Talk on ring-road delay

Talk on ring-road delay

6 November 2024

LOCAL politicians are to discuss the lack of progress on developing a new road around Downpatrick which has the potential to generate millions of pounds in rates income and help tackle town centre congestion.

The so-called eastern distributor road will link the Belfast and Ballyhoran roads via the Strangford, Rathkeltair and Saul roads.

Six years ago, the cost of the new road — including land acquisition — was estimated at £18.5m.

A feasibility study into the proposed two-mile long road, which features three new roundabouts and a major upgrade of the Rathkeltair Road, has already been completed.

Local politicians have previously discussed the new road as one of the key building blocks in the area plan which outlines the future development of the district.

Now members of the local authority’s Planning Committee are to discuss the issue again following a proposal by Downpatrick councillor Cadogan Enright.

The Department for Infrastructure has previously insisted the new road is not economically viable for it to build, with construction costs met by developers as new housing developments progressed.

Last July, ambitious plans were unveiled to build 1,100 new homes on a huge swathe of land between the Saul and Ballyhornan roads as part of a £250m investment in what is the biggest ever ever private development proposed for the town.

The new homes would be built either side of the eastern distributor road, with a site for a new primary school included in the multi-million pound mixed use residential development proposal.

Cllr Enright said the local authority had an important role to play exercising its planning powers to pave the way for future housing developments to help pay for the new road. 

He said the local authority was told in 2018 by a former Permanent Secretary at the Department for Infrastructure that it should use its powers to help finance the new road by granting planning approval for new homes along the route of the new road.

Cllr Enright contended that the failure to do this to date had potentially cost the local authority almost £2m in lost rates revenue.

He said the distributor road was part of Downpatrick’s master plan and would link up with the only section of the distributor road so far completed outside the Downe Hospital at the Ardglass Road.

“The road would support around 3,200 potential new homes based on land zoned under the current area plan and help traffic avoid the medieval roads network in the centre of the town,” said Cllr Enright.

“Properties in this commuter belt have a rateable value of up to £2,000 per annum and if we assume only £1,600, then 3,200 units would increase the council’s rates base by £5.12m per annum at current day prices when built out.”

He said the former Permanent Secretary had a very clear message and described the way forward as a “chicken or egg” scenario. 

“At a cost of £17m, the distributor road did not meet Roads Service economic criteria based on current traffic, but would meet economic criteria when the 3,200 equivalent homes were built and it’s difficult to see how they can be constructed without a road,” he argued.

Cllr Enright said the Permanent Secretary was “crystal clear” as to how the road could be brought forward by the council and if the local authority could fund one third, 50 per cent or two thirds of the cost could be met through levies on the new homes.

“The levy figure per unit being discussed in the Downpatrick area was £4,000 which gives the council an hypothecated capital reserve fund of somewhere between £12m and £13m, plus an annual increase in rateable value of over £5m and a massive improvement to the quality of life for people working and living in East Down. This is a rock-solid business case,” he added.