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A second government body has objected to the council’s plans to build new offices behind Newry Cathedral.
Following on from Northern Ireland Water’s rejection of the planning application on the basis of the impact it would have on an already under pressure sewerage system, Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Roads Service has also rejected the plans.
DfI said it considers the application for the proposed ‘Civic Hub building accommodating council room, meeting rooms, council offices and associated ancillary accommodation and associated public realm works to part of existing surface car park’, “unacceptable as submitted” while “Insufficient detail is available on transportation issues.”
The department further adds, “DfI Roads feel an office meeting would be beneficial to progress this application. Please reconsult DfI Roads in the event of a meeting request or when further information is available.”
This rejection of the potentially £15.4m+ ratepayer funded building was perhaps something of a surprise considering the council’s representatives have met with Roads Service on numerous occasions going back as far as December 2019.
DfI advised Newry.ie that during the Pre (planning) Application Discussions it had “outlined its considerations to the applicant’s representatives and the council planning department” but it was unable to shed any light as to why it finds the application ‘unacceptable as submitted’
However, for DfI to say three and a half years after that December 2019 meeting, and subsequent meetings, that “insufficient detail is available on transportation issues” must raise questions about the information contained within the ‘Transport Assessment’ - which, according to the document, was authored and approved on the same day, March 16, 2023, the day before the planning application was submitted - and the ‘Travel Plan’ - which was first authored in May 2020 with final approval in April 2021. Both documents were submitted in support of the planning application.
And what about the Department’s ‘considerations’ expressed at the pre planning discussions - were they taken on board?
Newry.ie is aware that there are general concerns in the community around a lack of car parking provision in the planning application for potentially 220 staff as well as visitors and councillors the proposed Civic Hub will cater for, as per the planning application, while at the same time removing 196 existing car parking spaces from behind the Cathedral.
