Archive for the '3. LOCAL AREA' Category

GREENS WELCOME REPAIRS ON RAILWAY BRIDGE

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on September 3, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Ballynahinch/Spa, Cadogan Enright, Crossgar, Mark McCormick and Traffic/Rat Runs/Roads
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Mark McCormick and Cllr Enright at railway bridge, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

Down Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright has welcomed the news that Roads Service has undertaken maintenance work on the stone-built railway bridge on the road to Crossgar out of Ballynahinch.

Local Green Party coordinator Mark McCormick said, “Pedestrians approaching the bridge from the Ballynahinch side found find that the pathway opened up into a sudden 14ft drop owing to the failure to upkeep the parapet. The pathway on the Crossgar side also led to an 8ft drop where the parapet has been side-swiped by an articulated lorry and this area was used for drinking.”

“I contacted the Roads Service and demanded immediate repairs as someone could easily have been killed or seriously injured. I have since received news that work has been undertaken to improve the state for the bridge and fix the existing damage. I welcome this announcement and thank the persons responsible for their work”, said Mr McCormick.

Cllr Enright commended Mark McCormick for following up on this issue over the last few months and thanked local Green Party member Kenneth Martin for highlighting the situation.

“It is vital that we conserve our railway heritage as all over Ireland and Britain old railways are being revived and restored. The Green Party in Government in the Republic of Ireland has played a part in reactivating the Cork to Cobh line, Limerick to Ennis and Galway lines, the Dublin to Naas line and appears to have succeeded in keeping the west coast interconnector from Cork all the way up to Sligo with a feasibility study to connect Donegal town to Derry.

“If we preserve the railway infrastructure in County Down we keep open the possibility of our own railways being reopened in the future” concluded Cllr Enright.

GREEN PARTY CONDEMNS SINN FEIN MINISTER FOR REFUSING SCHOOL BUSES FOR IRISH SPEAKING CHILDREN

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on September 3, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Downpatrick, Schools and Supporting Minorities / Human Rights
. 0 Comments

Cllr Enright called on Minister Ruane to confirm or deny that the first dedicated bus in NI for the Irish Speaking secondary sector will be available to Irish Speaking children in Downpatrick from the 1st September.
The Education Minister has rejected an appeal from Downpatrick parents to fund a bus service for chidren hoping to attend an Irish language secondary school in Belfast.
‘This leaves children as young as 11 travelling two hours each way to Belfast and back again each day, yet the official target for a school journey in Northern Ireland is one hour’ explained Cllr Enright.
Over the last 4 years the Green Party has been part of a cross-party and cross-community group attempting to ensure that children attending Irish speaking secondary school did not continue to be deprived of school transport to and from Belfast and that they had the same facilities as all other regional colleges in Belfast like Lagan, Methody and Victoria have a dedicated network of buses, as do many other schools in Down District. These buses are provided over and above normal Translink services that are also accessed with a bus pass.
Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright said “Sinn Fein Minister Caitriona Ruane has not been particularly helpful in this matter given that the campaign had the unequivocal support of the NI Human Rights Commission, The Children’s Commissioner and many members of her own party. She had ample opportunity to over-rule her back-ward looking civil servants who have found it hard to adjust to the idea that Irish Medium secondary education is entitled to the same support as the Integrated sector”.
Cadogan Enright pointed out that “There are approximately 2030 dedicated buses delivering children to and from school every day in the English language State, Catholic and Integrated sectors. These are mostly delivering children to distant schools that are not necessarily the nearest in their sector. This would never be allowed in England and Wales. However not one bus has ever been provided to the Irish Medium sector, despite the fact that children are seeking to travel to their nearest school. It was only last year that the department were forced through legal action to recognize the existence of Irish Medium Education in the transport regulations – 11 years after the legal requirement was placed upon them”.
“It is high-time for the Minister to concede that her civil servants have failed to encourage and facilitate Irish Medium education at secondary level as required under the 1998 British-Irish agreement in a similar manner to Integrated education, that no meetings ever took place to organize this legal duty with Education Boards and with Translink. It is high time the Minister followed the advice of the NI Human Rights Commissioner and sorted this out” Concluded Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright.

