Construction Ireland Construction Directory
Time and date
CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
Share this page
Construction News
16/06/2008

Minister Urged To Halt Newtownabbey Park-and-Ride

The former Mayor of Newtownabbey - and now Chairman of the Borough's Planning Committee - has slammed NI Executive proposals to introduce a park-and-ride facility near the Sandyknowes roundabout, which he said will cause "gridlock".

In a letter to the Roads Minister, Conor Murphy, Alderman Nigel Hamilton said the planned park-and-ride had received 877 objections, and described the site as "inappropriate" for the purpose.

The land on the Ballyhenry Road, which is owned by the Department for Regional Development, has previously been refused planning permission for private development.

Mr Hamilton said that a key issue for residents is that an application by a private developer was opposed by the department as consultee in 1992 and yet, since the 2003 application by the department itself was submitted, it has instead received support.

"Residents quite rightly ask, how can the consultee be the applicant and still provide an impartial response to planning when they have a vested interest in the development of their own land?" he added.

-- Advertisement --

The proposed park-and-ride facility's original capacity was expected to be around 137, but has now been reduced to 92, which the councillor has attributed to ongoing local campaigning.

However, Mr Hamilton expressed concerns that this potential surplus may result in illegal parking in nearby residential areas.

"Reducing the number of car parking spaces will do nothing to reassure local residents and may only exacerbate problems," he said.

"Many commuters will find that on arriving to the car park there are no available spaces left and will - like the department - be opportunist and park in the residential streets of the Dorchester development."

Alderman Hamilton said the planned facility is likely to increase congestion, and also warned that such a scheme could result in increased anti-social behaviour in the area.

The site, just 25 metres from the M2 roundabout, would be better suited to housing investment, according to Mr Hamilton.

"DRD have had the opportunity to sell off the site for residential development which would be of more benefit to the area.

"The current plans for park-and-ride will do nothing to combat the current congestion problem and the proposal does not meet the strategic requirements for the Belfast Metropolitan Plan."

The former first citizen has also written a letter to the Department of Environment outlining opposition to the plans, and has suggested that a park-and-ride facility would be more appropriate at the Invest NI-owned Global Point, which is located well away from the main roundabout and has better public transport links.

According to Mr Hamilton, the Global Point location has the capacity to hold around 2,000 cars.

Mr Hamilton said he has the backing of all parties in the council chamber.

(PR)(BMcC)

Latest Construction News

20/11/2024

MDE has been awarded the electrical services contract for the Clondalkin School Development Project in Dublin. Working alongside Cunningham Contracts Ltd., the company will serve as the specialist electrical contractor for the construction of new facilities for Gaelscoil na Camóige, Gaelscoil ...
20/11/2024

In celebration of European Week for Waste Reduction, the Northern Ireland Resources Network (NIRN) has launched an environmental education programme to promote zero-waste principles among young people. Three schools from the ABC Borough—St Francis Primary School in Lurgan, St Patrick's Primary ...
20/11/2024

Work has begun at hospital sites across Northern Ireland as part of preparations to eliminate car parking charges by May 2026. Health and Social Care Trusts are installing the necessary infrastructure for a new traffic management system, following the passing of the Hospital Parking Charges Act by ...
20/11/2024

Fine Gael has accused Sinn Féin of abandoning its commitment to protect consumers from rising energy costs, claiming that the party's policies could lead to increased costs for 2.1 million customers. The criticism comes after Sinn Féin's alternative budget last month proposed retaining the ...
20/11/2024

SDLP Agriculture, Environment, and Rural Affairs Spokesperson Patsy McGlone has urged Minister Andrew Muir to take decisive action to protect the environment, rather than launching additional reviews. The comments came after Minister Muir announced a review into environmental governance during an ...
20/11/2024

Alliance Strangford MLAs Kellie Armstrong and Nick Mathison, along with Alliance East Antrim MLA Danny Donnelly, recently visited the tidal research experiment at Queen's University Marine Laboratory (QML) in Strangford. The project, funded by the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE), is ...
19/11/2024

Phoenix Energy has been awarded an international standards accreditation from the British Standards Institution (BSI) in recognition of its inclusive service approach for customers in vulnerable situations. The certification highlights Phoenix Energy's commitment to providing fair, flexible, and ...
19/11/2024

Seating Matters is investing £3.7 million to enhance and improve its manufacturing facilities in Limavady and L'Derry. The company is aiming to support its bold strategy to triple revenue by 2027. Making the announcement while visiting the company's Limavady site Economy Minister Conor Murphy ...
19/11/2024

SDLP Infrastructure Spokesperson Mark H Durkan has urged the Minister and the Executive to take immediate action to address problems within Northern Ireland Water. Mr Durkan warned that the current state of the wastewater system is creating significant delays for infrastructure projects across ...
19/11/2024

Galway City Council will hold a public information evening on affordable housing on Monday, November 25, 2024, from 4pm to 8pm at the Connacht Hotel, Old Dublin Road, Galway. The event will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about how affordable housing operates. Council staff will be ...
Premier Floor ScreedS & N GraniteKG ManufacturingSeamless AluminiumTurboChip Ireland LtdHoulihan ConstructionNW RenewablesConstruction Information ServicesPowerscreen Ireland LtdMW Hire Group
Terms and Conditions
2024/11/21 12:34:08