Albert Basin Park Project

24/08/2025

07/03/2025

Catherine Loughran is a final year environmental health student currently completing her dissertation on “The impact of urban green spaces on physical activity in Newry.”

Catherine's research is inspired by the Albert Basin Park, and she would be grateful if you help out by taking a few minutes to complete the online survey below:

Hello, my name is Catherine Loughran and I am a final year student studying Environmental Health BSc (Hons) at Ulster University. As part of my dissertation, I am exploring the impact of urban green spaces on physical activity levels in Newry. This survey is a key component of the research, and it i...

22/02/2025

Let's protect Newry's Maritime Future!

🌊 Protecting Newry's Maritime Future - Your Voice Matters! 🌊

At the last council meeting our Councillors made history by uniting across party lines to oppose any fixed bridge over Newry Canal. This was a fantastic victory for our community and our heritage!

Today, we've written to all our local MLAs asking them to stand with their Council colleagues in protecting Newry Canal. We've requested clear, unambiguous commitments from them to oppose any fixed bridge solution for the Southern Relief Road.

⏰ Time is critical - the consultation closes on March 4th, so we've asked for responses by February 28th.

💫 In the spirit of transparency, we'll be posting all MLA responses here. We'll clearly indicate which MLAs have provided unambiguous statements opposing a fixed bridge, so our community knows exactly where their representatives stand on protecting our 300-year maritime heritage.

🌟 The Council has shown incredible leadership - now it's time for our MLAs to do the same!

Want to help? Share this post and tag your MLAs - let them know you're watching and waiting for their response!

06/02/2025

05/02/2025

While progress has been frustratingly slow, this is a hugely important milestone for the project and we are grateful to those within the council who have been working to get this over the line.

The next stage of the long running Newry City Park saga is expected to get underway at some stage this month with the submission of a full Planning Application for the facility. The news comes following an enquiry to Council from Newry.ie following a series of delays to the application submission. I...

22/01/2025

Is this the new reality? Any doubts as to where all political party priorities lie in choosing between WHA needs and community green-space needs should become crystal clear in the coming weeks.

16/01/2025

We welcome the progress on the Newry City Park this year, and the fact that it is due to go in for planning permission in the next few weeks.

A huge amount of money (over £18m) has been set aside for the project and we need to ensure Newry gets the iconic, world class park it deserves.

At the same time, it is worrying that other major park projects seem to be delivering more for less money. For example, the new Giant's Park in Belfast (see images below) will be developed at a cost of £400k per acre. The new Newry City Park is apparently going to cost £1.2m per acre - over three times the per acre cost!

We have repeatedly raised the issue of value for money with the council, and we will be raising it again at the next stakeholders meeting.

Newry deserves the best city park in Ireland, and we won't rest until it is delivered!

22/09/2024

Some important questions being raised here by RARE - Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment. It is our understanding that the park funding was never under threat, but the public deserves clarity on the matter.

Keeping a close eye on the channelling of over £200 million!
Confusion continues to reign over the recent statements by Newry Mourne and Down District Council executives and the Newry Chamber of Commerce over the ‘to be or not to be” nature of BRCD (Belfast Region City Deal) funding for our local Council Area and the schemes which it purports to fund.

Following a discussion last weekend with Council CEO, Marie Ward, Newry Chamber of Commerce President, Edwina Flynn is reported to have stated that
“We are due to receive over £200 million of the £1 billion BRCD (Belfast Region City Deal) funding and if this had been lost then our city's transformational projects including Newry City Park could have been significantly stalled or jeopardised.”

This statement seems to suggest that the City Park Albert Basin Park Project is or was dependent on BRCD funding . It also appears to jar with a good-news headline statement from Marie Ward made on December 4th last year, (see picture, and also full details of the story on link below) when the release of £16.2 million was confirmed and approved by a totally different source, the Department for Communities - for Newry City Park.

Whereas there has been much noise from certain quarters for the building of Warrenpoint Port’s priority “much needed” Southern Relief Road, (coincidentally, Warrenpoint Port’s Financial Director is also Treasurer of Newry Chamber of Commerce), it is our understanding that BRCD funding has never been ring-fenced or promised for the City Park.

As always, we stand to be corrected, but it seems important that Council Executives, Newry Chamber of Commerce and Councillors who are close to the inner workings of both bodies urgently clarify whether it is their understanding that the City Park and BRCD funding are actually related - members of the public need to know exactly where, why and to whom these vast amounts of public money (over £200 million) are being channelled.

South Down SDLP, South Down Sinn Féin, Doire Finn, Mark Gibbons Independent, Councillor Jarlath Tinnelly, Sinéad Ennis MLA, South Down DUP, Jill Truesdale, Colin McGrath SDLP


https://www.newrymournedown.org/162-million-confirmed-for-newry-city-park-as-contract-for-funding-issues #&gid=1&pid=1

28/08/2024

An event tomorrow in Newry gives you the chance to have your last say on the new Newry Park plans, before the planning permission application is lodged. Newry Leisure Centre is holding the pre-application public consultation event tomorrow Thursday 29 August between 3pm and 9pm and members of the pu...

28/08/2024