ‘users’ of the built environment to come together to focus appraisal on issues relating to disability access within the built and open environments. - Commission a “street scope audit” to assess the current accessibility issues in Newry city centre. A design guide should be prepared on the basis of this audit. - Identify a number of key sites within the city centre for the location of high quality disabled toilet facilities. These should be located at main focal points within easy reach of disabled car parking. - Sites need to be identified for parking spaces dedicated to people with disabilities and need to locate close to shops and other services - Consideration should be given to clamping of those non-disabled people who park in disabled place - Ensure the Banbridge/ Newry and Mourne Area Plan includes a policy on disability in design of buildings and urban environment. - Zone sites for office accommodation within city centre boundary. - Widen city centre boundary to open up lands on edge of current centre for office development - Secure Strategic Employment Location for Newry Ferguson McIlveen in association with Mentor and Scott Wilson Page No. 9
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Newry and Mourne District Council

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