Greenlight forBalmoral Maze move

Members voted in favour of the Legacy Project – the proposal to develop the current site in south Belfast for residential and commercial use, and reinvest in new showgrounds at what will be known as Balmoral Park, at an historic special meeting on Tuesday.

Work will start immediately at the new site to ensure it is ready to host the 2013 Balmoral Show.

A majority vote of attending members was required to give the project the green light.

RUAS Chief Executive, Colin McDonald who lives in Lisburn, said the move would secure the long-term finances of the organisation, develop new, world-class showgrounds, and position the RUAS at the hub of a potential centre for rural excellence at the new location.

“We always knew that, for many, this would be a ‘hearts and minds’ issue which is totally understandable due to our connection to the King’s Hall and the entire Balmoral site.

“This proposal has always focused on the commercial realities – market competition, capacity, and the future of the King’s Hall. Many years of work have already been invested in the Legacy Project to ensure it is the best option, enabling us to secure our finances for the long term and reinvent, develop and grow.

“I am delighted that our members have grasped the rationale behind the Legacy Project and supported the RUAS Council in this groundbreaking vote. They have risen to the occasion, demonstrated the foresight of their predecessors, and seized the moment.”

Some residents in the Maze area have questioned if there is sufficient infrastructure ahead of a planned junction onto the M1, but Mr McDonald said there was enough space on the 360-acre site to ensure traffic build-ups could be avoided.

“We have ample roads and car parking to move traffic around the site,” he said. “It’s different from a traffic jam where you have a bottleneck - ours has traffic coming on to an open site where it can spread out.”

He explained that a new entrance will be developed off the Halftown Road on the Hillsborough side of the area which will help with traffic until the M1 slip road is ready in 2015.

“43 acres of hard standing car park is in the process of being built at the moment adjacent to what will be Balmoral Park,” he explained.

“The hard standing area will be helpful when there is heavy rain,” said Mr McDonald when asked about planning for bad weather conditions.

Mr McDonald thanked Lisburn City Council for all its help during the development process.