A PENINSULA councillor has welcomed a ‘positive’ public engagement event in relation to the regeneration of Portaferry Parklands.
The community consultation, organised by Ards and North Down Council, was held in Portaferry Market House on Monday evening in order to obtain feedback from residents on how best to regenerate the area.
Those in attendance were given the opportunity to view the plans for the PEACEPLUS capital project, ask questions and engage directly with the project team.
DUP alderman Robert Adair said the community embraced this positive project which will ‘transform’ the site. Some of the changes put forward include converting the derelict toilet site into a modern pavilion with a community room and small café, as well as enhancing pedestrian areas to improve accessibility to the existing park and walkways and overall visitor experience.
Mr Adair said: “This is an exciting community regeneration project that will enhance the area for residents and visitors alike, providing tourism facilities and transforming a derelict building into community use and is another step forward in delivering the wider regeneration of the Portaferry Parklands project.
“The scheme has £180,000 of funding from PEACEPLUS partnership and I look forward to more community engagement and the delivery of this scheme that will protect the local parkland environment and transform a derelict site into a vibrant 21st century Ropewalk pavilion at the heart of Portaferry Parklands.”
Part of the area covered by the proposals is the historic Ropewalk where several years ago a scheme had to be cancelled because of objections to removing mature trees. The new scheme being proposed does not involve removing any trees in this area.
