Could a lifting bridge across Newry Canal be a real possibility?

From what local politicians are saying, after meeting with the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) last week, a fixed bridge across Newry Canal as part of the proposed Southern Relief Road project from the Warrenpoint carriageway at Greenbank up to Cloughogue, is a done deal.

But the public representatives still have designs for a lifting bridge and have called out the Department with one saying “there appears to be no willingness to come up with a non-fixed bridge engineering solution to the road” while another is quoted, “the response we received from DfI states that they intend to proceed with their decision [fixed bridge].

Their cause isn’t really helped by the fact that while there may have been trumpeting for a lifting bridge, following a recommendation from Council Officers, councillors voted ‘in committee’ in May 2021, to send an independent “Economic Assessment of Water based activities”, which pointed to a fixed bridge being the favoured option, to the Department for Infrastructure.

While one councillor claimed at the time that “the council are not the decision makers merely a consultee…”, the fact the economic assessment was councillor backed, probably made the DfI decision easier.

But could a lifting bridge be a possibility over the Clanrye River and Newry Canal as part of the proposed Southern Relief Road…maybe it could.

Following last week’s meeting between councillors and DfI officials, Newry City Councillor Michael Savage said that in the presentation from the Department’s engineers, “it appears that the cheapest option of providing a non-fixed bridge solution would be in the region of £10.4 million based on a 20 metre span across Newry Canal.”  

Council Councillors make it happen?

Considering figures mentioned previously, talked of an additional cost of £30m to the road project to provide a lifting bridge, £10m may be more achievable.

The £10.4m additional Newry City Councillor Michael Savage (SDLP) to open up the possibility of a lifting bridge may be in councillors’ gift if they actually want to back up their words and not just sound as if they do.

However, it would require councillors to do more than just talk the talk. It would require a strong political will, brave political decision making, leadership and the convictions of their own words.

And they’d need to demonstrate whose needs are greater - is it their own, or those of local people and businesses, and the future potential development of tourism for Newry and the wider district?

If councillors follow their current path, in the coming years they are going to spend £15.4m+ on 5,600sqm (approx. 60,300 sq ft) of new council offices behind Newry Cathedral - something that’s not exactly the people’s No. 1 choice.

The offices are a pre-Covid design to accommodate 287 people of which 220 will be council staff. 

The addition space was to include a Northern Ireland Civil Service Hub on the top floor however, the Civil Service Hub is no longer required and, it’s unlikely there are 287 council staff going to work full-time in the offices, particularly as hybrid working practices would see only up to three-quarters of the 220 council staff in the offices at any one time - according to a council sanctioned report in the planning application.

Where does the £10.4m come from?

Maybe this will a bit too far for some, and yes it would require a major shift in priorities, but it’s not hard to work out, and if councillors are forward thinking enough, and their priorities lie with the wider community and the future potential for Newry, they may see it too.

Over the next few years, Councillors are set to spend £15.4m+ on new offices and a second 41-seat council chamber behind Newry Cathedral, but why not let someone else build their office accommodation needs. 

After all, we were told at the Newry City Centre Regeneration (NCCR) launch in November 2017 that to make it a reality, a ‘delivery partner’ would be needed.

That is something the Council didn’t deliver and that’s one of the reasons it is poised to borrow £50m to put the Council debt somewhere in the region of £120m to complete the projects.

But is there anything to stop councillors making the decision to take £10.4m from their new offices project and use that to back up their support for the lifting bridge with Council investment - showing leadership and ambition for Newry and the wider district?

With the Civil Service Hub gone, is such a large building needed? 

Other office sites

The remaining £5m+ from the Council’s offices project could go into new council offices on a developer’s on their own city centre site - and there are potential alternatives out there.

The former Goss Renault site on Merchants Quay received planning permission for a development a few years ago that includes retail, residential accommodation as well 2100 sqm (approx. 22,600 sq ft) of office space.

Then within the last few weeks, another development was launched on the site of the old CARS Ford dealership site, further along Merchants Quay and directly across from the canal from the site of the council’s proposed new theatre/conference centre at the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre.

With 45,000 sq ft of office accommodation (approx. 4180 sqm) there would be plenty of room for council needs. Add in 196 car parking spaces and a parking strategy wouldn’t be an issue.

On top of that, a number of years ago local developers made a video presentation to council officials and councillors showing how the buildings at Abbey Yard, at the foot of Courtney Hill, could be transformed to accommodate council offices including a 41-seat debating Chamber.

Newry.ie understands that development is still on the table.

And before someone says, ‘the new council offices are part of the Belfast Region City Deal and they have to be built to get the money’, the proposed council offices, and for that matter the proposed theatre/conference centre too, are linked to the Region Deal, they are not funded by the deal.

Under the Belfast Region City Deal, Newry is set to receive £5m for a Public Realm scheme (footpaths, street lighting, street furniture) linking the two projects. 

That money is not to be spent on council offices. Ratepayers are footing that bill.

Local councillors and political parties have pledged their support for a lifting bridge and now they may potentially have an opportunity to deliver that and the council offices.

But would they, given the chance?

That’s the question.