DfI Roads ‘clamp’ Council city centre office plans 

After eight years of the Newry City Centre Regeneration projects and over £2,000,000 of public money spent, not a sod has been turned on the Albert Basin Park nor a brick laid to build either the theatre/conference centre, or the Council’s proposed new offices behind Newry Cathedral.

Now DfI Roads, in its latest response, has rejected for a second time, Council parking and travel plans for its new HQ, in effect ‘clamping’ the project.

In a letter dated April 24, 2024, DfI describes the planning application as “unacceptable as submitted” because “insufficient detail is available on transportation issues.”

However, unlike the first rejection in June 2023, the Department this time goes into detail. 

Bearing in mind the project started in 2016, the Council has now had two car parking and travel provision submissions for its proposed new offices rejected in just over a year, and councillors and ratepayers alike should be concerned about the following:

Councillors not shown important reports 

• The importance of the content of the Travel Assessment and Travel Plan reports and the Staff survey included within, submitted in support of the council offices planning application cannot be emphasised enough.
• Considering the detailed information they contain, and the impact they potentially could have on the future of Newry city centre and on council staff, the scale of the multi-million pounds Newry City Centre Regeneration Projects, together with the responsibilities and accountability of elected representatives’ decision-making, councillors were shown neither the 2023 nor 2024 versions for scrutiny before they were submitted to planning. 

Out-of-date staff survey

• The staff survey for those potentially moving to work in the new Council offices, submitted as part of the planning application, is five years old.
• It was carried out pre-Covid in summer 2019 when Council staff were mostly working five days-a-week in offices. 
• The survey and results were never shown to councillors as far as Newry.ie can ascertain.
• The staff survey rejects the Council’s Active Travel plans for walking, cycling or using public transport to get to work in the new offices - because staff need their cars on site.
• Is a 2019, five-year old pre-Covid staff travel survey a relevant document to submit in support of a 2024 planning application considering the impact of Covid and the Council’s agile working policy?

Council aware of required car park numbers 

• In May 2020, a Council report shows management (in discussions with DfI) knew approximately 320 car parking spaces would be needed behind the Cathedral. That number was ignored. 
• The Council submitted plans for less than 140 car park spaces.

Missing information

• The sheer volume of information the Council did not provide to DfI Roads that the Department is requesting, even after two submissions. 
• The previous advice from consultants the Council would face parking difficulties at Abbey Way that was ignored.
• The failure to take into consideration the impact of the parking plans on the Council’s own planning decision regarding the Community Health Hub that included Abbey Way and Lower Water Street.

Questions around Cecil Street decision

• There are questions around the due process surrounding the recently lodged Council planning application for a free staff car park in Cecil Street for those working behind the Cathedral, reversing a Full Council decision in September 2020 to not have parking off-site on Council property in Cecil Street.

Removing free parking for businesses

• If reports out of Council are true, the Council will create a paid for car park for the public at North Street removing the free parking that is currently in place - directly impacting the local business community.
• If councillors agree to building a car park in Cecil Street, ratepayers will pay for the creation of a controlled access car park with free parking for Council staff working at the new offices. A shuttle bus will be in operation between the two sites.

What DfI has said:

• DfI roads would require that the existing parking level of 243 spaces at the proposed development location is maintained.
• Council Planning have advised that a further 220 spaces would be required for this proposed development. This equates to an overall requirement of 463 spaces.
• Based on the staff attendance figures provided in the travel plan and TA (Travel Assessment) DfI Roads would accept the reduced parking from the required 220 to 133 spaces thus required 376 spaces in total which include existing parking. 
• DfI would also accept in principle the proposed parking on Cecil street application LA07/2024/0301/F of 49 spaces to reduce the 133 requirement for this specific development, however amendments to that application will be required as discussed as part of meeting held on the 21 September 2023 to include specified Active Travel measures.

The above four points set out how DfI reached its 327 figure the Council is required to deliver at Abbey Way: 376 less 49 at Cecil Street leave 327 car parking spaces to be retained behind Newry Cathedral.

The Council’s figure of 138 is some 189 spaces short of what DfI require and Council management, and a number of councillors, were aware of the figure as far back as May 2020.

