Plans sought on £220k Church Street scheme

Plans sought on £220k Church Street scheme

2 October 2024

FORMAL planning approval is being sought for the next stage of a £220,000 scheme to revitalise Church Street and De Courcey Place in Downpatrick.

The Department for Communities scheme is designed to regenerate both areas which, over recent years, have missed out on central government funding.

Work on resurfacing part of Church Street was completed recently and more work is planned.

Traffic light signals at the Saul Way junction are to be upgraded with new road surfacing also proposed.

In addition, the public realm scheme proposes new street furniture planters, trees and street lights in tandem with new footpath surfacing featuring granite paving and natural stone kerbs. 

New tactile paving will be installed at pedestrian crossings.

At De Courcey Place — which is sandwiched between Church Avenue and English Street — there are plans for new granite paving and natural stone kerbs, new stone walls with timber seating, new street lighting and so-called feature lighting columns, new street furniture finished in black, decorative planting and trees.

A steering group is overseeing the how the revitalisation cash will be spent in Church Street, while in De Courcey Place.

Local politicians have previously welcomed the investment in this part of the town with the support of the government department and Newry, Mourne and Down Council and say the revitalisation scheme provides a platform on which to build for the future.

New bus shelters have already been provided in Church Street, in tandem with a mural of Downpatrick rock band Ash and various shop front improvements.

The work has been designed to help improve the gateway entrance to the town centre and will compliment investment in environmental improvement upgrades in 

Market Street, Irish Street and Scotch Street.

More work is planned in Irish Street where the former police base and a number of empty, adjacent buildings are in line for major redevelopment as part of a significant investment which is also being overseen by the DfI, local authority and Downpatrick Regeneration Working Group.