NEWTOWNARDS TO HELEN’S BAY 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 second of these stage 3 studies is the Newtownards to Helen’s Bay Greenway and community for a minimum of 12 weeks prior to submitting a following the completion of the study the Council intend to submit a planning application. planning application for a ‘major’ development. The scheme proposes to enhance the existing Clandeboye way by providing 3m wide (min) asphalt path from Helen’s Bay to Somme Museum. From there create a new path The purpose of this consultation is to ensure that communities using the old railway route heading towards Newtownards and the upgrading of existing are made aware of and have an opportunity to comment on path were possible to George’s Street. The proposed Greenway will be approximately the Greenway proposals before the planning application is 13km long. 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... Newtownards and Helen’s National Guidance recommends a preferred minimum width of 3m to facilitate dual walking and cycling on a shared facility. The actual width to be constructed Bay lies in the Strategic2. Plan for a Greenway Network. The Strategic Plan was published in depends on issues such as available width and likely level of use. Certain November 2016 and flows from a number of DfI strategies and policies. In addition as part sections of the Greenway at pinch point and bridges may be limited in width to of its ongoing commitment to investment in the health and wellbeing of the community, the The aim of the Strategic Plan is to build a regional approximately 2m due to construction costs and constructability issues. Council is progressing with the design of Greenways that were identified in the Strategic Greenway network, significantly increasing the length Plan. These include the Newtownards to Helen’s Bay Greenway (as identified in this of traffic free routes to encourage a substantial increase in the number of people walking and cycling consultation), the Comber to Newtownards Greenway and the Holywood to Donaghadee as regular part of everyday life. 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 NEWTOWNARDS TO HELEN’S BAY... The Council, in October 2017, engaged AECOM and Sustrans to commence the design of proposed Greenways between Newtownards and Helen’s Bay. The current proposed route put forward as part of this pre-application community consultation is shown below. Crawfordsburn Road Helen’s Tower END OF PROPOSED SCHEME Ballysallagh Road Crawfordsburn Road Somme Museum ROUTE PASSES UNDER ROAD ALONG EXISTING ULSTER WAY Route of Section 3 - Somme Museum to Crawfordsburn Road Route of Section 4 - Crawfordsburn Road to A2 Helen’s Bay Helen’s Bay Train Station BLACKWOOD GOLF CENTRE CLANDEBOYE GOLF CLUB HELENS TOWER SOMME CENTRE A2 Helen’s Bay Train Station ABANDONED RAILWAY LINE BELVEDERE ROAD Route of Section 5 - Crossing at A2 to Helen’s Bay Train Station Route of Section 6 - Helen’s Bay Train Station to Helen’s Bay START OF PROPOSED SCHEME LONDONDERRY PARK 6. YOUR FEEDBACK & NEXT STEPS... 5. DETAILED ROUTE SECTIONS... Have Your Say A21 A21 Somme Museum As part of this community consultation, this public exhibition at Londonderry Park will remain on display until Monday 2nd July 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. Historic Railway Londonderry Park There will also be a public exhibition at Crawfordsburn Country Park Visitor Centre from Monday 23rd April to Monday 2nd July 2018 where you can view the scheme and complete a feedback Historic Railway sheet. Route of Section 1 - Londonderry Park to start of historic railway Route of Section 2 - Existing railway embankment from A21 to More Information.. embankment Somme Museum 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 Newtownards to Helen’s Bay Greenway to be received by 4th July 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. .