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Crotlieve Councillor Mark Gibbons has said that one of the saddest and biggest wake up calls he ever got as a local councillor was when he realised that despite the "overwhelming feeling of the local community" that his fellow councillors went ahead and voted for parking charges at popular local parks, when the matter came up a number of years ago. The charges were introduced on 22 April 2024 with residents permitted a free access pass to one park of their choice.
Cllr Gibbons comments were made today following the 13 August 2026 meeting of the strategy, policy and resources committee at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council agreed in closed session to approve a budget for charged parking automation at forest parks.
The Crotlieve councillor said: "I genuinely believed that when the issue of parking charges at Kilbroney Park came before Council, other Councillors around the chamber would stand with me and more importantly, with what I believed was the overwhelming feeling of the local community. When the vote came, I was the only Councillor to vote against the parking charges and I was the only one prepared to go public with my disgust at the decision."
Cllr Gibbons added: "Kilbroney Park is one of our greatest natural assets. We should be encouraging people and families to enjoy it not putting another charge between them and the outdoors."
Facebook page Friends of the Meadow and Kilbroney Forest Park has published a post expressing disgust and suggesting that hourly parking could be a possibility.
"Kilbroney is not a city-centre car park. It is a public park, a forest, a place where families spend the day, children play, people walk, exercise, meet friends, clear their heads and enjoy access to nature. Putting an hourly meter on that changes the very nature of access."
The page has added a link to a petition calling for free access to Kilbroney to be preserved and for council to not introduce creeping charges or hourly metering.
The petition is at https://www.change.org
