COMBER TO NEWTOWNARDS GREENWAY WHAT IS A GREENWAY... Have your say on the proposed scheme 3. Greenways are corridors of land recognized for their ability to Greenways, as vegetated buffers protect natural habitats, improve connect people and places together. These ribbons of open water quality and reduce the impacts of flooding in floodplain areas. space are located within linear corridors that are either natural, Most Greenways contain trails, which enhance existing recreational PURPOSE OF CONSULTATION... such as rivers and streams, or man made, such as abandoned opportunities, provide routes for alternative transportation, and In November1. 2016 Ards and North Down Borough Council commissioned studies for The proposed Greenway is a ‘major’ development as the site railroad beds and utility corridors. improve the overall quality of life in an area. three potential Greenway routes as Stage Two of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) area is greater than 1ha. The Planning Act (Northern Ireland) Greenways programme. The next stage (stage 3) looks at the Greenways in more detail. 2011 places a statutory duty on applicants to consult the The first of these stage 3 studies is the Comber to Newtownards Greenway and following community for a minimum of 12 weeks prior to submitting a the completion of the study the Council intend to submit a planning application. The planning application for a ‘major’ development. scheme proposes to extend the existing Comber Greenway from Belfast Road, Comber to Georges Street/Upper Greenwell Street, Newtownards. The proposed Greenway will The purpose of this consultation is to ensure that communities be approximately 12km long. are made aware of and have an opportunity to comment on the Greenway proposals before the planning application is submitted. As such, the community consultation process is a central part of a positive and proactive planning system. The background to the developmentWIDER of a Greenway between CONTEXT... Comber and Newtownards National Guidance recommends a preferred minimum width of 3.0m to facilitate dual walking and cycling on a shared facility. The actual width to be constructed lies in the Strategic Plan2. for a Greenway Network. The Strategic Plan was published depends on issues such as available width and likely level of use. Certain in November 2016 and flows from a number of DfI strategies and policies. In addition sections of the Greenway at pinch point and bridges may be limited in width to as part of its ongoing commitment to investment in the health and wellbeing of the The aim of the Strategic Plan is to build a regional approximately 2.0m due to construction costs and constructability issues. community, the Council is progressing with the design of Greenways that were identified Greenway network, significantly increasing the length in the Strategic Plan. These include the Comber to Newtownards Greenway (as identified of traffic free routes to encourage a substantial increase in the number of people walking and cycling in this consultation), the Newtownards to Helen’s Bay Greenway and the Holywood to as regular part of everyday life. Donaghadee Greenway. “A Strategic Plan for Greenways which will cover the whole of Northern Ireland. This plan will provide a framework to assist councils and other bodies to develop their own local schemes as part of a Greenway Network for the entire region.” Michelle McIlveen MLA, Minister for Regional Development 1m 3m 1m Typical Greenway Detail Benefits of a Greenway... Improving Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation "CreatingECO-FRIENDLY an Active Community"Reduced Vehicular Congestion “Tourism Magnet” ACTIVE COMMUNITY "Clear Skies, Clean Rivers, Active Living and Protected Wildlife " Green- Collar Enhancing Cultural Awareness IMPROVING HEALTH and Community Identity Community Asset RISE IN PROPERTY VALUE 4. ROUTE FROM COMBER TO NEWTOWNARDS... The Council, in October 2017, engaged AECOM and Sustrans to commence the design of proposed Greenways between Comber and Newtownards. The current proposed route put forward as part of this pre-application community consultation is shown below. Ballyrickard WwtW Bridge Sreet Existing Underpass A21 Existing Underpass River Enler The proposed route would provide an extension to the Comber Greenway into Comber town center by following the Enler and Comber Rivers on approach Route of Section 4 - A21 Underpass to Ballyrickard WWTW to Strangford Lough. The route would continue along the eastern side of the 6 Footbridge from Portaferry Road Car Park to footpath Route of Section 3 - Bridge Street to A21 Underpass existing A21 Newtownards Road before joining up with the path on top of the flood protection bank along the shore of Strangford Lough. The preferred route is proposed to run parallel with the carriageway between Comber and Ballyrickard WWTW. The path continues on the floodwall past Newtownards Airfield to the Floodgates at the Portaferry Road in Newtownards, around Londonderry Park and along the canal path. (This route is subject to change depending on outcome of landowner consultations as part of the Stage 3 Study). Photographs from sections of the Ards Airfield proposal are shown on this spread. Floodgates Section 1 - Existing Comber Greenway to Kennel Bridge Section 2 – Kennel Bridge to Bridge Street Section 3 – Bridge Street to A21 Underpass Portaferry Road Section 4 – A21 Underpass to Ballyrickard WWTW A21 Section 5 – Ballyrickard WWTW to Floodgates Section 6 – Floodgates to Georges St. Newtownards 5 End of pathway and beginning of footpath to Ards Airfield Floodgates Georges Street Ballyrickard WwTw Strangford Lough 2 Existing Footbridge (Enler Gardens side) 4 View of Kennedys Bridge (South Side) Route of Section 5 - Ballyrickard WWTW to Floodgates Route of Section 6 - Floodgate to Georges St. Newtownards 1 Kennels Bridge/ Mount Alexander Road 3 Upper Crescent/ Gravel Walkways 6. YOUR FEEDBACK & NEXT STEPS... 5. DETAILED ROUTE SECTIONS... Have Your Say Kennel Bridge Existing Comber Greenway Kennel Bridge Bridge Street As part of this community consultation, this public exhibition at Comber Leisure Centre will be on display from Tuesday 13th of March until 22nd of May 2018. Feedback sheets and a post-box are provided beside these boards to enable individuals to submit their comments about the proposed Greenway. In addition feedback can be channeled via the sources below. In addition there will also be a public exhibition at Londonderry Park, Portaferry Road, Newtownards A22 from Tuesday 10th of April until Tuesday 22nd of May 2018. Route of Section 1 - Existing Comber Greenway to Kennel Bridge Route of Section 2 - Kennel Bridge to Bridge Street More Information.. To view the proposals online please visit: http://www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/about-the-council/consultations If you wish to send us further comments about the proposed Greenway you can do so via the following: Email: [email protected] In writing to: AECOM Planning, Beechill House, Beechill Road, Belfast, BT8 7RP (comments on Comber to Newtownards Greenway to be received by 22nd May 2018) Following completion of this community consultation, your comments will be reviewed and where applicable will feed into the final design process. Thereafter, a planning application may be submitted to the Planning Department at Ards and North Down Borough Council. .