Carryduff pitches lie idle over council toilet delays
A Co Down football pitch has been kept off limits to hundreds of local people due to council delays in providing public toilets.
The Carryduff grounds were vacated by Santos FC in early 2024 after many years as the resident club.
Now, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) has been criticised for allowing a local authority facility to lie idle for so long.
Councillor Brian Higginson said: “In relation to Santos Football Pitch, Carryduff it has been going on for months now and we’ve had two meetings.
“There are hundreds of people in the community affected by not being able to hire the pitch to play football.
“We have been promised that we would have toilet facilities put on to this pitch.
“We had another meeting at the communities and wellbeing committee and promised again it would happen within a couple of weeks and there would be a temporary facility of a portaloo.
“We are now at the end of March and again no portaloo and we are no further on.
“We want to get people back on using and hiring the pitch. It is a funding stream for this council and it is an opportunity to bring money back in again and for young people to have use again of the pitch.” The chamber was told that LCCC was taking action, but there was no timeframe available to have the pitch ready for hire.
A council director responded: “The team has updated me in terms of actions previously that we are in procurement for these (mobile toilets) and the pitch has been marked out. And we are also waiting for goalposts to be erected."