Ballyhenry park and ride plan put on hold

Work on the construction of the 92-space park and ride at Ballyhenry Road had been scheduled to get under way earlier this month, despite more than 900 objections to the plan.

The DRD Minister announced in early December that £250,000 had been made available for the project, which was scheduled to be completed by April 2013.

However, it’s understood that Mr Kennedy has now agreed to give further consideration to the Roads Service scheme following a public outcry from local residents and political representatives.

“I have met with residents of the Dorchester and Ballyhenry area who are strongly opposed to the planned creation of a park and ride facility off Ballyhenry Road, close to their homes. They are particularly concerned about the disruption and potential for anti-social behaviour arising from this car park which would be unsupervised and open 24 hours a day,” Mr Dodds explained.

“I have subsequently met with Transport Minister Danny Kennedy who has agreed to consider this matter once again. He has said that no further work will be done on the creation of the car park in the mean time.

“I welcome that decision and, although this does not mean that the Minister has made any final decision, it allows for further representations to made on behalf of residents,” the DUP man added.