 Economic
Development \ Council's Economic Activity
Council's Economic Activity
As outlined under the ‘Enterprise
Development Unit’ icon, the Council’s Enterprise Development
Section is engaged in managing a host of other EU and mainstream
Government-supported environmental improvement schemes, infrastructure
initiatives and broad regeneration projects, the details of which
are listed below:-
(i) Newry/Dundalk Joint Committee
(ii) Newry Dundalk Twin City kStrategy
(iii) Completion of Strategic Frameworks for Newry City, Crossmaglen,
Newtownhamilton, Warrenpoint and Kileel
(iv) Newry & Louth Carlingford Lough 1.4 Tourism Infrastructure
Project
(v) Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Scheme
(vi) Castleblayney and South Armagh Joint Committee (CASA)
(vii) Albert Basin Development
(viii) Ross Monument Upgrade
(ix) Ongoing Environmental Improvement Schemes (Canal Street &
Sugar Island, Newry/Mayobridge/Warrenpoint/Mourne Esplanade &
Lower Square, Kilkeel/Newtownhamilton
(x) Forkhill and Bessbrook Regeneration Initiatives
See listed below more specific information
on each of these projects:-
(i) Newry/Dundalk Joint Committee
The Joint Committee between Newry and
Mourne District Council and Dundalk Town Council was established
in the mid 1970’s and has regularly met on a bi-monthly basis
on the last 30 years.
While the Committee brings together
Councils in a networking and sharing of civic responsibility role
it has also evolved to become a strong lobbying agent on a host
of economic, social and environmental issues affecting the wider
cross border region.
The pro active nature of the Joint
Committee has been typified by its recent recommendation that it
will drive forward a number of the key actions and recommendations
that were contained in the Newry/Dundalk Twin City Strategy in order
to help assist and put in place strong planning policies for the
joint development of the Region.
For further information in regards
to the history, role and activities of the Committee, please contact:
Enterprise Development Section,
Newry and Mourne District Council,
Greenbank Industrial Estate
Newry, BT34 2QU
Tel: 028 3031 3233
(ii) Newry / Dundalk Twin City Strategy
Newry and Mourne District Council,
Louth County Council and Dundalk Town Council commissioned the preparation
of a collaborative strategy to shape the future development of Newry
and Dundalk within the wider context of their pivotal role on the
Belfast/Dublin corridor.
Prompted by the third Annual Ireland
– Harvard Conference, which took place in Newry in September
2003 and which introduced the concept of the bi-polar city, the
study is very much pitched at the strategic planning level and explored
the collective strength of Newry and Dundalk in terms of their regional
role as major drivers of economic development.
Colin Buchanan, in association with
the Urban Institute Ireland & Raymond Burke Consulting were
appointed to undertake the study.
Following numerous workshops and an
extensive consultation with local stakeholders a final document
was produced and launched in mid 2006 jointly by representatives
of both governments.
The Newry/Dundalk Joint Committee has
now taken on the delivery of the key actions and recommendations
that were contained within the report.
To download a copy of the report see
below. Please note that those without Broadband should not attempt
to download but can instead contact the EDU section directly to
request a copy.
(ATTENTION! Please
be aware that download time for these files will be slower unless
you have a broadband connection)
(iii) Strategic Framework Documents For
Newry City, Crossmaglen, Newtownhamilton, Warrenpoint And Kilkeel
In May 2003 Newry and Mourne District
Council secured funding from the Department of Social Development
under the Priority 2 Measure 11 (Area Based Regeneration) of the
Peace II Programme to produce 5 Strategic Framework Documents for
the following areas - Newry City, Crossmaglen, Newtownhamilton,
Warrenpoint and Kilkeel.
The aim of the documents were two-fold:
1) To make realistic proposals for
each of the five areas that will assist in their continued physical,
economic and social regeneration, and
2) Produce a strategic plan, which
could be used to influence the Banbridge/Newry and Mourne Area Plan
2015.
Ferguson McIlveen and Mentor –
(the consultants appointed to prepare the documents) - conducted
an extensive consultation exercise in each of the study areas with
local councillors, community & voluntary organisations, private
sector & public sector agencies and a number of other interested
parties on a variety of issues, which affect the future development
of the region.
