Comhaontas Glas i nDeisceart an Dúin
Lecale presentation to John McGrillen, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.
A delegation from Lecale Conservation, including Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright, recently visited Down District Council Headquarters to make a presentation to outgoing Clerk of the Council and Chief Executive John Dumigan.
Mr Dumigan was presented with a watercolour by the group in recognition of his service to the council and his help with environmental and heritage campaigns.
Cllr Enright with Market St shop owners, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.
Cllr Cadogan Enright put a motion before council on Monday Night and supported calls from the Downpatrick Business Forum for Market Street to open for two way traffic with immediate effect. He said that Traders were devastated by the announcement by Down District Council’s economic and cultural development director Sharon O’Connor that the resumption of normal trading and traffic patterns would not happen at the end of July, but has been postponed to the 13th September.
Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright said, “If you go up to Royal Avenue in Belfast you will see their Street improvement scheme being carried out on Sundays. All this week there was only one building worker on Market Street doing some pavement work at the Ulster Bank corner with Irish Street. Traffic does not need to be diverted for this sort of work. All the major work has long-since finished and there is only a bit of tidying up to do”.
Business Forum chairman Patrick Cassidy said that “business is severely impaired at the moment with a huge reduction in footfall on Market Street. There can be no excuse for putting back the date of re-opening of the Street”.
Business Forum secretary Tracy Quail said this has been going on too long, and the remaining work could easily be carried out on a single Sunday, the Street should open forthwith.”
In putting a motion before Council at the behest of Traders, Cllr Enright sought council logistical support in making a claim for rates relief to the Regional Rates Authority. No Trader has ever succeeded in making a claim under this scheme which is supposed to give up to a years rates rebate in the event of an uninsurable risk not arising from normal competition damaging trade. Cllr Enright said “The Hardship Relief Scheme in NI has become moribund and ineffective as the Regional Rates Authority is interpreting ‘normal business risk’ so broadly as to make any claim under its provisions impossible. The council must write to the Minster to make the interpretation of the rules more realistic”
“I am also campaigning for the immediate resumption of two way traffic and normal working, as this is the peak trading period for Market Street Traders”. The partial closure of Market Street has been added to by works in Knocknashinna, Saul Street and elsewhere around the town and the combined effect is devastating” Concluded Cadogan Enright
Green Party leaflet for local traders in Market Street Click this DOC to view the leaflet produced by Cllr Enright which gives an update on the Market Street campaign
Cadogan Enright, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.
Downpatrick and Lecale Councillor Cadogan Enright attended the launch of the new town Master plan last week. Cllr Cadogan Enright said “There are some excellent points in the plan like the acceptance that “in-town” shopping needs to be developed around the bus-station, and that the proposed ring-road needs to go around the east and the south of the town. I have campaigned for these points in the past to ensure the sustainable development of the town going forward. It is essential that our infrastructure is developed to allow us to be one of the towns where public sector jobs can be outsourced. We have been ruled out as not meeting the criteria for decentralisation of jobs as we stand”.
The Downpatrick Green Party councillor continued, “However there are some really awful bloopers in the plan that you would have expected the DSD to have picked up on, especially when local people, including myself, had pointed them out in the consultation process.”
“The plan envisages building on half the flood-plain and flooding the other half and reclaiming a large part of Downpatrick Marsh for sports fields. This will potentially expose the town to great danger in the future. Downpatrick is already the lowest-lying town in Ireland with the centre almost half a meter below sea-level. Removing the flood-plain is a really bad idea, and professional planners should know better”, said councillor Enright.
Councillor Enright pointed out that there were issues with transport links too. “It is alarming to say the least that the A25/B8 to Newry is not shown in the plan as a primary link for the future. Without the A25/B8 and the direct buses to Dublin Airport noted we relegate ourselves to a suburb of Lisburn/Belfast rather than an important regional centre in Ireland as a whole. Instead the plan shows the dreadful B177 to Lisburn as one of our main two strategic corridors. Clearly our 3 main roads are A24, A7 and the A25/B8. The overall diagram on page seven looks like one written by someone from Belfast unaware of the districts links with Newry and Mourne and unfamiliar with the fact that the A25/B8 carries a lot of our private sector traffic and compares with the A7 and Ballynahinch Road (B24) for public sector traffic.”
“The Town seems to be in the process of losing its direct bus connections to Dublin and Dublin Airport with hardly a comment. These have one of the greatest concentrations of Tourist traffic in Western Europe. The seven million tourists who arrive at these locations annually are exactly the sort of Tourist that would be drawn to “St Patrick”, “The Mountains of Mourne” or any of our outdoor attractions”, said Cllr Enright.
