Frew greets cash aid for Ballymena South

The current scheme includes pitch refurbishment of Wakehurst and Mr Frew pointed out that there’s £150,000 for this year in the budget and another £150,000 for 2012/2013.

He said: “This will completely reinvigorate the Wakehurst playing fields with brand new drainage system and total pitch refurbishment which will make the playing surfaces much better.

“Over the last few years there has been a community protest which sometimes hasn’t always been constructive, but I understand the frustration that was going on.

“I met with the football teams and those people who would use the pitch on a weekly basis. We sat down and thought out a strategy of what we needed for the area and lobbied hard for it - myself as an MLA and the local councillors for the area and we were able to get this put on the table,” he said.

“It went through the budgetary process and this is now the start of something very special for Wakehurst and for Harryville and Ballymena South as a whole”.

Mr Frew pointed out that the largest part of the project is a replacement community centre which will entail changing facilities, a main hall, auxiliary rooms and car parking. For this, he said, there is £750,000 earmarked for the budgetary period 2012/2013 and a further £750,000 for 2013/2014.

“Which will mean at the end of that process there is a brand new community centre and state of the art pitches, which will be a great credit to the local community and of great need at this time so I very much welcome that,” said Mr Frew.

“The community centre is much needed, the old community centre is not fit for purpose, it does not fulfil the needs of the community and it is very important that we get this replacement community centre as soon as possible, but this project will take time.

“The pitches will be the start, there will be various design stages and tendering processes and the actual construction of the building.

“People should be patient for this to be finished. But it’s good news this year, I certainly pushed for the pitches to be refurbished at the commencement of the project and I’m glad that has been taken on board and I’m glad that has started and I certainly welcome all the work.

“It’s an iconic part of ballymena, everyone knows it and knows where it’s at and it would certainly do Ballymena very well,” said Mr Frew.