Call for gate to go back up at Ballymacash Park

RESIDENTS at Ballymacash Park, who say they are being terrorised by a group of young people damaging their homes and property, have called for authorities to replace a gate which links them to the Pond Park Road.

People in the area say they frequently have eggs and stones thrown at their houses, wipers and wing mirrors ripped off their cars and fencing around their homes wrecked by gangs who use the area as a drinking den.

A petition with 80 signatures will be handed over to the Housing Executive and Oaklee Housing, who jointly own the pathway, to try to get the gate which used to be there when the Pond Park homes were owned by the MoD, reinstated.

A 60-year-old disabled woman, who has lived in Ballymacash Park for 13 years, said the gangs were a ‘menace’ who leave empty vodka and beer bottles outside her home.

She said windows in her home have been smashed, fencing ripped from her garden, a wing mirror pulled off her car and eggs and stones thrown at her house.

“This a quiet area and I love living here,” she said. “The neighbours are good to me and help me get to hospital.

“I don’t know why I am targeted, it could be because it’s an end house. I often go to bed at 9pm and one time I didn’t realise my window had been broken until the next morning as I am hard of hearing.

“I am afraid to open my front door.“

Another resident, a father-of-three young daughters, said they are often frightened to go to bed at night because stones are thrown at his window. He has had the wipers ripped from his car recently as well as damage to his number plate,

“I have three girls aged two, five and eight and when stones are thrown at the windows it scares them,” he said. “They are afraid to go to bed. Why should they have to live like that?

“I have lived here for 14 years and its only the past few years since the fence has come down that this has got worse.

“We don’t phone the police because what are they going to do about it? I cannot put the damage done to my car through the insurance because my excess will go up.”

The man in his 30’s said that he is sick of his property being vandalised. “No-one uses that access except the odd person walking the dog. Then at night you get these teenagers hanging around.

A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said that meetings will be held to discuss the issue.

“There was a gate on a pathway (the pathway is jointly owned by NIHE and Oaklee) between Ballymacash Park and the Oaklee development at Pond Park,” he said.

“This gate was removed by the MOD (who owned Pond Park before they sold it to Oaklee) some years ago and now the Ballymacash Park residents want it put back as they say people are coming into the area and causing damage.

“The Pond Park residents say they use the path and don’t want it closed.

“Further meetings are going to be organised between all sides to see if a compromise can be reached. One suggestion to be considered is to put a gate up which will be open during the day and closed at night.”

A spokesperson for Oaklee Homes Group said: “We have invited by Paul Givan MLA and residents of Ballymacash to discuss some concerns about the area. Oaklee were unaware of any difficulties in the area.

“It was agreed by all the stakeholders including; residents, Northern Ireland Housing Executive and the Police that a meeting should be held to discuss the best way forward. Another stakeholder meeting will be held again at the end of July to discuss the views of our residents in Pond Park.”

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