GREENS CALL FOR CROSSROADS OBSTRUCTION TO BE REMOVED

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on September 3, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Dunmore and Traffic/Rat Runs/Roads
. 0 Comments

Cllr Enright and John Hardy at Dunmore crossroads, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

The Green Party has called for a remaining wall which has been causing obstruction at the Dunmore Road and Magherahamlet Road crossroads to be removed to avoid any further accidents, following a serious crash in the past week.

Cllr Enright explained, “We had previously campaigned with planning enforcement to have a derelict building on the site which had been causing traffic problems to be removed, but it seems that while the rest of the house was demolished, a significant section of wall remains and this continues to block the sightlines of road users approaching the crossroads from the Spa direction.

Local Green Party coordinator Mark McCormick said “It took over 18 months of pressure from the Green Party for the original ruin to be demolished, and it had been there for 10 years. We hope it wont take the same amount of time to have the wall demolished as it is a serious hazard.

“The remaining bit of wall caused disruption to the recent successful sheep dog trials as it was unsafe for large numbers of vehicles to be emerging from the crossroads and it was only due to the utmost vigilance from the organisers and road users that accidents were avoided. However, in the past few days there has been a serious accident between two lorries and this highlights the need for action to be taken straight away.”

Cllr Enright concluded “I will be pursuing this matter with the Planning Service and with Roads Service to ensure it is taken care of with urgency. In the mean time I ask road users to continue to use caution at the crossroads.”

The following photos show the scene of the recent crash at the crossroads:

 

dunmore crash2

dunmore crash1

GREEN PARTY COUNCILLOR SEEKS MULTI-AGENCY APPROACH TO CLEAN UP OF KENNEDY PARK IN KILLOUGH IN ADVANCE OF NEW NAOISCOIL

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on September 3, 2010
in Cadogan Enright, Killough, Littering/Vandalism/Crime, Parks/National Park, Planning issues and illegal development and Schools
. 0 Comments

Cllr Enright at Kennedy Park in Killough, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

Green Party Councillor Cadogan Enright has been pressing for better ongoing maintenance of Kennedy park in Killough following requests from local residents, and has highlighted the imminent building of the new Naoiscoil pre-school as an opportunity for public service organizations to improve services to this area.
Cllr Enright said “I have requested the council to clear up the huge amount of broken glass from the park, and council manager nnn has confirmed that this has been done and that there will be an ongoing effort to keep this area clean”.
“I have also contacted the District Policing Partnership to see what can be done between the PSNI and other government agencies to see what can be done once and for all to stamp out “rough drinking”, dumping and bonfires of household waste in the Park that is affecting the quality of life of local residents. I feel a cross-agency approach is the only way to tackle these issues”, Confirmed Cadogan Enright.
“The old mill is in a dangerous state, and barriers to entry have been removed, I am pursuing this with the Dangerous buildings section” Said Councillor Enright
“The building of the new Naoisciol gives the Council, in conjunction with the other agencies an opportunity to deliver a series of separate relatively minor actions, that taken collectively would provide a huge boost for local residents. The fencing and hedging could be repaired, the PSNI could patrol the area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, the litter wardens could focus on this area until after Christmas or until the dumping problem with a few local individuals is resolved. The outcome could be a better local environment for everyone,” Concluded Councillor Cadogan Enright

GREEN PARTY APPALLED AT CASTLEWELLAN SCHOOL VANDALISM

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on September 3, 2010
in Cadogan Enright, Castlewellan, John Hardy, Littering/Vandalism/Crime and Schools
. 0 Comments

John Hardy and Cllr Cadogan Enright and son CadÓg at the school, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

The Green Party has expressed its disgust at recent vandalism and burglary at the Bunscoil Bheanna Boirche in Castlewellan.