Cllr Enright pointed out a number of other smaller errors or omissions too. “Examples include;
1. The railway society secured lottery funding for the new link to the St Patrick’s centre, and this is shown in the Master Plan – but the council has inexplicably gone cold on this idea since the SDLP voted against it and the Railway society was forced to return the money to the National Lottery. If we show the link, then we need to support the Railway society in achieving it.
2. Northern Ireland Water seems determined to put their new sewerage pumping station in the middle od the car-park at the back of the post-office, if they do this the plan for the in-town shopping centre will be stymied. I have repeatedly brought this up at the Downpatrick area meetings and have had cross party support – but NI Water persist with the proposal.
3. There are no timelines pencilled into the plan, with no figures calculated even in draft, and vague references to short-term, medium-term and long-term for which no definitions exist within the report. If the plan is to happen it needs to be believable.
Councillor Cadogan Enright Concluded “The Master Plan envisages the biggest changes to the natural environment since the creation of the Quoile barrier, the draining of the Lough or the new Belfast Road. No process to deliver an environmental impact statement is envisaged in the report, nor are issues dealing with changes in weather patterns addressed –vital to a town whose centre is almost half a meter below sea-level.”
Cllr Cadogan Enright welcomed the success of the ‘Festival of Flight’ at the weekend, and highlighted the importance of the inclusion of the Irish Air Corp in the event along with the Red Arrows.
“This changed the flavor of the event from a Militaristic display to that of celebration of Aerial Acrobatics” said Green Party Councillor Enright.
Cllr Enright said “When the Red Arrow proposal first came before council it looked like a Militaristic Display being underwritten by the council. Clearly this would have been offensive to many in South Down who were opposed to the Invasion of Iraq and who expressed worries about the role of the Red Arrow team in that conflict.
Additionally reservations were made by Nationalist Councillors that the proposal was not structured to deal with cross-community concerns. It is an established fact that over one third of this area votes Republican at elections.”
Cadogan Enright continued, “The Green Party’s proposal to include the Irish Air Corps was supported by the Ulster Unionist councillors, and won support from all sides”, this changed the flavor from one of welcoming the Red Arrows back from Iraq to focusing on the Aerial and Engineering legacy of Harry Ferguson. Any possibility of anti-war protests or complaints about lack of inclusiveness were averted.”
“This level of cooperation amongst our elected representatives for the benefit of the whole community is to be welcomed, and is yet another example of how working in a cross-community manner can reap great economic benefits to the district and for our image as a tourist destination.” Concluded Cadogan Enright.
Mark McCormick, Green Party coordinator in Ballynahinch, expressed dismay over a car in good condition having been rolled down the embankment at Windmill Gardens.
Mark McCormick said ‘This car had not been reported stolen so is not being dealt with by the police. It is up to date with tax, etc. I contacted my party colleague Cadogan Enright at the request of local people to see if the Council could rescue the vehicle before it becomes vandalized and unusable.
Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright said “Environmental Health Officer Richard Henry is dealing with this matter and I would call upon local people to keep an eye on the vehicle until it can be safely recovered. This may take as long as seven days.”
“I share Mark McCormick’s dismay that neither the police nor the Council appear to be able to rescue abandoned motor vehicles in a timely manner. I intend to bring this up at the Down Policing Partnership meetings, as at the minimum it would seem sensible to phone the person who has taxed the vehicle to warn them that their car is in trouble, rather than just waiting for the seven day statutory period to expire”, concluded Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright.
A proposal for a shuttle-bus to the Downe Hospital from Downpatrick bus station by Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright at last Tuesdays meeting of Down District Council met with cross-party support. Several councillors were unaware that there had been a failure by the Trust and Translink to follow through on a bus-stop outside the hospital entrance. The original plans for the hospital envisaged a shuttle-bus service, but this had not been delivered.
Councillor Enright said, “Dropping people off on the main road makes no sense, especially where wheelchairs have to be pushed up the long ramp to the hospital. It costs at least £3 to get a taxi from the Bus Station up to the hospital doors if you are unwell or wheel chair bound. There is actually the stump of a bus stop outside the hospital where people had thought the actual bus stop was going to be, as well as an all-weather awning for buses to pull up under near the front door.”
Addressing the council meeting, Cllr Enright said, “In addition to the Town Bus, we need the promised shuttle service serving the hospital to the front door so that anyone in Down District can be sure that they can easily use public transport to access the hospital. The Ardglass bus service should be able to pull up at the hospital as well, rather than just passing along the main road. I have discussed this matter with Translink Management in Newcastle and have been told that Translink costed a 15 minutes service for the Hospital two years ago but as no offer of finance was forthcoming from the Department of Health they were forced to implement this service via the Town bus in what I consider to be an unsatisfactory manner. Translink are reluctant to let the town service go up to the door of the hospital for fear it would cause delay to the town service”.
