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Plans to approve Newry’s new £17m civic centre have been postponed in an 11th hour move by the council.
Newry Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) was scheduled to sign off on its own application today 30 May. No speaking rights were to be provided to objectors in chambers according to a published agenda.
However, the local authority sent out an email update on Thursday (May 29) just after 5pm to call off the meeting.
It read: “Please note the planning committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow will be deferred until 19th June 2025, a formal agenda will issue in due course.”
The city civic centre application has been dogged by controversy with more than 2,500 parishioners at the nearby Cathedral signing a petition opposing the building amid claims it will leave them no where to park during Mass.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) has previously referred to a parking survey (2023) of the Abbey Way site and has amended its HQ plans to provide 138 car park spaces at the site, which it says is above the maximum occupancy rates of mass-goers recorded.
The Parish now further alleges a procedural error by the council, centred around the initial application around a public consultation and a potential shortfall in application fees.
A planning committee in April was deferred to seek further legal advice.