Proposed Cecil Street Council staff car park 

The Council employed international consultants to prepare and lodge a planning application to build a ratepayer-funded, free to use staff car park in Cecil Street for those working almost a mile away at the proposed new HQ. 

The application was lodged even though it directly contradicts the results of a car parking survey completed by another set of international consultants employed by the Council in November 2023 and subsequently lodged as part of the updated 2024 Transport Assessment for offices planning application.

The survey consultants state, in their “professional opinion”, “Newry City Centre currently has an abundance of public parking provision that vastly exceeds demand” and “no further parking provision is required”?

Included amongst the “abundance of public parking provision” in that survey were the two car parks at Newry Leisure Centre…in Cecil Street.

No political accountability

Newry.ie has raised this contradiction with Council management, Sinn Féin, the SDLP, DUP, UUP and Alliance.

Council management and Sinn Féin, the SDLP, DUP, UUP have failed to answer. The Council management cited its latest ‘go to’ response about a ‘live planning application’ as the reason for not responding.

There is secrecy, a lack of transparency, little openness and even less accountability surrounding this multi-million pounds ratepayer-funded project. And there is an apparent determination by some councillors to build a new council HQ behind the Cathedral irrespective of, it would seem: 

• Neither having nor knowing enough details to make informed decisions on behalf of ratepayers.
• Soaring costs - start cost September 2019 £7m, now £18m but expected to be nearer £25m+ to complete. 
• A building designed pre-Covid for 300 staff that will now accommodate approximately 120-130 people at times taking account of the Council’s agile working policy.
• No regard to the results of the 2021 Council Public Consultation.
• The continued views and opposition from the public, Cathedral parishioners and city centre business community.

Only the Alliance Party responded. They said they have raised issues with Council management which they will not answer.

Councillors already said No to Cecil Street parking

In April and May 2020, Councillors on the Newry City Centre Regeneration (NCCR) Programme Board - responsible for the NCCR Projects - made a decision, that was agreed to at committee level in August 2020 and ratified by Full Council in September 2020, that car parking at the new Council offices had to be on-site at Abbey Way or within close proximity. 

The Director in charge was told no parking off-site for the new offices on Council owned land - including Cecil Street.

Who decided upon Cecil Street?

No Cecil Street car parking was agreed in 2020 but a planning application has now been lodged for the very thing Councillors rejected.

• Did a Council committee or Board, or were any of the political parties responsible for overturning the 2020 decisions by councillors?
• If so, where are the minutes to show democratic due process was followed - what committee, board or councillors made the decision, when was it made, and when was it brought before full Council? 

Neither local political party leaders, nor Council management will answer questions on the Cecil Street car park. 

If the 2020 decisions were not overturned by councillors following due process, how has the planning application for a car park in Cecil Street and the work and cost to ratepayers that has gone into it been allowed to proceed?

Removing free parking for local businesses

What DfI said:

• The Transport Assessment also mentions the formalisation of North Street car park. Though this will have a 96 space reduction on the current layout this change would have to be submitted as a planning application to formalise the parking in North Street similar to the Cecil Street car park application as these would have to be linked to this proposal and be in place prior to commencement.
• DFI Roads would require clarification on the North Street potentially being used for housing by the housing executive which would affect the proposed parking also. 

North Street plans

• North Street is a free ‘car park’ on waste land owned by the Department for Communities (DfC) and managed in agreement with Newry BID (representing some 600 city centre businesses). It can accommodate realistically up to 230-250 cars.
• There are also 70-75 cars which park daily and for free along the roadside directly in front of the North Street car park.
• Clare House, on the right of the car park belongs to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE). It is now empty of residents and is to be demolished.
• When demolition is complete, DfC and NIHE intend to do a land swap. Most of the land on the left hand side of the present North Street entrance will go to the NIHE for housing, while the right hand side of the site, including the Clare House land, will be under DfC ownership.
• Newry.ie understands the Council intends to lease that land from DfC, formalise parking (surface, lines etc), do away with free parking and introduce paid for parking for approximately 176 cars.
• Based on current Council car park charges, a quick calculation shows that at 50p/hr for an 8hr day, for someone working a full-time five-day week, a 48-week year equates to £960 per year in parking fees which is free now. 
• There will also have to be parking considerations for residents of the new housing at North Street.
• And where do 70-75 cars parking on the road go?

