Deputy First Minister supports new community hub amid concerns over traffic Moira village
A new Co Down community hub has been approved with support from Northern Ireland’s deputy First Minister.
The application by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) was unanimously approved by its planning committee.
Lagan Valley MLA Emma Little-Pengelly posted on Facebook: "Great to see the community hub proposals moving forward with the planning committee unanimously agreeing the plans on Monday (June 2). A huge amount of hard work by the community group and volunteers to get it to this stage.”
The Moira centre will be located at the Demesne Grove between a playpark and sports pitches, however, some traffic concerns have been raised.
A council officer said: “The community hub will be occupied by a charity.
“The site is accessed via the main entrance to Moira Demesne off Main Street, Moira.
“The parking requirements are met from the use of existing car parks within the Demesne.”
Alderman James Tinsley said: “This is a great addition to what is already at the playpark for the community and local school children, it is a fantastic application.”
An earlier application at the committee was also approved for a major upgrade of a retail park on Main Street. Concerns had been raised over long traffic jams of up to two miles into Moira with extra car journeys of 50% at peak times due to the new SuperValu development. Councillor Pat Catney was the only planning member not to support the application. This led to Mr Catney, cautiously agreeing to the Moira hub, saying: “I just hope people can get through the village traffic to get to the hub.”