Roman Catholics urged to oppose £20m city centre development by signing petition at mass this weekend

By Donal McMahon
Published 23rd Feb 2024, 09:56 BST
Updated 23rd Feb 2024, 15:08 BST
Image of Newry Cathedral and artist's impression of the new NMDDC Civic Centre. (Image from NMDDC website).Image of Newry Cathedral and artist's impression of the new NMDDC Civic Centre. (Image from NMDDC website).
Image of Newry Cathedral and artist's impression of the new NMDDC Civic Centre. (Image from NMDDC website).
Roman Catholics worshipping at Newry Cathedral this weekend are being urged to sign a petition against a major £20m investment in the city centre.

The planning objection to the new civic centre has erupted over the perceived loss of car parking spaces if Newry Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) goes ahead with building its new HQ close to the cathedral.

The city centre site for development at this time provides off-street parking including a multi-storey car park that the Catholic Church says is needed for mass-goers to its Grade A listed building.

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However, the local authority said that its new designs will provide more spaces for parishioners following an engineer’s survey of the car park.

On its website this week Newry Cathedral Parish said: “Newry, Mourne and Down Council has gone ahead seeking planning permission, despite our objections, for the new civic centre in close proximity to the cathedral.

“We encourage you to object as the parking behind the cathedral will be very limited.

“Parishioners will be available as you leave mass at the weekend to enable you to sign a petition in objection to the car park being taken away and the close proximity of this building to the cathedral, which is a Grade A listed building.”

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This is not the first time the two bodies have been at loggerheads with a previous disagreement over NMDDC erecting a large-scale screen in 2015 outside the cathedral.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service contacted NMDDC to respond to the cathedral’s intended petition of objection.

A council spokesperson said: “As part of the design development for the civic and regional hub the impact of the project on parking at the Abbey Way site has been a key consideration, and a number of parking surveys have been completed by appointed traffic engineers on Thursday through to Sunday inclusive, with the maximum occupancy of these two car parks recorded at 116 spaces on Saturday afternoons.

“Following feedback received from key stakeholders the council amended the parking plans to provide 138 spaces at the site, this is above the maximum occupancy rates recorded during the surveys conducted.”