Cllr Enright was seconded by Liam Johnston of Sinn Fein and the motion was passed for council management to get the Trust and Translink working together again and find solutions to this problem. Cllr Johnston noted that the overwhelming number of patients arriving at the hospital at the moment come by car, and there to integrate the bus service with local public transport services.
“I have raised this issue with the community based Downe Community Health Committee who have promised me that they will also be making representations on this issue as it is vital that we integrate our key transport and health infrastructure to ensure long term sustainability of the new hospital,” concluded Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright.
Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright welcomed that the rates estimate for the current year will include a provision for 25% (£11,000) for a biodiversity officer, with the balance of funds coming from the DOE and Newry and Mourne Council.
Cllr Enright said “Given the importance of the Tourism Industry to Down District this move is long overdue. If we are to grow tourism in a sustainable way we have to know how to manage our resources and plan accordingly. Down District has the best resources in NI or indeed in Ireland as a whole, but regrettably have failed to protect and develop these resources in a systematic way in the past”
Cadogan Enright claimed that Newry and Mourne were now ahead of Down District Council in respect of bio-diversity management. He said “Newry and Mourne have completed their bio-diversity plan, so the new officer will have the responsibility of implementing it the Western end of the new county council area. Whereas in Down District the bio-diversity officer will have to put our plan together for adoption by the council.”
“Given the fantastic skills and knowledge of people in the community in the district, this should be an easier task than in other areas. Our NGO’s, local community groups and even council-funded organisations like the Strangford Lough (SLMAC) committee are the best in NI and will be able to help.”
Cllr Enright continued “This will be the best £11,000 we have spent for many years in terms of the generation of long-term sustainable income and wealth as defined in the widest possible terms. It will create a product for our children and our children’s’ children for years to come and assist in building a vital database of knowledge.”
“Anyone who has seen the visitors coming to Killard point nature reserve for the butterfly population, or the water-birds around our coast from Strangford around the Lecale Coast to the Mournes will know what I am talking about. You don’t have to have any interest in the wall brown butterfly or the Irish Lizard at Sheeplands near Ardglass, or in the seals at Minerstown or Ballykinlar to understand the huge economic benefits that arise from visitors around Europe being aware of what we have to offer in this district and being prepared to spend their money here.”
Press Cuttings: Newry & Mourne Council steam ahead on biodiversity front, Green Party welcomes plans for new officer to address biodiversity.
Down District Council is inviting interested groups to express their views on the flying of flags in the district.
Historically, Down District has worked hard with community leaders to resolve difficult issues involving national identity and culture.
There are many examples of good practice around Down District. For instance, Castlewellan and District Orange Order erects and takes down flags on the same day. In a similar understanding, the Republican Movement in Downpatrick erects flags on Easter Monday and takes them down again that evening.
Down District Council flies only the neutral Council flag on ceremonial and all other occasions with the exception of St Patrick’s Day when the Cross of Saint Patrick is flown. These are but a few of the many worthy examples of where tolerance, mutual respect and goodwill prevails in our area.
However, in an effort to make all public places in the council area more welcoming to both residents and visitors, Down District Council is seeking to implement a Good Relations Policy on Flags in Public Places.
A draft policy, which has full Council support, has been developed over the last 12 months by Down District Council’s Good Relations Forum, guided by external independent mediation.
Councillor Cadogan Enright, Chairman of the Good Relations Forum, said, “It is our policy that the identity and culture of each community should be celebrated and respected by the entire population in the Down District Council area.
From the outset we recognise flags as important emblems and that both the identity and culture of communities should be celebrated and respected. However we are also aware of the dangers that exist when flags are used as a means of demarcation or indeed intimidation. The flying of flags across the district has been identified as an area which is to be addressed”.
Draft proposals drawn up by the Good Relations Forum suggest the Council should allow the following flags to be erected before and during an event, provided they are taken down within a reasonable timescale. The draft policy, agreed by the Forum, can be viewed in full on Down District Council’s website: www.ddc.gov.uk.
Flags considered acceptable include those used to celebrate traditional events, political and cultural commemorations – e.g. Provincial flags, county and council flags, community flags, sporting flags, religious flags and cultural flags. Paramilitary flags are not acceptable.
Down District Council Chairman, Councillor William Dick said, “The draft policy demonstrates Down District Council’s commitment to the people in our community. Community opinion and support is vital in the development of a policy on flying flags in public places.
This is the next stage in the process, giving local groups and individuals the opportunity to have their say in this sometimes contentious issue.
We want to give everyone in the area a chance to shape the Council’s policy as it directly affects their well-being and their quality of life.”
Consultation on the Draft Policy on Flying Flags in Public Places in Down District will commence early in 2010.
