Call for plan to enhance 'massively underutilised asset' at Kernan pitches

The Alliance Craigavon representative commented: “Kernan playing pitches is an area that I spend a lot of time in. It’s also an area where many of my neighbours and constituents spend an awful lot of time.

“If you walk down the Black Paths through the pitches on spring and summer evenings, you’ll see dozens, if not hundreds, of people out on the pitches, in the play park, around the trees, and the various spaces around there.

“I think we’re missing a bit of a trick there. It’s a massively underutilised asset that we have in our hands.

“I speak to a lot of people about the area and they’re left wanting a little more because other areas in Portadown and around Craigavon have 3G or 4G pitches, MUGAs, and other sports and recreational facilities.

“This is really a request or proposal to explore enhancements to the site, whether that’s through bringing in something like a MUGA or outdoor gym equipment.

“A report was brought to the Environmental Services Committee about an urban skate park back in June, and some further detail was requested. I made the point at the time that I thought Kernan would be an absolutely fantastic spot for something like that.

“We also have the school going in there. I’ve mentioned the Black Paths. It’s a very connected area and I do think we’re missing a trick with that council asset.

“There’s tons of space there and it’s not all being used. It’s not a case of ‘build it and they will come’. They’re already there. We just need to build it for them.

“There are a lot of teens down there who sometimes get involved in a bit of antisocial behaviour, and it’s probably because there isn’t enough stuff down there.

“Only two weeks ago I was out walking my dog and saw them with spades and big planks of wood building their own bike ramps. There is a serious need for this type of facility in that area and it’s something that’s missing from that end of Portadown.

“It would be a proposal to bring back some options to the relevant committee to start to explore some of those options for that site.”

Alderman Margaret Tinsley (DUP, Craigavon DEA), who has been campaigning on this issue for a number of years, also felt that there was a need for facilities to be enhanced at the Kernan Hill Road site.

She said: “I’ve always said this about Kernan: the potential there has always been amazing.

“My request has always been for a masterplan for Kernan, but that is costly and expensive, and you can then raise expectations for the residents if you say you want to produce a masterplan for the area.

“Ideally, though, that is what we need to see in order to utilise the space because, as Cllr Alexander has said, there is a tremendous amount of space there.

“It was actually myself who brought this issue to committee. The young people were digging up the ramps and repeatedly running the bikes over the green areas to perform jumps, causing damage to the land.

“It wasn’t that they were out to do antisocial behaviour, they simply wanted a bit of fun.

“This highlighted the need for a dedicated bike jump or skate park where young people could take part in urban sports safely and appropriately.

“The council previously carried out an urban sports report in 2024 and, at the April meeting, I requested an update on the costings for such a facility at Kernan.

“However, the costs were so high that I requested a more detailed breakdown to see whether it might be possible to reduce those costs, and also that we would provide this specifically for the Kernan area.

“My understanding is that this more detailed report is expected to come back before committee in the autumn.

“Do we wait to see what that report brings back, or do we go ahead? I’m happy to propose that we look at Kernan and see what the potential is there, but how do we do that without investing in a masterplan or feasibility study? We need to look into the costings of that.

“We want to achieve something. We don’t want this simply to come back as another report with nothing achieved out of that.”

Cllr Alexander felt that delivering a skate park would be a major step forward: “You’ve hit the nail on the head around the fact that you maybe need to look at feasibility studies for the wider area. I understand those can become costly, but we have to start somewhere. There has to be a first step.”

Director of Environmental Services & Sustainability, Jonathan Hayes explained that a report would be duly commissioned: “Officers are content to speak to the members in question with a view to agreeing the terms of a report and, if members are content, bringing that report to the Environmental Services Committee for further consideration.

“As members have alluded to, there is an ongoing play pitch strategy that has commenced.

“The play strategy is up for review next year, and the Craigavon Place Plans are ongoing as well. There are therefore a number of strategies that are in the pipeline for development.

“But I do take the members’ points in relation to seeing something [materialise], maybe on a smaller scale, but understanding [the fact that] there is a wider benefit to that area for something different.

“That could be part of the wider strategic that we are looking at. I’m happy to link in with members and bring a report to committee.”