A major new greenway in Co Down has been approved despite a swathe of local objections, and doubts from councillors about its "piecemeal" nature.
An Ards and North Down Council plan for a new 12 kilometre greenway between Comber and Newtownards has been passed at the council’s Planning Committee this week, despite over 80 letters of objection being received by the local authority, and the plan having to be split in two due to a Stormont intervention.
The Alliance Party proposed approval for the application, while the Green Party wanted it deferred for a month for further “clarity” on the amended plan. On a non-recorded vote, five elected representatives voted in favour of approval, three voted against, and four abstained.
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The overall plan will connect the existing greenway at Comber to the floodgates at Georges Street in Newtownards. Works will include a new car park adjacent to 122 Belfast Rd, Comber, three new pedestrian bridges over the Enler River, a controlled crossing at Bridge Street, Comber, and upgrading of existing street lighting, fencing and associated site and access works.
The land currently consists of a mix of agricultural land, riverside paths specifically around Kennel Bridge and Comber Leisure Centre, footways, existing pathway along the Comber by-pass, a flood embankment along Strangford Lough, and pathways along Portaferry Road and Londonderry Park, Newtownards, terminating at Georges Street in Newtownards.
The application initially connected the existing Comber Greenway right through to the location of a previously approved greenway at the Floodgates in Newtownards. But a section of the original route along the A21 dual carriageway between Comber and Newtownards has had to be omitted from the application proposal, due to DfI Roads considering the proposed works to be unacceptable.
As a result, the proposed greenway then begins again at Ballyrickard wastewater treatment works and will connect with a previously approved greenway at the Floodgates on Portaferry Road in Newtownards. The council has indicated that a separate application will be submitted for this middle section of the route in order to link the entire greenway together.
In all, the council received 82 letters of objection, two letters of support, and three “non-committal” letters.
In reference to objectors, the council planning report states: “19 objections were received since September 2024 and the majority of the objections were in relation to a plan that showed the route incorrectly travelling through the Castlelodge housing development. In response to this error, the applicant issued letters to the objectors clarifying the route, including a map showing the correct route, and also an apology for the error and inconvenience caused.”
Other objectors referred to a proposed car park at Ballyrickard WwTW, a part of the plan that was dropped. Others argued the proposed greenway at the Belfast Road end would lead to loss of privacy to nearby dwellings, visual intrusion, and have an impact on visual amenity, while causing "disturbance and nuisance." There were other concerns regarding security risks to homes.
The council states: “The proposed greenway does not abut nearby residential properties. The initial section of the proposed greenway from the proposed car park is approximately 185 metres to the north of the closest properties and approximately 40 metres to the east of the rear garden boundaries.
“These separation distances are considered adequate so as not to cause any adverse impact on residential amenity. In terms of visual impact, it is considered that the proposed greenway will not cause unacceptable impacts to the visual appearance of the area.
“Whilst it will be visible from the public road however it will not be intrusive or cause harm in the landscape due to the nature of it being a pathway. The proposed car park will involve the removal of existing trees, however they are only semi-mature and can be replaced – a condition will be included on any permission granted to ensure a landscaping scheme for this area is submitted prior to commencement of development on site.
“It is the responsibility of property owners to make their property safe. It therefore falls to any property owner to erect a fence should it be deemed necessary to secure their own property.”
The proposal now consists of two parts, one that serves Comber and one that serves Newtownards. The proposed route has been split into six different sections: section one, the end of the existing Comber Greenway at Belfast Road to Kennel Bridge, Comber; section two, Kennel Bridge to Bridge Street, Comber; section three, Bridge Street, Comber to the A2.
Section four is from A21 to Ballyrickard WwTW (no proposed works); section five is Ballyrickard WwTW to Floodgates, and section six is the Floodgates to Georges Street Newtownards.
The new car park, located at the start of the proposed route at Belfast Road Comber will be for “Park and Pedal.” There will be a new controlled pedestrian crossing at Bridge Street, Comber and an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing on Portaferry Road, Newtownards.
The new pedestrian bridges will be under Kennel Bridge, adjacent to Nendrum College/Castlelodge Park and at Darragh Road/ Bridge Street, Comber. The widening of existing pedestrian bridges will be at Nendrum College/Comber Leisure Centre, at the rear of Comber Methodist Church, at Park Way, and at Mucker’s Field, Comber. There will be new lighting at the A21 underpass and between Mucker’s Field and the proposed Enler Village.
The council planning report on the application states: “A 1.5km part (the middle section) between the Enler Village roundabout in Comber to Ballyrickard WWTW has been excluded from this planning application, to enable the remaining parts to proceed.
“It has taken a considerable period of time to reach agreement with DfI Roads and Active Travel subject to conditions requiring the route to be delivered in its entirety in the future. A separate planning application will be submitted for the middle section, which has been conditioned as part of this application.
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“The proposed Greenway, which will be typically three to four metres wide with the exception of several two metre pinch points, is policy compliant with the Development Plan, and ‘Open Space, Sport and Outdoor Recreation’ policy, as the development contributes to outdoor recreation and open space needs.”
It adds: “The proposal, incorporates a new 35 space car park at Belfast Road, Comber: it utilises existing pathways as well as traversing some agricultural land and rough ground. It includes the construction of new pedestrian bridges as well as improving/widening others. It does not conflict with road safety or adversely impact the flow of traffic.
“There are no objections from other statutory consultees. Given the separation distances between the site and nearby residential units, there is no detrimental impact on private amenity space in terms of overlooking or noise, despite objectors’ concerns.”
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