It’s safety first as new footpath is revealed

The project which was delivered by Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council saw the extension of the pedestrian footpath from the main road to allow safe access to the primary school and the towpath.

The need for the footpath was brought to the fore during the community consultation for the Village Renewal Scheme where the community highlighted the risk experienced by children and users of the towpath while accessing the area.

The footpath has been well received by parents and guardians of the children attending Dromara Primary school, creating safe access to the school. It also provides a route from the Hillsborough Road to the footpath for visitors to the park who have also commended the recently completed work.

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council is pleased to have supported the development of the scheme, which was delivered with further funding support from the NI Rural Development Programme through Lagan Rural Partnership.

Alderman Allan Ewart MBE, Chairman of the Local Action Group and the Council’s Development Committee, visiting the school said: “The renewal of Dromara village was community led to improve the quality of life and economic prosperity of the village. This new pathway is a much needed measure to ensure that children safely reach the classroom after being dropped off by their parents, grandparents or childminders. I’m delighted to see the addition of the path creating a safer walking route from the main road for all users of the Park.”

Alderman Jim Dillon MBE, Vice-Chair of the council’s Development Committee commented: “These safety measures will also benefit the users of the new recreation and leisure facilities funded by the Lagan Rural Partnership. I would like to thank the parents and teachers of Dromara Primary School for taking the time to be part of this process and I know we are all pleased with the outcome.”

Mr Andrew Armstrong, Principal of Dromara Primary School added: “I would like to thank the council for listening to our views and helping to ensure that our children can safely get into school. As a school we work to the ethos of ‘Happy children; learning and achieving together’; and these new safety measures have extended this ethos to include working together as part of the Dromara community. Thank you very much to the funders, partners and organisations involved.”

The council will be holding a free event on Friday, October 18 to celebrate the completion of the Dromara Village Renewal Scheme. Everyone is welcome to attend, details are available on the council Facebook page or contact Nicola Rogan at [email protected] to find out more.