This exercise culminated in the production
of 5 documents, each creating a vision for Newry City, and the towns
of Crossmaglen, Newtownhamilton, Warrenpoint and Kilkeel. The documents
include related action plans with achievable and realistic activity
along with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for the various
statutory community and voluntary organisations.
Now that Council has formally approved
the strategic Framework Documents, it is envisaged that the Council
in partnership with the relevant local agencies and organisations
will work towards implementing the identified actions in each of
the five areas.
If you require any further information
of the Strategic Framework Documents please contact Mr Jonathan
McGilly, Enterprise Development Officer. Tel: 028 30313233.
You can download each of the Strategic
Framework Documents by clicking on the links above.
(ATTENTION! Please
do not attempt to download these files unless you have a broadband
connection)
 
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(iv) Newry and Mourne/Louth
Carlingford Lough Infrastructure Project
Newry and Mourne District Council in
conjunction with Louth County Council is currently involved in the
implementation of a cross-border, Interreg-funded, marine tourism-based,
infrastructure project on the northern and southern foreshores of
Carlingford Lough.
On behalf of the Special European Union
Programmes Body (SEUPB), the Department of Agriculture and Rural
Development (Northern Ireland) and the Department of Community,
Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (Ireland) are joint implementing agents
for the project.
The project benefited from an Interreg
Grant of approximately £670,000, which was 75% funded and
involved a number of elements of marine infrastructure work being
undertaken around the shores of Carlingford Lough.
Three key projects undertaken by Louth
County Council, included an upgrade to Omeath Pier in relation to
works to the handrails and general health and safety aspects as
well as carrying out major structural improvements to Greer’s
Quay and the significant upgrade works that were undertaken at both
piers of Carlingford Harbour.
Capital Projects carried out by Newry
and Mourne District Council included the Automation of the lock
gates at Victoria Lock to enable the increase use of the Canal by
leisure craft, the installation of navigational buoys in the Newry
River from Narrow Water to Victoria Lock to provide safe navigation
for vessels, and the provision of a Slipway/Jetty Facility at Rostrevor,
which is aiming to be completed by November 2007.
Also, one of the initiatives the project
partner Council’s put in place, was the erection of Tourism
Information Panels at 12 locations along the Lough shores on both
sides of the Border, as well as employing a Project Co-ordinator
to implement the schemes as well as promote and market the Region.
The overall aim of the project was to increase marine tourism activity
on Carlingford Lough, and to realise the area’s significant
potential in terms of the development of marine tourism and aqua
culture activities.
With the majority of the physical infrastructure
works now being completed, the marketing strategy devised by both
Councils is now being driven forward with a view to increasing the
number of leisure craft visiting the Carlingford Lough area. This
strategy is complimentary to other marketing initiatives ongoing
in the area and has been developed in the context of improving Ireland’s
Marine Tourism profile, internationally.
An official launch of the project was
held on 31st May 2007 when DARD Minister, Ms Michelle Gildernew
and Irish Foreign Minister Mr. Dermot Ahern visited the region to
help launch the completed projects.
Both Councils now hope to continue
to work in partnership to develop and manage the Carlingford Lough
shores for the future betterment and promotion of Marine Tourism
in the region.
For further information in regards
to this initiative, please contact:
Enterprise Development Unit
Newry and Mourne District Council Offices
Greenbank Industrial Estate
Newry
BT34 2QU
Tel: 028 3031 3233
Fax: 028 3031 3299
Email: districtdevelopment@newryandmourne.gov.uk
Given the numerous funders involved
in this project, linkages have been provided below to each of their
relevant websites:
(v) Newry Neighbourhood Renewal Scheme
In Northern Ireland where you live
matters. For too long, the lives of many people have been blighted
by the consequence of social, economic and physical disadvantage
associated with where they live. 1 in 7 of the population in the
North live in seriously deprived parts of towns and cities.
Learning from mistakes of the past,
the Government is taking a longer term view of the problems to proactively
tackle the symptoms and causes of deprivation. The development of
a genuine partnership with the people in the target neighbourhoods
and other key stakeholders will help empower residents to drive
forward renewal in their own areas.
Neighbourhood Renewal is a Government
initiative that will being together all Government Departments and
Agencies to work in unison to tackle deprivation in the 10% most
deprived areas of Newry. This area is known as West Newry.
The Neighbourhood Renewal area in Newry
consists of 8 community associations, all of which are represented
on the Newry Partnership. They work together with representatives
of local statutory and voluntary groups.