Local Green Party co-ordinator John Hardy said ‘It is unsettling to hear the news that the school has once again been the target of anti-social behaviour, a year almost to the day since the old school was burned last year. It seems that young people are willing to attack services in their own community and steal from those providing education for young children- the children of their friends and neighbours. We totally condemn this activity and ask local people to be vigilant in observing and reporting any anti-social behaviour.’

He continued ‘The theft and damage to the school comes just before the start of the new school year when teachers and staff are busy preparing for the months ahead. This makes it all the more reproachable as children will be starting the new term without equipment and with damaged facilities.”

Cadogan Enright, Green Party Councillor, supported John Hardy and said “As a school governor, I can say that we were all looking forward to the exciting opening next Wednesday the 1st in what I believe will be the best primary school in south Down.

As a member of the Down Policing Partnership, I’ll be using my influence to ensure regular patrolling and I will be seeking the harshest treatment possible for people attacking our community’s new Bunscoil.

GREEN PARTY CANVASSES IN BURREN

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on August 27, 2010
in Cadogan Enright, John Hardy and Newry & Mourne
. 0 Comments

GREEN PARTY CANVASSES IN BURREN, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

Green Party members from Armagh travelled to Burren to help canvass for Cllr Cadogan Enright during the Westminster election campaign.

ENRIGHT PROTESTS TREATMENT OF STREET TRADERS

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on August 27, 2010
in Cadogan Enright, Downpatrick and Employment/Economics
. 0 Comments

DOWNPATRICK STREET TRADERS, originally uploaded by downgreenparty.

Downpatrick Cllr Enright has criticised council officials for not listening to street traders from the Downpatrick Saturday market. Street Traders have been moved to the rear of the bus station while the work on the sewerage system has been going on.

Cadogan pointed out that “I have consistently pointed out that moving Street Traders to an area with no passing trade will not work. We previously rejected the car park at the cinema for the very same reasons and this latest location is a disaster for the Traders and there are only three of them left.”

“Every town worth its salt has a colourful market of some kind going on at the weekend, and with a bit of creative thought we could accommodate them in areas where it is actually worthwhile to trade” said Cllr Enright

Green Party Cllr Cadogan Enright continued “I have asked that the railings on the other side of the square to where they use to trade, but Down District Council has not been sympathetic to their needs. There is loads of Room at this location, and the three traders would probably draw trade to the front of nearby shops like Topshop as a result.

The failure to take into account the disruption to these traders is only exceeded by the failure to manage the overall redevelopment of Market Street to minimise the impact on the trade in shops along the street.

While we all accept the need to separate the sewer and the flood water, I cannot understand why overtime and weekend work are not being used to reduce the impact on local shop keepers and businesses.

Any argument from that it is more costly to work in this way ignores that fact that shops in Downpatrick are a vital part of our infrastructure and the base of our rates income as a council. Margaret Ritchie’s DSD and their partners are saving money in a manner that costs local businesses people – this project could be made weeks shorter. Any local business person could have managed and coordinated it better,” concluded Cllr Cadogan Enright.

LECALE PRESENTATION TO JOHN MCGRILLEN

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on August 27, 2010
in Cadogan Enright, Council, Tyrella/Minerstown and Wildlife/Trees/Nature
. 0 Comments

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.

CALL FOR MARKET STREET TO OPEN IMMEDIATELY

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on August 26, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Council, Downpatrick and Employment/Economics
. 0 Comments

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

DOWNPATRICK CUT-OFF AND UNDERWATER

Published
by
Cadogan Enright
on August 26, 2010
in 1. GREEN PRESS RELEASES / LATEST NEWS, Cadogan Enright, Council, Downpatrick and Traffic/Rat Runs/Roads
. 0 Comments

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.”