Integrated Consultancy Team appointed to deliver Newry City Park

Newry City Park plans have taken a significant step forward with the appointment of an Integrated Consultancy Team who's job is to take Phase One of the project through detailed design, planning approval, contractor appointment and delivery on site with completion by May 2027. 

Tetra Tech has been appointed by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council as their team for the community led project, an appointment enabled after the Council’s Outline Business Case (OBC) for the park was approved by the Department for Communities and a Contract for Funding issued in December last year. This opened access to £16.2 million from the Executive’s Complementary fund through the Department for Communities. The Council is also underwriting £2.4 million to deliver a 15-acre City Park as part of Phase One. A temporary community space at the Newry City Park site also opened officially in December following an award of £220,000 from the Department for Communities. The funding allowed an upgrade of part of the Albert Basin site for temporary community use while work progresses on Newry City Park. 

The 15-Acre development at the Albert Basin site will provide a world class park for the residents of Newry. The project provides a significant space for the community and aims to improve the health, fitness and wellbeing of residents, whilst increasing the number of visitors to Newry.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Cllr Valerie Harte, said, “The appointment of an Integrated Consultancy Team is a landmark phase of the project that will see detailed survey and design work getting underway at the Albert Basin site. 

“I would like to thank everyone involved in the work leading up to and during this procurement process, enabling us to attract the highest calibre of talent to match the ambition we have for Newry City Park. I and many other residents were excited by the recently released concept designs and I look forward to Tetra Tech progressing this vision and undertaking the detailed work required to bring Newry City Park to life.”

Co-chairs of the Newry City Centre Regeneration Programme Board, Councillor Declan Murphy and Councillor Cllr Doire Finn, said in a statement, “We congratulate Tetra Tech on the appointment to a project that is at the heart of our ambitious regeneration plans for Newry City Centre. Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards getting the project to this milestone, including community representatives who sit on the Newry City Park Stakeholder Group for their ongoing engagement.”

Darren Price, Associate Director of Project Management at Tetra Tech, said, “We are delighted to be appointed as the Integrated Consultancy Team. Tetra Tech recognises the potential of the Albert Basin location and looks forward to bringing its expertise and experience on board to the Newry City Park project, which has the potential to reinvigorate the city centre as part of a wider transformation of Newry.”

In September 2023 the Council released new visuals for Phase One of the park development, a Newry City Centre Regeneration project, incorporating changing places facilities, an inclusive play park, a sensory garden, an outdoor event space, water and urban sports areas, a plaza area for artisan markets and pop-up vending locations. These are complemented by green space, woodland areas, walking, cycling and running paths, with the park also upgrading links to Victoria Lock and the Greenway.

Timeline

The Park has been the focus of a ten year long campaign by community group Newry 2020 in early 2014. The campaign resulted in Councillor's unanimously agreeing in November 2017 to a motion put forward by Councillors Patrick Brown, Gary Stokes, Jarlath Tinnelly and David Taylor to build the 15 acre city park at the Albert Basin by the end of that council term (May 2023). Unfortunately that timetable wasn't met but £16.2m was awarded for the project from the Executives Complementary Fund in December 2021 for Phase One of the park which is expected to be complete by May 2027. 

Newry City councillor Aidan Mathers has welcomed the appointment. Cllr Mathers said “This latest progress follows from the council unlocking the £16.2 million that was allocated to the project by my party colleague, Conor Murphy MLA, while he was Finance Minister.

“The recent positive momentum is very welcome and we are determined to work with this new team to ensure the council moves rapidly to progress this project.

“People across Newry and beyond are understandably excited to see this project completed and Sinn Féin will continue to work with everyone in seeing this park built to help transform Newry City Centre.”