The Newry Partnership is made
up of:
Jim Bagnall Northern Ireland Housing
Executive & Chairperson
Oliver Casey Greater Linenhall Area Community Association and Vice
Chairperson
Laurence Bradley Confederation of Community Groups
Anthony Coyle Derrybeg Community Association
Gerry Coyle Drumalane/Quayside Close Community Association
Mary Haughey Newry & Mourne Health & Social Services Trust
Peter Jackson Meadow & Armagh Road Community Association
Kathleen McAteer 3 Ways Community Association
Jonathan McGilly Newry & Mourne District Council
Catherine McInerney Department for Social Development
Damian Mulholland Department for Social Development
Gerry O’Reilly Martins Lane Area Community Association
Conor Patterson Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency
Martin Ryan Newry & Kilkeel Institute of Further & Higher
Education
Valerie Rooney Carnagat Community Association
Dermot Russell Newry & Mourne District Council
Kieran Shields Southern Education and Library Board
Raymond Thompson Barcroft Community Association
Barbara Whitfield Local Strategy Partnership
Raphael Crummy Neighbourhood Renewal Manager
The Newry Partnership has four strategic priorities:
- Community renewal
– to develop consistent communities that are able and committed
to improving the quality of life in their areas;
- Economic renewal
– to develop economic activity in the most deprived neighbourhoods
and connect them to the wider urban economy;
- Social renewal
– to improve social conditions for the people who live in
the most deprived neighbourhoods through better coordinated public
services and the creation of safer environments;
- Physical renewal
– to help create attractive, safe, sustainable environments
in the most deprived neighbourhoods.
The Neighbourhood Partnership has identified
the following high-level aims, which it believes are key to addressing
these priorities:
Community Renewal
- Building community spirit, where
people are engaged and committed;
- Creating a community in which everyone
feels safe;
- Improving communication across
the community and between local groups;
- Working to ensure that people from
all cultures are accepted and embraced;
- Providing for meaningful community
consultation and local decision making;
- Supporting the development of a
community in which our children and grandchildren will have a
positive future.
Economic Renewal
- Working to ensure that everyone
has access to appropriate and relevant education and training
opportunities;
- Building and sustaining a highly
skilled workforce and working towards full employment;
- Seeking local and inward investment.
Physical Renewal
- Creating a physically attractive
environment;
- Planning sensitively for the use
and maintenance of green spaces;
- Developing and maintaining safe
outdoor play spaces for children and families;
- Providing accessible public art;
- Supporting the development of welcoming,
attractive, buildings and houses;
- Restoring derelict buildings;
- Working to ensure that people live
in an area that they are proud of.
Social Renewal
- Ensuring that high quality services
and resources are accessible to the local community and coordinated
across agencies;
- Providing opportunities for physical
and leisure activities which bring people together;
- Developing services to address
mental ill health and promote emotional well-being;
- Creating child friendly spaces;
- Promoting citizenship.
Delivering the Vision
The Newry Neighbourhood Partnership
acknowledges that delivering on the vision requires not just a robust
plan with mechanisms for review and ongoing consultation, but genuine
partnership and ‘buy- in’ from all of the relevant stakeholders,
including the statutory sector.
To deliver the vision for Newry there
is a need for:
- Positive leadership and a proactive
approach;
- A good plan that allows for change
and is sufficiently flexible to respond to needs and opportunities
during the life of the neighbourhood renewal programme;
- A willingness to change working
practices and a shared commitment to pooling resources and expertise;
- A task oriented approach;
- Effective development and working
of relationships and plans in relation to the Republic of Ireland;
- Engagement by the private sector
in the renewal process;
- Accountability of Partnership members
and other partners;
- Involvement of young people in
the process;
- Tangible progress in the first
three years;
- “Bending the spend”
of Departments and agencies working in the Newry Neighbourhood
Renewal Area.
PROGRESS TO DATE
To date, the Newry Partnership has
provided
- a play area in Derrybeg and two
in the Greater Linenhall Area
- running costs for community centres
- an extension to Whitegates Centre
- IT equipment for community centres
- Upgrading of community centres
- Capacity building and support funding
to CCG
The Newry Partnership has also produced
a Vision Framework and 3 year action plan for the Newry Neighbourhood
Renewal area, setting out priorities for the next three years.
