Councillor praises Causeway Coast & Glens Council staff for rescuing 'at risk' Dungiven project
A Causeway Coast & Glens councillor has praised Council staff for saving an ‘at risk’ project in the Dungiven area.
Sinn Féin councillor Kathleen McGurk praised Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council staff for their quick turnaround in replacing the PEACEPLUS capital project within the Benbradagh District Electoral Area.
During an update report to November’s Leisure and Development Committee on the five projects within council’s PEACEPLUS Local Action Plan, members were told that one project, entitled ‘Benbradagh: Gateway, to the Sperrins Project’, was at significant risk of not being able to start or complete within the required timescales, as council had been unable to obtain required permissions from landowners.
The report noted that the PEACEPLUS Partnership has now agreed instead make improvements to Dungiven Castle Park, including path improvements, outdoor furniture installation, improved directional and interpretive signage, and habitat management.
The report added: “The aim is to encourage and increase the potential for increased mobility, on a cross-community/cultural basis by increasing the attractiveness of current offering.”
A council officer noted that outline approval had already been granted by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and recommended that members also accept the changes, in order to formalise SEUPB’s approval.
“We asked SEUPB could we look at a completely different project with different outputs and they said they wanted to see a project in the same DEA with the same participant numbers, the same high-level outputs being achieved,” they said.
“We worked with the Coast and Countryside team to identify this project and to ensure back to SEUPB that it could be completed within the timeframes set down.”
Councillor McGurk proposed accepting the report’s recommendations.
“I want to say a word of thanks to the council officers for turning around an alternative project in a relatively short time frame,” she concluded.
“I know the work that goes behind the scenes to get this ready for committee and decision.”