Public asked for view on Ballynahinch centre

Public asked for view on Ballynahinch centre

22 September 2021

PEOPLE in Ballynahinch are being asked for their views on plans to carry out internal modifications at the town’s community centre.

Three options have been drawn up Newry, Mourne and Down Council for the Windmill Street building which opened in 1987.

Over three decades later, the local authority is to invest money on the building’s internal layout and while many had hoped that there would be a major spend on a new ultra-modern centre, this has been ruled out for now.

The centre is used to provide community and leisure facilities for local people and a variety of organisations across the market town, with the scheduled upgrade including enhanced car parking at the rear. There is also the potential to add more if they are required.

While three options have been drawn up, members of the local authority’s Active and Healthy Communities Committee favour one that involves reconfiguring a meeting room and foyer into one large, open space with a new extension to the front to a 100 square metre multi-purpose room.

In addition, two changing rooms are to be knocked into one with a 43 square metre kitchen area.

A third changing room is to be converted to provide a so-called changing places toilet and there is also a store area for the meeting area.

Asking the public for its view — which must be submitted online by Wednesday, September 29 — council officials say they recognise there is a need renovate the existing centre to meet current demands and services the community expects.

In addition, Rowallane area councillors have highlighted concerns that currently, only one activity can take place at the centre at a time due to the current layout. They also recognise the need to offer additional space for extra activities.

As part of the consultation process, residents are asked to complete a small online questionnaire, with all information used by the council to determine the best way forward.

News of the proposal to upgrade the community centre comes after the local authority was asked to address its under investment in the market town and ensure that enhancing leisure facilities was a critical component of its future investment plans.

Earlier this year, the need for ultra-modern leisure provision topped the agenda during an online meeting between local politicians and senior council officials who were asked to examine the potential of extending and upgrading the existing community centre at Windmill Street or a complete new-build, potentially on available land at the town’s Langley Road or at the Newcastle Road.

Major new leisure provision has recently been provided across the council area, including Downpatrick, Saintfield and Newry, with plans in the pipeline for significant investment in new leisure services in Newcastle.

Politicians say that while Ballynahinch has missed out on major local authority investment over recent years, the organisation needs to address this now to cater for the needs of local people and sporting organisations.

They argued that the current community centre needs major improvement or potentially replaced and that funding must be earmarked to allow this to happen. 

Politicians say it’s vital that Ballynahinch is a key part of any future council strategy when it comes to leisure activities. 

Several councillors believe the current Ballynahinch Centre requires significant investment to meet the needs of local people and while many favour a new-build, they recognise that this is unlikely in the short to medium term.

Moving forward, they say Ballynahinch cannot be left behind given that it has missed out on major funding for a significant number of years and that ratepayers in the town and surrounding area deserve nothing less.

The consultation closes at 3pm on Wednesday, September 29 and to take part, log on at https://tinyurl.com/3uejtmpc. For further information email ccbookings@nmandd.org