Meeting to discuss the future of Dunleath Park

24 February 2021

NEWRY, Mourne and Down Council is to meet with the Rivers Agency ahead of drawing up plans for the redevelopment of Dunleath Park in Downpatrick.

The park — which includes a number of sports pitches and is used extensively by the Downpatrick Youth Football League and other sports clubs — is located on a flood plain at the Ballydugan Road and was recently left under several inches of water following persistent heavy rain.

Downpatrick area councillors are keen to see the sports pitches redeveloped and planning permission is currently being sought for a new walking trail around the complex which borders Thomas Russell Park and the Ballydugan Road industrial estate and stretches as far back as housing developments at the Vianstown Road.

The application for the 7.5km walkway was submitted several weeks ago, but local politicians are keen to see something more substantial provided at Dunleath.

Downpatrick councillors recently took part in a workshop to discuss future developments at the park which looked at the potential for developing new facilities in partnership with other organisations which could help draw down a cocktail of funding.

Politicians have been able to view a flood risk assessment for the park and while this limits what can be done, elected representatives are confident that it should not hinder future development.

A cycle trail is also being suggested and it has been confirmed that Downpatrick area councillors are seeking a meeting with Rivers Agency officials to discuss the future vision for Dunleath and identify potential areas for development.

Local people have also ben taking to social media to suggest potential developments at the sprawling town centre site and are keen to see investment in the area to make the most of what the asset has to offer.

While politicians admit that not everything will be possible at Dunleath Park, they are keen to see the development potential fully exploited.

Residents taking to Facebook have suggested that Dunleath would lend itself to a skateboard park or a bicycle pump park for children which features a series of mini hills.

Other suggestions include a 3G sports pitch, with some calling for an upgrade of the existing drainage facilities. Some residents have called for more trees to be planted to help develop a town park feel, alongside the provision of park benches and even pergolas.

Ambitious plans to redevelop Dunleath were outlined several months ago with Newry, Mourne and Down Council asked to play a key role in helping revitalise the facility and make it one of the organisation’s top priorities.

Initially, local authority officials wanted the development of the park dealt with by Downpatrick area councillors, not a dedicated working party. But officers were forced to back down and asked toconsider the park as a potential site for a major sports hub.

Councillors believe that the huge town centre area offers significant development potential and that its future should be accorded the same priority as the Albert Basin site in Newry where a working group has been created by the local council to oversee the progress of this particular scheme.

A proposal for a working group, comprising Downpatrick councillors and local authority officials to be set up to oversee the redevelopment of Dunleath Park, was agreed at the start of this month, with the focus on exploiting the park’s full potential,

Downpatrick area councillors agree that there is a need to breathe new life back into Dunleath and develop local sports and recreational facilities for the people across Downpatrick, Lecale, Rowallane and further afield.

They insist that the importance of Dunleath cannot be understated and while the facility has been at the heart of sports provision for several decades, it has suffered from a lack of significant underinvestment.

The recent decision to set up a working group to come up with future proposals for the park will also provide an opportunity to advance suggested schemes to the business case stage for capital spend to be committed.

Future recommendations will be discussed at the local authority’s Active and Healthy Communities Committee before proposals are sent to the full council to be rubber stamped.

Tweets by @TheDownRecorder