Roller Coaster Year for Albert Basin Park Campaign

Newry 2020 have hailed 2019 as a rollercoaster year for their campaign to build a world-class city park at the Albert Basin in Newry!

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The year began with their growing frustration at the Council's failure to deliver on the Albert Basin Park motion passed at the end of 2017.

Commenting on the year Brian Cleland Chairman, Newry 2020 said "While the Council ground to a halt during the local government elections in May, the Newry 2020 team were working harder than ever, successfully delivering a competition with local primary schools to allow pupils to design their ideal city park in Minecraft.

"As always, the enthusiasm and creativity of the children blew everyone away, including the Newry councillors who came along to hear what the younger generation had to say, and to see what they had created.

"By August, the ongoing lack of progress within the Council meant that we decided to take our campaign public once again. In September, our open letter to councillors got a huge response from the public, and we succeeded in getting a commitment to properly fund the project in 2020"

The campaining group sent another open letter in November which elicited agreement from councillors to put a commitment to a 15 acre park and a delivery date of 2023 in the new Corporate Plan.

Mr Cleland adds "This excellent news was soon followed by a flurry of positive statements from the Council and local parties, and an announcement that consultants would be appointed in early 2020 to carry out a public consultation on the Park. 

"We have been informed that this will be closely followed by the appointment of a dedicated project management team.

"The upshot of all this is that 2020 is shaping up to be a decisive year for the campaign - all thanks to the public's unceasing and overwhelming support!"

Concluding the Newry 2020 Chairman pointed out that it is relentless public pressure that has got the project to this point and that they must ensure that this pressure is maintained in 2020, and all collectively demand the Council builds not just a 15 acre city park for Newry - but the best city park in Ireland!