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A motion calling for the establishment of a Newry Canal regeneration taskforce has been submitted to the November meeting of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council by Newry City Councillor Killian Feehan. The motion could be heard on Monday 4 November or it could be referred to a committee to be heard.
For many years Councillors have attempted to put the restoration of Newry's unique selling point on the task list for Newry, Mourne and Down District Council but all attempts to date have failed. Most recently in 2022 former Councillor Charlie Casey got the council to agree to liaise with Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council to investigate future development of Newry Canal (See Council discussions on future development of Newry Canal notable by their absence) but the liaising came to nought.
Large amounts of funding from Belfast Region City Deal instead went to the Mourne Gateway Project and Southern Relief Road while Bangor in Co Down, also a new city, instead decided to use an allocation of £40m to regenerate their waterfront. Whether the restoration of Newry Canal, a project that would have met with virtual unanimous support was considered for the City Deal money is unknown.
The Notice of Motion entitled 'Establishment of a Newry Canal Regeneration Taskforce' speaks of the untapped potential of our waterways, something that is being 'tapped' in many other areas. While currently work on the Ulster Canal with the provision of a new marina in Clones is ongoing, in Newry plans are instead to block the currently open stretch of Newry Ship Canal with the provision of a fixed bridge as part of the City Deal's £93.4m funded Southern Relief Road project while at the same time there are no plans for the land bound section towards Portadown.
The local experts in all things canal, the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland Newry and Portadown Branch point out that reopening the canal would not be majorly difficult or expensive, with branch secretary Joseph Cunningham saying "Contrary to expectations this would not be an inordinately expensive project. The major cost for a canal is the locks, but the majority of locks along the canal are in a good structural state and would be relatively easy to repair. The channel itself is just a matter of removing soil, that is digging, and clearing the existing waterway, adding sealing clay or/membrane. English canal restorers do this type of work on a routine basis."
Currently apart from a few DIY farmer made bridges all the bridges from Portadown to Sands' Mill in Newry would be navigable by barge or small boat and the provision of a turning point at Sands' Mill would mean that they could look at making the bridges in Newry City Centre navigable during a further phase of the restoration.
Notice of Motion - Establishment of a Newry Canal Regeneration Taskforce
"Council recognises the poor condition of Newry Canal and the significant untapped potential of our inland waterways as tourism, heritage and ecological assets, calls for a multi-agency response to lead the regeneration of Newry Canal, and will request the support of ABC Council in writing to both the Minister for Infrastructure and the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to request the urgent establishment of a Newry Canal regeneration taskforce that will work in partnership to deliver on the potential of our inland waterways".
