From the pages of the Down Recorder, May 27, 1992

From the pages of the Down Recorder, May 27, 1992

25 May 2022

DOWNPATRICK — Objections from local residents are thwarting plans to extend the Downpatrick working railway museum, it has been revealed this week.

A special meeting is to be set up to help resolve the difficulties and implications of the objections from landowners.

Planners are recommending approval of four separate applications by the Downpatrick and Ardglass Railway Company to extend its operation from its Market Street base.

The proposal is to extend the track over the Quoile River towards Inch Abbey and in the opposite direction, towards Ballydugan. It will increase the railway from its present three quarters of a mile of track to six miles.

But 12 letters of objection have been lodged against this second proposal – to extend the track towards Ballydugan, reinstating abandoned railway track from the Ringreagh junction to a point east of Drumcullan Road.

It is claimed reopening the line would damage the environment and involves land now being actively used for agricultural purposes.

Alliance councillor, Dr Michael Healy, said there is also concern about the impact of a working railway on pheasant breeding in the area.

The SDLP’s Mr Malachi Curran requested a deferment of the application to extend the track towards Ballydugan to enable the considerable number of objections to be considered.

“We are not opposed to the railway and indeed support 100 per cent the other proposal to extend the track towards Inch. However, the council’s marketing and tourism committee decided at its last meeting to meet the objections and the board of the railway company to find if there are any ways of reconciling the objection,” explained Mr Curran.

Councillors are concerned that plans to extend the railway could be frustrated because, even with planning permission, the voluntary railway company may have difficulty acquiring the land needed unless landowners are willing sellers.

The council has deferred consideration to allow discussions to be held with the interested groups. 

PORTAFERRY — The face of Portaferry is to be transformed, thanks to a £2.1m lifeline from the Government and the International Fund for Ireland.

A five-pronged package of measures will help transform the appearance of the town over the coming months.

Formal details of the funding — which were revealed by the Recorder last week — were announced at a gathering last Wednesday morning attended by the chairman of the Fund, Mr John B McGuckian.

The chairman of the Portaferry Consultative Committee, Sir Thomas Brown, described it as “a red letter day” for the area.

He pointed out that the joint investment from the IFI and Department of the Environment under the CRISP programme will not in itself achieve the goal of regenerating Portaferry.

“Future investment will be needed if this town is to be improved. So I welcome the decision to put aside several thousand pounds in support of the Urban Development Programme.”

He praised the IFI’s commitment and the DoE’s work in preserving the beauty of Portaferry. “However, we need to site ourselves and we need this capital investment, which we have not had until this time.”

NEWCASTLE — The local health service watchdog, the Eastern Health Council, has signalled its firm opposition to the plans to close Mourne House residential home in Newcastle.

Council members ended a tortuous three-month consultation period on the proposed closure with an unequivocal vote taken at a specially arranged meeting last Thursday.

Fifteen of the council’s 19 members present at the debate voted for a recommendation to the Eastern Health Board and it abandon plans to close the thirty year-old home for the elderly and instead seek to expand it as a “centre of excellence” in the Newcastle area.

The 15-0 vote with four abstentions in favour of retaining Mourne House proved to be the most decisive vote in a meeting which also discussed the proposed closure of two other facilities for the elderly in the Eastern Health Board area.

And within minutes of the decision being taken in the common room of the nurses’ home at the Ulster Hospital, the Mourne House recommendation was faxed to the Eastern Health Board’s Director of Planning and to the General Manager of the Down and Lisburn Unit, Dr Collim Patton.

The eleventh hour vote to support the retention of Mourne House was taken after members of the Eastern Health Council – which is composed of councillors, trades union officials and representatives of voluntary bodies – were given an overview of the closure dilemma by the sub -committee which made an inspection tour of the Newcastle home and the two other threatened facilities.

DRUMANESS – Local ‘green’ oil company, Capital Oils, based at Drumaness, has taken another giant step forward in their environmental business by considerably updating their vehicle fleet.

Two of their three vehicles have been purchased in the last four months and Capital now have a reliable and up-to-date fleet to see them into the 1990’s when further new legislation on environmental protection will be introduced.

Technical sales manager, Mr Barry Johnston said: “Although we cover the whole Province, providing a waste oil collection and waste management service, we are delighted to be based in this part of Co Down where the surrounding scenery never fails to impress.

“It is extremely important to work to protect this environment,” added Mr Johnston.

KILLYLEAGH — The Ulster Unionists are set to reclaim the chairmanship of Down District Council next week.

Killyleagh councillor Mr Sam Osborne is expected to be promoted to the top post after serving for the last 12 months as vice chairman to outgoing SDLP chairman, Mr Sean Quinn.

His deputy is likely to be the SDLP’s Miss Margaret Ritchie, although members of the party will not meet until later this week to decide their choice.

The majority SDLP grouping is expected to maintain its policy of rotating the leading council positions and responsibility sharing at the council’s annual meeting on Monday night.

For Mr Osborne it will mark the highlight of a remarkable 33 year-long family connection with local government in the Killyleagh area.

He was first elected to the council in 1977. His father served in the first term of the new Down council from 1973 and on the old East Down Rural Council, making a combined family service of 33 years.

KILLINCHY – Killinchy Morotcycle Club will stage the first-ever 250cc Grand Prix held in Ulster.

The Gilbeys Ulster Games event is the seventh round of the 250cc World Motocross Championship and will entice some of the World’s top star to the Co Down venue.

Belgium’s Stefan Everts (Suzuki) is the current leader after four rounds – there will be another two rounds before Killinchy, at Germany on 14th June, and the British round on June 21st – and will be out to tighten his grip at Killinchy.

The club has been staging 125cc Grand Prix events over the past six years, but this highly prestigious lift to the ‘higher gear’ is a major boost to the sport in Ulster and Ireland.

Says the club’s publicity officer Alan Drysdale: “To stage the event will take somewhere in the region of £50,000 and if it wasn’t for outside assistance, we just couldn’t continue at this level.”

“It’s a major gamble by the Killinchy club, but we believe in giving the public the best possible  show.”

The club is expecting up to 80 competitors to take part at the event and race secretary confirmed that American Bob Moore, a winner at Killinchy twice, is returning, as well as Donny Schmit, who took the flag three times at the recent Italian event.

Beamed Roger: “It’s a big step for the club, but already the biggest names in the sport have indicated their intentions of appearing. In fact riders such as Alessandro Puzar (Italy), Everts (Belgium), Moore and Schmit, along with defending champ Trampas Parker (USA) have already confirmed their inclusion.”