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Newry City Councillor Doire Finn is bringing forward a motion calling for enhanced street lighting to improve public safety in parts of the city, at tonight's 3 February full council meeting of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
The motion will urge the Department for Infrastructure to carry out a scoping exercise to identify places throughout the council area that could benefit from improved lighting.
Speaking on the reason for putting the motion forward Councillor Finn said: "There are large areas of Newry, and communities throughout this council area, that do not have adequate street lighting in place. I have spoken to people, particularly women, who do not feel safe when walking in the evening due to the poor provision.
"Places like Heather Park and Kilmorey Park have really poor lighting at the minute and it’s not fair that some residents in these areas are not able to use open spaces in the evenings. My motion seeks to rectify this, by carrying out an investigation so that we can establish exactly where the gaps are and see action to put proper lighting in place.
"Public safety is always an important issue, but particularly when we are seeing so much focus on violence against women and girls, we should be taking every step to ensure that people can feel safe when out and about. I’m hopeful that my motion will attract broad support and the council must do all it can to keep people safe and invest in our communities."
Mournes councillor Laura Devlin who is seconding the motion said: "This is such an important issue. Our council encourages people to be more active and healthier, to embrace our outdoors and green spaces and to take in the fresh air from our stunning surroundings. However, over the winter months it’s often dark before 5pm. We want people to feel safe and secure when outdoors after dark.
"There are a number of gaps right across the Mournes DEA and I am sure if they were better illuminated, it would encourage people to venture out more. I very much welcome Councillor Finn’s motion and look toward to the positive change that could flow from it."
The Motion
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council notes with concern areas which are lacking or have no street lighting, particularly in light of the issue of women's safety and will in conjunction with the Department of Infrastructure undertake a scoping exercise to identify areas which could avail of additional street lighting across the district.
