PSNI to allow experts to survey base for link road

PSNI to allow experts to survey base for link road

25 July 2012 - by David Telford

A DOWNPATRICK councillor has praised the district’s senior police officer for helping advance plans to tackle town centre traffic congestion.

The Roads Service is proposing to develop a new road linking Irish Street and St. Patrick’s Avenue at the site of the current PSNI station which is to be vacated when officers relocate to a new base at the Downshire Hospital.

Roads officials informed local politicians recently that they have not yet been able to gain access to the current police base to carry out survey work ahead of designing and costing the new road.

As a result, Councillor Cadogan Enright met recently with Chief Inspector Deirdre Bones to discuss the issue and has revealed roads officials will be granted access to the Irish Street base, provided the PSNI is supplied with the names of surveyors who will be carrying out the work.

The Downpatrick councillor has described the proposed link road as an “essential component” for reducing congestion in the town centre and facilitating a proposed one-way system “that would attract the support of residents and town centre business people alike.”

He continued: “Unless we get the Irish Street police station and surrounding area surveyed, the project cannot be costed, so it cannot get onto the list of roads projects for approval.

“During a recent meeting, Roads Service officials said they felt that they would not get permission from the police to survey the Irish Street site.”

Councillor Enright explained this would have meant the proposed link from Irish Street

to St. Patrick’s Avenue could not be costed and advance to the next stage until the current base was vacated in several years’ time.

The Downpatrick councillor said local politicians viewed a computer simulation of a proposed one-way system last year which included the new road linking Irish Street and St. Patrick’s Avenue.

“This project has a lot of support locally and councillors who viewed it supported the proposal for the new link road. I understand that the town’s Business Forum and other traders previously supported this model as it kept business in the town centre while tackling the congestion issue,” councillor Enright continued.