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Our local Council have a "complete lack of urgency" in applying for funding from the PeacePlus Programme to support the development of the Albert Basin Park. That's according to Newry and Armagh MLA Justin McNulty who was speaking after meeting with local campaigners who have made very serious claims that the public are being misled about the Park.
Mr McNulty said: "I am completely bewildered as to why the Council appears to be reluctant to submit a bid for the Park to the PeacePlus programme, an initiative which is co-funded by the EU and the UK Government to support development across the North.
“Local campaigners have made very serious claims that the public are being misled about the Park. These concerns must be properly addressed, and must not be swept under the carpet.
“Council has stated that the Park is not eligible for PeacePlus funding due to project timelines and spending deadlines. This is at odds with the view of local campaigners, and indeed, it is at odds with the black and white plain text of the PeacePlus criteria, which states that Council would have until 2029 to spend any funding coming from a successful application.
“Given that Council has already stated that the Park will be open to the public in 2027, I am at a loss to understand how a PeacePlus spending deadline of 2029 would disqualify us from funding. I have requested an urgent meeting with Council Senior Management to seek answers.
“The deadline to submit an application for PeacePlus funding is 7 September. Council needs to do the right thing and ensure that every single opportunity for funding is pursued aggressively. The SDLP will be pushing for this issue to be resolved as a matter of urgency."
