Other News In Brief

Work To Commence On New Footway In Castlereagh

Construction work is to start on a new £227,000 footway in Castlereagh.

The work on Church Road is planned to commence on Monday, 30 September.

Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd said: "The scheme will provide 465 metres of new footway along the eastern side of Church Road and will link the existing footway at Grey Castle Manor with the entrance to the Henry Jones playing fields. This footway will provide a continuous route for pedestrians along this section of Church Road and improve road safety, particularly for children walking to and from school.

"The investment demonstrates my commitment to improving our road network. It is also a significant investment in active travel infrastructure and is part of my ongoing commitment to increasing opportunities for active travel and creating further opportunities for walking, wheeling and cycling, which is vital for connecting our businesses and communities. I would like to thank residents, local businesses and commuters for their patience while this essential infrastructure work is carried out."

As part of the scheme, the Department will also be resurfacing the carriageway along this section of Church Road, costing an estimated £130,000.

The new footway is expected to take approximately 11 weeks to construct. During this time it will be necessary to close Church Road between Marlborough Heights and the Henry Jones Memorial Playing Fields from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Friday to allow the works to be undertaken safely.

When Church Road is closed, a local signed diversionary route will be in operation. Access to properties within the extents of the works area will be maintained.

Access to Lough View Integrated Primary School and Henry Jones Playing Fields will be from the Manse Road end of Church Road.

Advance warning signs will be erected to provide motorists with information on the works.

Work Starts On Active Travel Scheme In Coleraine

Work has started on a £800,000 active travel scheme on the A29 Ring Road, Coleraine.

The improvement scheme includes the provision of a shared footway/cycleway for a distance of approximately 500 metres along the A29 Ring Road between the Portrush Road Roundabout and Cromore Road. This scheme, which will extend the existing cycleway-footway and improve links to the University of Ulster, also includes resurfacing of the carriageway.

Infrastructure Minister John O'Dowd said: "This significant investment for the Coleraine area is part of an overall vision to provide a high-quality active travel link between Coleraine and Portstewart.

"The scheme, which builds on other recent active travel improvements in Coleraine, will enhance provision for cyclists and pedestrians in the area and will provide a connection to the University of Ulster, increasing opportunities for active travel for students and residents alike.

"I would like to thank the public and local residents in advance for their cooperation and ask that they comply with all temporary traffic restrictions associated with these works." To facilitate the work, temporary traffic management will be in place on the Ring Road from the 23 September 2024 for a period of 18 weeks.

UUP Will Not Support Latest Stage Of Budget Bill

Ulster Unionist Party Finance spokesperson, Dr. Steve Aiken OBE MLA, reaffirmed the party would not support the latest stage of the Budget Bill.

Speaking in the Assembly during the Budget Bill debate, Dr. Aiken said: "The UUP will be voting against the final reading of this bill. As a party we have consistently pointed out that the budget provisions are insufficient to cover the critical requirements for our health service. While it may be only nine months since the all-party talks, that many of us sat through, when every party agreed that health was the priority, the subsequent budget provisions not only went against those priorities but when originally presented, made a real-terms cut in resources for health.

"While we welcome the additional funding that came in the June/July monitoring round, it was still far short of what is required to deal with the critical challenges that we face.

"This was also before the draft Programme for Government was published.

"We are aware of the negotiations between the departments & Finance Minister. But again, there is no acknowledgment of the level of need and prioritisation that Health, and indeed, other hard-pressed services, like the PSNI, are under.

"The Finance Minister then wrote to Ministers and informed our committee that she was proceeding with spending allocations based on discussions with His Majesties Treasury, acknowledging that this was at ‘risk’ based on likely allocations on the supplementary estimates post the budget next month.

"This additional level of funding is in the region of £500 million - £250M of which we would reasonably expect to come to health.

"As a Finance spokesperson and from questions put by our Party representatives, we have repeatedly queried the level of confidence that the Minister has in assurances from the Treasury.

"I wish to make clear that I am in no way calling into question the Ministers’ belief or her integrity in reporting her exchanges.

"However, as MLA's, we must all call into question the assurances from this government. 3 weeks ago, I attended a conference in Oxford and heard the Secretary of State wax lyrically about the benefits of major projects in Northern Ireland, powered by the City Deals amongst others. Alongside the Tanaiste, we had the famous reset emphasised.

"Less than a week later the City Deal was paused, then parts of it reinstated, and when the issue was raised by the Finance Minister, she was told to discuss it with the Chief Secretary of the Treasury - a discussion which I understand has yet to happen.

"It is our opinion, and should be of concern to others, that basing a budget on an additional £500 million, on the assumption of assurances from a Treasury which will not engage on City Deals, must be suspect.

"So where are we today? First - even with the budget allocations we have, we do not have the resources for what nine months ago, was our number one priority, health."