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Council have published a tender seeking a contractor to build the proposed Newry City Park on the 15 acre Albert Basin site. The tender was put online yesterday and has a value of £18,180,000 including VAT and it proposes that the project will last for just over 20 months starting from 12 October 2026. It's the next step in the long awaited and much needed facility with campaigns for the facility taking place over many, many years, the most recent and successful one being led by community group Newry 2020 with help from the entire Newry community.
Previously it was hoped that planning permission would be obtained by late 2025 and that building work would commence in early summer but that deadline has past. At this stage it would be hoped that permission would be granted in the next month or so.
The tender explains that Newry, Mourne and Down District Council's vision for Newry City Park is; "To regenerate Newry City Centre by providing a world class park, improving health and wellbeing opportunities, attracting investment, creating jobs, sustaining our environment and promoting tourism" and the overall objective of the project is to "drive regeneration of Newry City Centre".
The contract is for "the provision of a parkland development which aims to create a welcoming and inclusive multi-functional parkland area, providing a sense of place and a unique experience for the future users of the park."
The park will create a series of exciting outdoor spaces catering for a variety of interests, age groups and abilities. The historical and natural features of the site will be included in a "sensitive and considerate way" taking into consideration planning policies.
The tender explains; The development of the parkland Newry City Park focuses on the creation of a series of interlinked public spaces, which aim to create a much needed and valuable multi-functional greenspace for Newry. The proposals aim to transform the Albert Basin Area into a lively green space, creating a variety of active and passive recreational spaces that will offer future users of the park."
It continues; "The park proposals aim to create a welcoming and inclusive multi-functional facility, providing a sense of place and a unique experience for the future users of the park. Creating a series of exciting outdoor spaces catering for a variety of interests, age groups and abilities, the proposals have been developed with consideration of the specific features of the site, including historical and natural features, which are protected by planning policies and will be included into the future site in a sensitive and considerate way."
Regeneration of Newry City Centre is the overall objective. "This proposal aspires to improve the physical and spatial quality of the site, enhancing the quality of the public realm within Newry City Centre. The new high quality public realm proposals for footpaths, street furniture, wayfinding, signage, landscaping, new public spaces, and new streets will set the standard for all new developments and where existing structures are reused and adapted."