For further information contact Raphael
Crummy on 02830313233 or e mail to Raphael.crummy@newryandmourne.gov.uk
(vi) Castleblayney and South Armagh Joint Committee (CASA)
The objective of the Castleblayney
South Armagh (CASA) Linkage programme is to promote both areas in
terms of tourism and economic sustainability and to demonstrate
the success of an innovative approach in cross border co-operation
which can embody the conservation and regeneration of a rural area
thought the funding of festivals and infrastructural works correlated
to fishing.
The CASA linkage programme was officially
launched in November 2006 by Charlie Bird, RTE Chief News Correspondent
and the achievements of the programme to date encompass infrastructural
works at Gas Lake, Castleblayney comprising of fishing stands and
a floating jetty which enhances a tidy town’s initiative,
sub-aqua rescue service and a recreation amenity for Castleblayney.
To date 6 cross border festivals have
been funded and 11 community and voluntary sector organizations
have been assisted in terms of marketing, PR and product portfolio
development. The festivals have varied in scope from drama to music
to walking and have successfully attracted visitors to the CASA
area.
The first cross border festival linked
the Muckno Mania Festival 14-16th July 2006 in Partnership with
Feile Camlough 9-13th August 2006. This linkage was created by a
joint marketing strategy for festivals, the facilitation of creative
workshops and a guided historical and geneogical tour of both areas.
In November 2006 CASA supported The
Thrills & Skills Music Festival a joint initiative between Iontas
Centre, Castleblayney & Ti Chulainn Centre, Mullaghbawn which
introduced aspiring local musicians to the Irish Music Industry
under the watchful eye of Jackie Hayden from Hotpress Magazine and
the Walls.
Drama came to play in the spring as
The Lislea Drama Festival 24th February – 11th March was partnered
with the Castleblayney Drama Festival 1st – 10th March by
a back to back performance of JB Kean’s famous play Moll,
the Festival collectively registered 2,500 attendees.
CASA also supported The Slieve Gullion
/Muckno Cross Border Walking Festival which was held on the 24th
- 25th March. The festival amalgamates walking groups from South
Armagh and The Monaghan Way and provides participants with a choice
of 6 graded walks within the CASA area. In total 124 persons registered
for the event deriving from as far a field as Dublin, Galway, Mayo
and Germany.
Further information on the CASA Linkage
programme is available on the programme web site www.casalinkage.com
(vii) Albert Basin Development
For further information on the Albert
Basin Initiative, please log onto the procurement section of the
Council’s website at www.newryandmourne.gov.uk
(viii) Ross Monument Upgrade
Following a long vesting procedure, Council took ownership of this
Grade A listed monument in Rostrevor, Co. Down, in mid 2006.
Following the appointment of Ferguson
McIlveen, now Scott Wilson Landscape Architects, in February 2006,
Council commissioned a feasibility study and design concept for
the site.
The draft design and concept was put
out to public consultation in November 2006 for comment with Council
then securing funding in order to undertake the restoration works.
The site clearance works will begin
in September 2007, with the actual stone, railing and pathway upgrade/restoration
works to be completed by May 2008.
(ix) Ongoing Environmental
Improvement Schemes
Canal Street & Sugar Island, Newry
Mayobridge
Warrenpoint
Mourne Esplanade & Lower Square, Kilkeel
Newtownhamilton
Through it’s Enterprise Development
Section, Newry and Mourne District Council is driving forward on
the above Environmental Improvement Schemes across the District.
Funding has been sought from a range of funders, including, DSD,
Local Strategy Partnership, Interreg, Ulster Wildlife Trust, South
Down Fishery Taskforce, along with Council’s own capital funding
in order to undertake a range of works involving:
- Resurfacing treatment to existing
footpaths,
- Extensive use of natural associated
with hard works,
- Installing street furniture including
lights, seats, litter bins, signage etc,
- Undertaking planting works as well
as the trenching and under grounding of overhead services and
cables.
All of the above schemes are at various
stages of design/on-site works/completion and it is hoped that they
will greatly add to the town/village scapes of the district.
For further information in regards
to any of the above Environmental Improvement Schemes please contact:
Enterprise Development Unit
Newry and Mourne District Council Offices
Greenbank Industrial Estate
Newry
BT34 2QU
Tel: 028 3031 3233
Fax: 028 3031 3299
Email: districtdevelopment@newryandmourne.gov.uk
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