By Sarah Curran
VISITORS and shoppers in Newtownards may have noticed some unusual street furniture which has appeared in Conway Square.
Chequered tables and benches appeared in the Square last week, with a view to bringing together local businesses and the public.
A total of 16 tables and eight benches have been installed, offering shoppers a place to sit and enjoy a coffee or to use the chequered design to play a game.
President of Newtownards Chamber of Trade, Derek Wright, said he felt the tables and benches would add to the town and help ‘strengthen’ the local community.
The tables and benches had initially been discussed in the town’s Covid Recovery Plan, as a way of creating more seating in the square.
The tables and chairs were purchased using funding from the Department for Communities (DfC) through their Regeneration Scheme.
Speaking about the new seating, Mr Wright noted how the town centre had enjoyed more footfall since Covid and so the new additions meant people could be ‘more social’ outdoors or enjoy the vibrant town scenery while enjoying local food and drink.
Mr Wright said the town was once again ‘ahead of the game’ pointing out how Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had announced plans to install outdoor chess tables in public places in 2022 – two years after the local chamber of commerce had discussed their plans.
While Mr Wright believes the tables and chairs, which have disabled access, will add to the town, he noted that there had been some ‘negativity’ about them on social media.
He explained that there were complaints that the new additions would be unusable due to the usual wet weather conditions of Northern Ireland, while others complained about the money spent on them.
Mr Wright said: “Yes they are totally impractical for a wet day. But you can sit outside, we do get sunny days. It does rain here but we do get some sunshine.
“We do plan for rainy days in Newtownards, but we also plan for sunny days. On the rainy days you can head to the shops and on the sunny days you can sit outside and watch the world go by in Conway Square.
“The square is such a great space that Newtownards has and it does belong to the community and it is good to see the community out using it.”
Mr Wright continued that others on social media claimed the new set up was a ‘waste of ratepayers money’, however he explained that this initiative had been secured through funding by DfC.
“This isn’t ratepayers money. This is government money that is set aside and we are trying to make sure Newtownards gets its share of the funding.
“If we don’t take that funding, some other town will and there are so many towns that are doing so much and we don’t want Newtownards to be left behind.”
He added: “We are not wasting ratepayers money and we wouldn’t. Businesses in Newtownards pay the biggest brunt of rates so we are very concerned we don’t increase our rates any more than what they already are.”
Mr Wright said that while the chamber was of the belief that it was a ‘fabulous town’, he believes there is still room for improvements.
He continued that the chamber was working on a number of schemes including pedestrianising some of the town’s streets, as well as a children’s park.
“We believe there is so much more that the town could be doing,” he concluded.
Mr Wright welcomed anyone with an interest in joining the chamber as a member of the public or as a business to get in touch.
