£16m of Albert Basin Park Funding To Be Released

By Donal McMahon

Over £16m of funding for Phase One of the Newry City Park is due to be released by the Department of Finance.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) councillors were updated this week (Monday 7) with an officer confirming an outline business case had been approved by the Department for Communities (DfC).

The Albert Basin Park Project agreed by NMDDC in 2017, will now see the development of a 15 acre site in the centre of the city once vital cash has been signed off.

The council officer said: “The outline business case for the Newry City Park has been completed and the permanent secretary of the DfC has approved it.

“It is now up to the Department of Finance to release funding for Phase One.”

The update on the park has come as a notice of motion was brought forward by Alliance rep David Lee-Surginor in a bid to access increased EU funding to complete the entire project

The deadline for the Peace Plus funding is fast approaching.

His motion read: “Noting the council has failed to deliver on previously agreed motions to submit funding bids for the Newry City Park to the Levelling up and Shared Island Fund, council will now urgently prepare a capital funding bid to the Peace Plus programme for the remainder of funding required to complete all phases of the project. And deliver the world class park that was promised to ratepayers, and for full council to approve this motion as deadline for this application is Thursday 7th September 2023 at 5pm.”

The motion is to be debated at the next NMDDC strategy, policy and resources committee.

ENDS