‘Works scheme on budget and on time- council

As protests persist over the delivery of Lisburn’s Public Realm project, the city council has shot down suggestions the scheme is running over budget and behind schedule.

With Christmas looming large on the horizon, there was a pledge too that ongoing works would be planned to accommodate seasonal shopping, as well as a fresh assurance that the council had listened, and would continue to listen, to local views and opinions, not least those of local traders.

Among traders who remain to be convinced is Paul Graham, owner of Young’s Butchers at Haslem’s Lane, who in late June reported a 75% fall in trade as shoppers apparently steered clear of resurfacing works.

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Some three months on and Mr Graham’s is a tale of continuing disruption, exacerbated, he says, by what he believes to be the “bad organisation” of the scheme overall.

He was critical too, in response to unconfirmed reports that the council had planned to pay more than £10,000 for the safe removal of underground electricity cables to facilitate the planting of two trees at Haslem’s Lane; that, he said, could only be viewed as “excessive”.

The frustrated trader lamented the fact that work continued at Haslem’s Lane on busy market days, yet he could see no evidence, he said, of work being undertaken at weekends or in the evenings.

He added: “It was supposed to be finished at the end of July; two months later and half of it isn’t even started yet, let alone finished.”

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Lisburn City Council, though offering no comment on the cable claims, otherwise responded: “A programme of remedial works is currently underway for the Public Realm Scheme, including works at Haslem’s Lane and Bow Street.

“The Scheme is currently within budget and running to schedule. All works will be scheduled to take account of the Christmas shopping period. This is a large-scale capital development project and as such has taken a considerable period of time.

“The Council has been in continual communications with local retailers throughout the project and will continue to listen to views and opinions. The Council and its project management consultants are also meeting the contractors of the project on a regular basis.”

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