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Groomsport Village Association

"Working together to protect the future of our village"

 

"The Way Forward"

At the Village Association A.G.M. on the 11th October, 2007, Duncan Pollock (Chair) outlined the areas of concern which the committee will be dealing with in the coming year.

 

Village Development: The Association does not wish to oppose development, but, would like to ensure that any new development is in keeping with the character of the village. The Association is working towards the designation of Groomsport as a "Village of Special Character".

 

Green Belt: We are closely monitoring the discussions about possible release of green belt land. Our aim is to protect the green belt around the village.

 

Coastal Projects: Towards the end of summer 2007, we were made aware of possible funding available for "coastal projects". The Association would like to pursue such a project for our streatch of coastline. We would hope that this would be of benefit to residents of the village as well as the many visitors who enjoy Groomsport as much as we do.

 

Traffic Management: The Association is continuing to monitor traffic management and speeding around the village.

 

Cove Bay: We would like to foster the growing sense of togetherness between the "old" village and the residents of Cove Bay. Cove Bay is very much part of Groomsport, and indeed a resident of Cove Bay serves on the Village Association Committee.

 

Interagency Meetings: Interagency meetings are very important. They give the committee an opportunity to meet representatives of the statutory agencies face to face and allow the committee to express village concerns. Discussion on common issues in this setting has proved effective in solving problems.

 

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Groomsport residents raised a number of issues of concern in the questionnaire circulated by the Village Association in 2007. The Committee brought these issues to an inter-agency meeting in April 2007, and a second follow-up meeting in June 2007. We promised to report back on the issues raised, and we list these below.

 

1.1: Protecting/retaining the character of the village: It will not be known wether Groomsport will be granted "Village of Character" status until various enquiries have been completed. In the meantime the Committee will determine whether any action could be taken by the Association to support the granting of this status and retain village character.

1.2: School Site: There is a specific process to be followed by Education and Library Boards regarding such sites. Should no other educational use be proposed, and no other public body express interest, then the site may be sold. The Housing Executive has indicated that it would consider supporting use of the site for social housing provided by a Housing Association.

 

2. North Down Borough Council

2.1 Dog Fouling: North Down Borough Council (NDBC) is actively enforcing regulations through its Enforcement Officers, and fixed penalty tickets are being issued. The Association has been informed that tickets have been issued to both visitors and residents. This is a serious issue of Hygiene/Health as well as being offensive, and all residents are encouraged to help monitor our area. Enforcement Officers cannot be present 24 hours a day. NDBC believes the number of dog bins is adequate - they just have to be used!

2.2 Beach & Coastal Path: NDBC recognises the problem of litter and sand along the coastal path and has a programme of cleaning/clearing. Sand is a recurring problem due to the action of waves and currents, exacerbated by shipping in the Lough. Looking to the future, there is a 3 million 3-year plan to upgrade the entire coastal path from Holywood to Groomsport.

2.3 12th Bonfire: Concerns were raised regarding the dumping of inappropiate materials and the length of time it is gathered prior to the 12th. There is a problem with people taking advantage of the site to dump rubbish. This issue has been raised with the Council Environmental Officer. NDBC and PSNI are monitoring the situation.

 

3 Policing

 

3.1 Speeding: The PSNI is monitoring speeds in and around the village and by-pass. The Roads Service is currently reviewing the findings of a previous traffic survey and also reviewing signage in the area.

3.2 Parking: The PSNI have noted concerns and are monitoring parking in the village especially along Main Street.

3.3 Anti-Social Behaviour: PSNI is aware of recent problems and the NDBC Enforcement Officer is also active on this issue.

3.4 General: There has been a noticeable increase in Police presence. Community Police surgeries are held fortnightly in the Maxwell Hall on a Wednesday afternoon.

 

4 Department of Regional Development

 

4.1 One-Way: Regarding a proposal for a one-way system in the Springwell Estate DRD evidence shows that such systems lead to an increase not decrease in speeding.

4.2 Footpaths: The condition of footpaths is regularily checked by DRD and where they present a hazard they are repaired. Regarding general upgrade Groomsport is in the queue for improvements in North Down.

 

5 Northern Ireland Housing Executive

 

5.1 Parking around the Green, Springwell Estate: The Green is maintained by NIHE. However, because more than 50% of dwellings in this area are privately owned, the NIHE is not responsible for other issues, such as parking.

 

6 Translink

 

6.1 Location of Bus Shelters: No representative from Translink was present but this issue will be raised by the Committee by letter.