Co Tyrone: Progress made on sports arena pitch path plans as council told its 'essential for spectators'
Mid Ulster District Council is hoping to be in a position to award a contract for the provision of a standing path around one of the pitches at Cookstown’s Mid Ulster Sports Arena (MUSA) in the next few weeks, Assistant Director of Development, Kieran Gordon has revealed.
The issue was raised by Councillor Trevor Wilson (UUP, Cookstown DEA) at a recent Development committee meeting of Mid Ulster District Council.
The pitch in question is the one furthest away from the changing rooms, and it is used on a Friday by junior players, with the pitch being divided up into several playing areas.
However, as things stand, the only path access is at one end of the pitch, making it difficult for spectators to see children playing at the far end of the pitch. Accessing the other end of the pitch is equally difficult, as there is no path to facilitate members of the public.
Speaking at the October 15 committee meeting of the local authority, Councillor Wilson told the senior council officer: “Kieran, you’ll be sick hearing about the pathway around that pitch. Last Friday night was a disgrace.
“People had prams, and one woman in particular ended up having to take her pram across the middle of the pitch to get to the other side, and that in itself raises a health and safety issue because you have young people on the pitch.
“We are not doing enough there to help people like that. Maybe you have an update that they’re going to do it tomorrow.”
The assistant director of Development told the UUP representative: “Not quite tomorrow, but what I am pleased to say is that the update between now and the last committee is there has been a tender that has been completed, the technical specification has come in.
“As I mentioned at the last committee, we ran into a couple of technical designs around the topography of the site, particularly over in the far right-hand corner. So, that has now been fully fleshed out.
“A tender has now been completed for a general civils framework, and it’s my understanding that in the November Environment Committee that tender will be presented for, hopefully, approval to award. Then, all being well, if that’s ratified at Council at the end of November, we’ll be in a position to award the contract.
“I do take on board the points around the far side of the pitch. There is access that is tarmacked on the way up to that pitch.
“We hope that we can expedite this as quickly as possible. I know it’s been on the radar for some time, but hopefully, if we’re in a position to award a contract this side of Christmas, we’ll be able to move on that pretty quickly thereafter.”
Councillor Wilson remarked that being able to access the entire periphery of the pitch, via a path, is essential for spectators: “If you have a small child playing on the other side, you’re not going to stand on one side of the pitch [where] you can’t see them. So it’s good news on that front. Thank you for that.”
François Vincent, Local Democracy Reporter