Newry and Mourne District Council

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Newry City Centre Strategic Development Framework March 2004 tourism in Newry, related to the high scenic qualities and outdoor leisure. ECON 9.2: Protect and enhance water-based visitor amenities, aims to investigate the potential to reopen disused canals to create a regional network of waterways centred on Lough Neagh. b. Newry Area Plan 1984-1999 As the district town within the plan area, Newry was expected to experience the most radical changes and be the focus for the provision of infrastructure and services. The plan has zoned land for 3730 dwellings to accommodate an estimated population increase of 67%, the intensity of this development dependent upon adequate infrastructure and services provision, especially to the north east. The plan recognised the intrinsic landscape character of the area and all development should be sympathetic to this feature. The main recreational areas within the town are Derryleckagh and Jennings Park, the plan proposed to create further recreational space throughout Newry, buffering new housing. Derrymore National Trust site was to double in size linking to the proposed Bessbrook River Amenity Area. Another Amenity Area was proposed along the Glen River linking the town centre with Ballinlare playing fields. The plan realised the influence that the construction of the Newry By-pass would have and phased developments, infrastructure and service improvements appropriately. Within the town centre, the plan proposed a town centre limit, within which shops, offices, entertainment facilities and civil buildings should be concentrated. During the plan period, the retail sector was expected to require 4,000m² within this limit, east of the river, canal, Sugar Island and Lower Canal Street. Upgrading and developing the river and canal were also seen as beneficial to the future of the town and developments directly affecting or adjacent to either, should be reviewed. The plan also proposes to improve the junction of Edwards Street and Merchants Quay and to widen Francis Street. c. Banbridge, Newry and Mourne Area Plan Issue Paper 2015 Capitialising on its close proximity to the border, Newry has experienced significant residential growth and witnessed a substantial expansion of its retail centre, over the last 30 years. In 2000, 1278 dwellings were complete and there is still development capacity both within the town and on previously zoned sites. The plan will redefine the main commercial area of Newry, whilst dealing effectively with traffic congestion, car parking and public transport within the town. The benefits of Newry’s location in Northern Ireland and the historic town centre, conservation area and canal have been recognised and their potential as recreational, educational and tourist facilities will be explored. 1.4 Purpose of Strategic Development Framework This Framework Document has been commissioned by Newry and Mourne District Council to draw together local opinion as to how Newry City Centre should be shaped in the future and has been prepared in conjunction with local community groups and businesses. The consultation process identified the strengths and weaknesses in Newry City Centre, and opportunities to build on these strengths to make the city a more vibrant place to live, work and visit. The document deals with issues such as urban design, vehicle movement, parking, development constraints and poor environmental quality and suggests actions and ideas to rectify current problems. These actions are then prioritised and funding sources are identified. The brief called for the Framework is to be forward looking and visionary and some of the recommendations may be viewed as contentious. However, they are intended to generate debate and initiate constructive thinking about the future of the city as a major urban area. It is intended to act as a framework to guide potential investors and developers as well as being the Council’s submission to Planning Service by way of input into the preparation of the Banbridge/ Newry and Mourne Area Plan 2015. The proposals, actions and recommendations within this Document will be further investigated by Planning Service, who may or may not incorporate them within the forthcoming Area Plan. The Area Plan, once published, will be the main policy tool through which these proposals will be implemented. The Framework has been prepared within the context of the Newry City Centre Partnership initiative, “Think Big”. The Think Big promotional document was published in January 2004 and aims to encourage the public, investors, landowners and other public and private bodies to be visionary in their thinking when considering the future development of Newry. Likewise, this Strategic Development Framework encourages those groups to be visionary and consider the long-term future of the city. Ferguson McIlveen in association with Mentor and Scott Wilson Page No. 2
Newry City Centre Strategic Development Framework March 2004 2.0 PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS In preparing this Framework document, the consultants carried out extensive consultations with local community groups, businesses and the general public. Meetings were held during July 2003 with each of these groups, who were also encouraged to complete questionnaires. In addition, flyers were distributed to doctor’s surgeries and other public places in the city, which sought the opinions of local people. Detailed results of the consultations are contained within the Appendices to this document. The following list gives an account of the consultation exercise. f. Full Council Approval – the final version of the Framework was presented to and approved at a meeting of the full Council on 8th March 2004. a. Meeting and walkabout held with City Centre Partnership to establish key issues on 10 th June 2003. b. Questionnaires – prepared and distributed by Mentor Economic Development Ltd. 31 Community Questionnaires were returned and 89 of the 540 Trader Questionnaires distributed were returned. Flyers were distributed to various public places and 82 were returned. The results of these are contained in Appendix 3. c. Consultation Meetings – details of the date and time were advertised in local newspapers asking local people to come along and express their views. The community consultations were held on the 8 th July 2003 when 11 members of the public attended and the Traders Consultation Meeting took place on 12 th August 2003 when 1 local trader attended. The Chamber of Commerce were also consulted on three occasions. d. Public Exhibition – following the initial consultations and analysis of the questionnaires, the consultants prepared draft proposals. These proposals were published in the local newspapers following a press launch on 24 th November 2003. Readers were encouraged to view the proposals, which were on display in the Newry Arts Centre, Buttercrane Shopping Centre and Quays Shopping Centre from 1 st December to 12 th December. They were also encouraged to complete a questionnaire, which sought their views on the proposals. The results of this are contained in Appendix 4. A public meeting was held between the consultants and local people on 10 th December in the Arts Centre during which opinions on the proposals were aired. e. District Electoral Area Meeting – a meeting was held with local Councillors on 13 th January 2004 with a view to obtaining final approval on the proposals. Ferguson McIlveen in association with Mentor and Scott Wilson Page No. 3
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Newry and Mourne District Council

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