£250m investment for Downpatrick

£250m investment for Downpatrick

3 July 2024

AMBITIOUS plans have been unveiled for a major new housing development in Downpatrick as part of a £250m investment.

A proposal to build 1,100 new homes on a huge swathe of land between the Saul and Ballyhornan roads is being spearheaded by local company CosyGroup.

Included in what is the biggest ever private development proposed for the town is a new distributor road which is a key plank of Downpatrick’s future development blueprint.

The new homes will be built either side of what is known as the eastern distributor road which will link the Saul and Ballyhornan roads.

The road was proposed a number of years ago to help ease town centre congestion with planners insisting it should be built by developers.

Newry, Mourne and Down Council has previously backed the construction of the new road and the development of new homes either side of it.

A site for a new primary school is included in the multi-million pound mixed use residential development proposal, with the full detail to be made public at an event at St Patrick’s Golf Club in early September.

Demand for new homes in Downpatrick is increasing, with the land earmarked for the major housing development among the last currently available for construction. 

What are being described as “neighbourhood facilities” are also included in the exciting proposal which will feature energy efficient homes.

Details of the proposed development for what is known as the DK07 area have been submitted to Newry, Mourne and Down Council planners.

CosyGroup managing director Philip Polly said the company’s proposals represent a major investment in homes and infrastructure in Downpatrick. 

“Over the last number of years we have seen Downpatrick’s popularity thrive as a place to live, work and visit, and with that comes the demand for new family homes and corresponding infrastructure,” he said.

“Our proposals will see the creation of new energy efficient family homes, all fitted with PV solar panels by our sister company CosySolar, taking a huge step towards a greener and more energy efficient future.”

The company says neighbourhood facilities are included to service the additional demand, in addition to the creation of the new distributor road between the Saul and Ballyhornan roads.

Mr Polly added: “We have been engaging with cross-party representatives in the area and with the Planning Application Notice now submitted, we look forward to presenting our proposals to the community in Downpatrick.

“Over the summer months, further details will be published on the pre-application community consultation process which we encourage all interested parties to take part in it.”

A pre-application -in community consultation event takes place on Tuesday,  September 3, at St Patrick’s Golf Club in Downpatrick between 2pm and 6pm.

In addition, a virtual consultation website will be available between September 2-27 at www.DownpatrickDK07.com.