Anyone wishing to become involved in this Consultation Exercise should contact the Council’s Good Relations Forum on 028 4461 0838. A series of consultation meetings will be arranged to include those who wish to contribute.
Press Cuttings: Council seeking views on flags, Council to seek public's view on flying of flags in Down
DOWN Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright has expressed his grave concern that a development in an area that has five degrees of environmental protection designations has been given approval by the Planning Service. He pointed out that a perfectly acceptable site existed in the Delamont farm complex only a few hundred meters away from the Wildlife reserve being sought by the Developers. He questioned the motives of the developers in rejecting a site where good services already exit..
Cadogan Enright said “The proposed Viking Village Development at Delamont would be built on an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), a Ramsar Site listed under the RAMSAR Convention for the Protection of Wetlands, a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a Special Protection Area (SPA) and an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI).”
Cllr Enright said, “I cannot understand how an area that is seemingly untouchable according to environmental protection and wildlife designations can be built on according to the Planning Service. The decision to approve this development completely disregards all the hard work that went into getting this beautiful landscape the legal protection needed in order to maintain this area for future generations.”
Cllr Enright continued, “This development also fails the key elements of the Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland (PSRNI) which states that in all situations its policy will be to protect important assets for the tourist industry, including scenic routes, and to prevent their damage or destruction for short term gain or exploitation. The visual impact of the Viking Village and its compound would be highly intrusive to the landscape viewed from the sea, and from the very popular public walk around Gibbs Island.”
“Most startling of all is that Councillors in Down District Council would ever consider handing over such a precious piece of local government property. Given the fiduciary responsibilities encumbant on local councillors for the proper use of public property I cannot see how councillors could vote in favour of such an application. The general public using Delamont park would never understand why an additional car park, sewerage system and entrance gate is necessary, why existing facilities cannot be shared and why we have to build on the Wildlife reserve that so many people come to Delamont to visit,” concluded Cllr Enright.
Press Cuttings: Viking Village is given go-ahead, Viking proposal is not ready for view
The Green Party and local residents in Newcastle have called for the immediate termination of the public wireless Internet scheme presently being trialled in Newcastle.
News that Newcastle had been selected for the pilot initiative sparked a number of concerns amongst local people, with the Green Party and some health campaigners questioning why the scheme was rubber-stamped without community consultation.
This week, following recent local and European moves to limit microwave exposure, Down District Green Party politician Cadogan Enright said he had major concerns about the Wi-Fi system and the health risk it could pose.
The local Councillor explained his party had learned that although the Wi-Fi installation in Newcastle was intended as a trial, similar pilot schemes had been abandoned in England.
His concerns have been supported by local Green Party co-ordinator John Hardy, who says that despite there being numerous public campaigns against mobile phone masts, there seems to be little recognition that the same health concerns apply to Wi-Fi.
Cllr Enright has also learned that an earlier pilot scheme was trialled in Dundrum, just a few miles from Newcastle, and therefore he wonders why the trials are being repeated.
Since April this year, he explained, there had been a number of developments, both in Northern Ireland and at a European level, which “would indicate the risk of Wi-Fi is such that the Council should reconsider the decision to expose local people and visitors to constant microwave radiation.”
According to the party, several schools in Northern Ireland have decided not to use wireless Internet systems in their classrooms due to concerns over health.
Meanwhile, between February and May 2009, three teaching unions – the Professional Association of Teachers, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, and the Ulster Teachers Union – formally requested the Department of Education to consider withdrawing Wi-Fi Internet technology from all school environments.
As Mr Hardy explained: “There have been many public campaigns against mobile phone masts by political parties, yet there seems to be little recognition that the same health concerns apply to Wi-Fi, as well as to baby monitors, cordless phones and other systems using wireless technology.”
“It is now six months since 24-hour public Wi-Fi was installed on Newcastle’s Main Street without proper consultation and we feel it is now time to consider the evidence and rethink the decision.”
He added: “In April this year, a resolution was passed in the European Parliament by a majority of 559 to 22 in favour, which recognised the potential health impacts of electromagnetic radiation and called for stricter limits on its use.”
Cllr Enright concluded: “The European Parliament now recommends the application of the Precautionary Principle, limiting the exposure of the general public and pursuing health studies.
“The Green Party strongly believes that Down District Council should err on the side of caution and rethink its attitude to Wi-Fi. Technologies using electromagnetic radiation are indispensable nowadays, as long as they respect exposure limits that take account of its effects on human health.”
Press Cuttings: Council urged to rethink Newcastle Wi-Fi Scheme, Council urged by Greens to rethink Newcastle Wi-Fi scheme , Support for Green Party's anti-Wi-Fi stance, Council urged to stop Newcastle wi-fi trial.
