Ballynahinch to get a town park

Ballynahinch to get a town park

20 June 2012

BALLYNAHINCH is in line for a major new community park.

Lough Park is to be created behind Ballynahinch Community Centre thanks to a £750,00 regeneration boost. Facilities will include a full size 3G soccer pitch, community allotment and picnic area exercise trails and walkways.

Money has been allocated to the Ballynahinch project via the EU’s Peace III programme and the Transform Your Patch initiative.

Work on the project starts in February next year and is set to transform the Lough Park and provide an ultra-modern soccer pitch for Ballynahinch Olympic.

Ballynahinch councillor Mickey Coogan, who has been working hard to secure money for the project, said he can’t wait to work on the scheme get underway.

“The local community is very much behind this project and I hope Down Council will make a sizeable contribution of £150,000 to the scheme to help with a number of costs, including floodlighting the soccer pitch,” he continued.

“I have been working on this particular scheme for almost four years and local people are fully behind it. A consultation exercise in the town’s Market House was attended by several hundred people, with over 100 completing a survey. As a result, ideas suggested by local people have been included in the final plan.”

Councillor Coogan said the Lough Park, which is owned by Down Council, will be leased to the Ballynahinch Olympic Hillcrest Drive Community Partnership.

He added: “This is a very exciting project and one which will be well used by the local community. The development of the Lough Park may have been a long time in the planning but a lot of hard work by many people will soon come to fruition.”

Mel Waddell of Groundwork NI which will be helping deliver the Ballynahinch scheme, said the organisation is “thrilled” to be part of the Transform Your Patch initiative.

He added: “We hope it will inspire local people to rally together to create a picnic area and park which benefits the community for years to come. We look forward to working with all local groups and residents to regenerate the Lough Park in Ballynahinch.”