Impact on planned Health Hub?

What DfI said:

• DfI would query the shortfall of spaces of 28 for the CCTC (Community Treatment and Care Centre). 
• As part of the application LA07/2020/1110/DC DfI Roads advised on the 13/01/2022 that the requirement for the CCTC was 810 parking spaces approximately and only 397 were provided. The 400 approx. shortfall was accepted by the Department based on the parking survey of available spaces in the close vicinity which included 155 on the multistorey and 118 on Lower Water Street as well as a bus route servicing the facility. As this is a committed development the existing spaces within the proposed site would require to be maintained.

In this case, a 'committed development' is one that has received full planning permission. The Community Treatment and Care Centre (CCTC), to be built on the old Abbey Grammar playing field has already received full planning permission granted by the Council.

DfI has highlighted the impact the Council’s parking plans for their new offices will have on the CCTC and this is something Council officials will have been aware of prior to lodging their office planning application - not only as the planning authority that granted the CCTC planning permission, but also because it was such a high-profile planning application. 

What DfI has done is remind the Council of the CCTC car parking commitment at Abbey Way and Lower Water Street which has already been made when granting the CCTC planning permission and must be adhered to - something not done in its offices parking plans.

Staff Survey

What DfI said:

• The Department actively promotes active travel and would ask the developer to seek alternative options that may be acceptable to promote the same and to mitigate the need for parking. These measures should be tangible and practicable and demonstrated in the travel. 

In the Council’s Travel Assessment (2023 and 2024) documents is a survey of Council staff potentially working in the new Council HQ.

This was carried out in 2019 (pre-Covid) when the majority of staff worked five days-a-week in Council offices and there was no agile work policy.

The promotion of Active Travel is raised in the survey however, the results on are not encouraging for the Council. Out of 138 respondents: 

• No staff travelled to work by public transport.
• 98% travelled by car. One person walked and one cycled.
• Almost 60% said nothing the Council could do would encourage them to travel to walk or cycle to work at the proposed new offices. work by public transport. 

It should be noted that as far as Newry.ie can ascertain, the survey and its results were not presented to councillors.

Failure to provide important information

What DfI said:

Following review of the Travel Assessment the following will be required:

• No traffic surveys were included in the revised Travel Assessment to determine the existing traffic volumes and to help determine the percentage impact of the proposed development on the surrounding road network.

DFI require that survey information is included in the Travel Assessment to allow a full assessment of the impact of the proposed development on the surrounding road network.

• The consultant has listed some committed developments in Section 6.2 of the Travel Assessment but has only taken into consideration the parking shortfall for each one. The additional traffic generated by all relevant committed developments should be included in an overall assessment of the impact of the proposed development on the surrounding road network.
• The distribution and assignment of traffic has not been included in the Travel Assessment. The consultant should consider using the postcode data collected as part of the Travel Plan to determine the distribution and assignment of staff trips. Alternatively, a gravity model could be used to determine the distribution and assignment of staff and visitor trips. 
• DFI Require that any junctions which exceed a 5% impact threshold should be assessed in detail and modelled.

Staff need cars on-site

What DfI said:

• The Travel Plan provided in Appendix B of the TA clearly demonstrates that the majority of staff, (74% of those surveyed), moving to the new site will still need their car for their post to fulfil site visits, meetings, and travel to different offices.
• Limiting the number of car parking spaces available will not change this and the staff will need to park somewhere nearby.

Council will be bringing more traffic into city centre

What DfI said:

• The proposal is also moving staff from offices on the outskirts of Newry, where there are more routes available to avoid the already congested city centre, into the heart of the city. 
• DFI Require that the Travel Assessment is updated to include details and justification of the staff and visitor trips generated by the proposed development. The impact of any additional trips on the surrounding road network should be fully assessed in a revised Travel Assessment. 
• Whilst the location of the proposed development does increase the likelihood of visitors using public transport there is still going to be a proportion that need to, or prefer to, take the car. 

What about existing users?

What DfI said:

• The removal of the existing Multi Storey Car Park will also have an impact on the surrounding junctions as the vehicles which currently use it will need to find alternative parking elsewhere in the surrounding area.