Portadown £25m revitalisation project unveiled

NIO Social Development Minister Des Browne has given notice of a soon to be launched consultation document which is set to revitalise Portadown town centre.

The Portadown Development Framework, completed by independent consultants, contains conceptual proposals for a wide area, including the main commercial centre of the town and the river frontage.

The Framework’s proposals seek to address many of the problems facing the town by recommending a process of radical and innovative measures aimed at assisting with the physical and economic regeneration of the town and the wider area.

The proposals identify 16 development zones covering some 250 acres, including Meadow Lane, the Peoples’ Park, the River Bann frontage and Edenderry. The Framework, which is viewed by the consultants as a 10-15 year concept, suggests that up to £25 million of pump priming public sector finance will be required over a period of five years as a stimulus for potential private sector development.

Today, at a visit to Portadown's Millennium Court, Des Browne released a leaflet setting some of the main proposals contained in the framework document.

The Minister said: “The Framework is about generating a better future for Portadown and the surrounding area - better economic prospects, better infrastructure, better amenities and facilities for those who live in and around the town and for those who might, in future, choose to visit, live and work there.

"The Framework has potential to deliver these over a period of years; but it will need the continued input, ownership and determination of everyone in Portadown to help realise its full benefits and deliver a new chapter in the town’s history."

He stressed that the framework was not an agreed plan for implementation, and many will require feasibility testing. Funding is available for the consultation process, but the Minister conceded neither that priorities nor resources had not yet been agreed.

A local steering group comprising elected representatives; officials from Craigavon Borough Council, Department for Social Development, Planning Service, Roads Service and Rivers Agency; and representatives from the local town regeneration company, Portadown 2000, had responsibility for overseeing the preparation of the Framework.

Following the formal launch, it is anticipated that the consultation period will have a minimum duration of 12 weeks.

Mr Browne also met the Mayor of Craigavon Borough Council, representatives of Portadown 2000 – a local group which seeks to support physical, economic and social regeneration in the town – and members of the local Steering Group which presided over the preparation of the Framework.

(GMcG)