Communities Minister has announced £3.1m of
funding for the delivery of a Public Realm Scheme in Church
Street and DeCourcy Place in Downpatrick.
The new works will deliver high quality measures, including
paving and landscaping, which will improve the quality of both
the Church Street and DeCourcy Place areas, as well as enhancing
the connectivity between them and the rest of the town centre.
Announcing the funding, Minister Lyons said: “I am
pleased to announce this £3.1m investment in Downpatrick, with
£2.7m coming from my department. This
funding will complement previous public realm works in
Downpatrick and is part of my ongoing commitment to the
regeneration of our town and city centres. This investment will
help to improve the streetscape and boost the rich heritage of
the town.
“It has been a difficult period for our high streets,
particularly so for Downpatrick, where many businesses had their
premises damaged by the floods last year. I hope this will
be a welcome boost in sustaining the long-term viability and
prosperity of the town.
Welcoming the funding allocation, Newry Mourne and Down District
Council Chairperson Councillor said: “This next phase of
Downpatrick Public Realm works represents a great opportunity to
further boost the overall regeneration and recovery of the town.
"The Council and its Task & Finish Steering Group Partners
look forward to working closely with the Department for
Communities, as well as other departments and stakeholders, to
complete both the Advance Utility Works and Public Realm
Improvements.”
The Downpatrick Regeneration Group Chairperson Mal McGrady also
welcomed the investment: “We are delighted that funding for
a further infrastructure project identified in our Living High
Streets Framework has been approved and that the Department for
Communities and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have been
able to support Downpatrick with this funding package to
transform Church Street and DeCourcy Place.”
Notes to Editors:
- The investment comes from the Department for Communities
(£2.7m) and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (£400,000).
The public realm scheme will be managed by the Council and work
is due to get underway in mid-2025. The Public Realm works are
due complete by end March 2027 with advance utility works to
complete in the spring of 2025.
- The scheme will focus on improving and enhancing the
streetscape along Church Street in the centre of Downpatrick out
to Pillarwell Lane, and in Decourcy Place at the lower end of
English Street.
