Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Damien Edgar

Saintfield heritage park plans to go on display at end of June

A local body has said it hopes objections from some Saintfield residents will be overcome by a park "for our children and our children's children."

The heritage park was greenlit by planners last week and the Saintfield Development Association (SDA) says it plans to show the full plans for the next two or three years at an event in the village at the end of the month.

The SDA's Brendan Burns said the park is intended to be an open space as opposed to a children's playpark.

Read more: Green Party councillor says hedges need cut as they're a danger

"The plan is for heritage and conservation, so it's going to be multi-use that way," he said.

"It'll be more contemplative and a slower-paced space, so there won't be a children's park or skate park or anything like that in it."

Access to the new site will come via the back of the existing Saintfield Community Centre.

There are plans as well to install a community garden at the back of the centre, as well as create a café and heritage centre.

The site houses an old windmill building currently. (Belfast Live)

"The plan is for heritage and conservation, so it's going to be multi-use that way," he said.

"It'll be more contemplative and a slower-paced space, so there won't be a children's park or skate park or anything like that in it."

However, some residents whose houses are near to the development have expressed concerns that the park could become a site for anti-social behaviour.

One resident said they had felt ignored by the SDA and that they had significant concerns about the park.

"I come from what's right and wrong and what's decent and what isn't and if I was building a development park behind somebody else's house, you would go and speak to them first," they told Belfast Live.

"Maybe you might not agree, you have your difference of opinions, but at least you've gone and spoke to them and heard their opinions.

"Yes people have supported it on social media, but when you look at some of those profiles, they're living in Comber, Ballygowan, Temple, they don't live right beside it.

The park is overlooked by residential properties on one side. (Belfast Live)

"Even last night, we were out for a walk and we saw three young guys climbing over the fence with tins of beer and the park isn't even there yet."

Another resident said they had been directed to "four or five different sites" to try and see the plans for the park, but have not been able to access those.

"We've all tried to find it, we can get in and see the applicant, the SDA etc, but we couldn't actually see the details," the resident said.

"The SDA has refused to meet us as a group, they said they would only meet us individually in our back gardens.

"It's been a whitewash, we have been completely ignored from start to finish."

Brendan Burns from the SDA confirmed they were aware of objections from some of the residents living nearby and confirmed that they had tried to engage individually with those residents.

"They are entitled to their opinions absolutely, but there are objectors who have said 'we don't want this regardless'", he said.

"There's understandable concern about anti-social behaviour but if you look at similar projects like the Warrenpoint park, they had issues prior to the park being passed.

"But because the park is now secure because of the fence and CCTV, the anti-social behaviour has now gone down.

"At the minute there are people going into the field in its current form, there's nothing to stop them, so for us we're adding a layer of security as there will be no access via the Windmill Road, it'll be via the community centre.

"We are looking at it like this - this isn't the SDA's park, this is Saintfield's park."

There are plans for the full details for the park's development to be shown at a Community Day on June 25.

The Saintfield Community Centre will be open for a family fun day, while the plans for the next two or three years will be laid out for the community to see.

Read more: New 'Rihanna tree' takes root at site of infamous video shoot in Bangor barley field

Read more: Festival to mark World Gin Day taking place in South Belfast

To get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox, sign up to our free newsletter.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.