A SURVEY of publicly-owned land in the Mournes is to be carried out with a view to reducing congestion.
Local councillor Laura Devlin says there are parking and congestion issues in the Mournes which could be addressed by providing more parking facilities.
However, she insisted that she was not suggesting tarmacking over the landscape.
“I want to see people utilising and building on the more sustainable offering such as the shuttle service that operates,” she said.
“To me that is part of the future of how we ensure that our landscape is protected, while attracting tourists to sample what we have to offer.
“However, in parallel to that, we have small pockets of publicly-owned lands that exist in the vicinity of the areas which are significantly busier.
“What we would like to see is a written breakdown of the locations and size of these lands, so that when funds from central government are released, that we as a council are ready and prepared to proceed with additional minor parking facilities which will ease the congestion and stress that exists at present.”
Mournes area representative Dominic O’Reilly said he welcomed Cllr Devlin’s desire to reduce congestion and protect the environment.
“We want to see visitors, as we know their value to our local economy, but it must be sustainable tourism and tourism that respects the local way of life right across Mourne, which has been the lived experience of many families for generations,” he remarked.
“We all have to do our part to make the Mournes accessible and we cannot have farmers delayed in their activity by motorists who park irresponsibly. Nor can we have locals fearful of services being unable to make it through the congestion at the time of an emergency.
Mr O’Reilly added: “Through working together with a genuine commitment to deliver the best for all, I believe that we can see a sustainable and change from this action.”