By Violet Brown
ARDS and North Down Council has been accused of ‘absolutely disgusting’ neglect of a Millisle car park which has lost over 90 parking spaces to wind blown sand.
The head of the village’s community association has strongly criticised the council for failing to maintain the car park on the Ballywalter Road which is slowly being consumed by sand blown in during storms.
Jo Scott, chairman of Millisle Community Association, said the car park has become so neglected that picnic tables have been completely covered with sand which has been in place for so long grass has taken root on what are now small sand dunes.
Mrs Scott said the Association is preparing to welcome thousands of visitors to the village for the popular annual kite festival organised by the Ards Peninsula Villages Partnership. Parking will be at a premium for the event which will be held on the Bank Holiday Monday of August 26.
The Association chair has counted 92 parking spaces which can not be used because they are completely or partially covered with sand. “This the result of neglect by the council who are only doing half a job clearing it away,” she said.
There is a build up of stagnant water at the bottom of a ramp onto the beach and steps from the car park area are almost completely covered with soft sand.
“There is no disabled access onto the beach and the whole area of access onto the beach is absolutely disgraceful,” Mrs Scott said. “There is a build up of stagnant water which is trickling out from somewhere and the stench of it is absolutely atrocious”.
She concluded it was ‘absolutely disgusting’ and quite shameful what had been allowed to happen to what was once a beautiful beach.
Peninsula alderman Robert Adair said he was ‘absolutely shocked and horrified’ when he visited the site along with members of the community association.
“The fact that 92 car parking spaces have been covered with a build up of sand and other debris shows the total lack of neglect council have for areas in the Ards peninsula,” he said. “This area hasn’t been maintained for some considerable time”.
Mr Adair called for a ‘root and branch’ clean up of the car park to free up parking, and for the picnic tables to be replaced. He also expressed deep disappointment at the access onto the beach. “It should never have got into that state,” he said.
“The kite festival is a primary tourist event and thousands of visitors are expected in Millisle that day so it is important the area is in a presentable condition”.
A spokesman for the council said the car park at Ballywalter Road, Millisle had more than 200 spaces available in addition to around 130 spaces at the beach park.
“The council routinely clears sand from this car park but due to its coastal location, some spaces inevitably will become covered with wind-blown sand,” he continued.
The spokesman added that council officers are in the process of obtaining a price from a contractor to clear the sand from the road side of the car park but this may require Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) approval as it is outside the council’s approved routine works.
“The ramped access to the beach is not disabled access and has never been designed as such,” he said.
“The ramp has recently suffered from tidal erosion, leaving a drop to the sand at the end where the concrete finishes”. Due to the environmental sensitivities and protections in place at this site, council officers sought advice from NIEA who would not permit the concrete ramp to be extended.
“In the interim council officers have been repositioning sand and rock to form a temporary access ramp,” the spokesman said. “However, periodic storms have washed these away – this is being monitored and other solutions are being investigated”.
