Bangor seafront controversy: Pay-and-display cash revelation shows council 'irresponsibly short-sighted' to scrap Marine Gardens for car park, say campaigners
A council has been branded “irresponsibly short-sighted” over plans to scrap a park to build a car park, after revelations that it wouldn’t give up one of its existing facilities due to worries about pay-and-display fee income.
As the News Letter revealed yesterday, a developer was given a green light to demolish Marine Gardens on Bangor seafront instead of using one of nine existing fee-paying facilities because Ards and North Down Council officials couldn’t justify the loss of income and assets from handing one of them over.
Stating the developer would pay a “nominal” sum instead of the “best price or best rental” that would normally be sought, officials said: “It would be very difficult for the council to demonstrate why it should transfer a council facility for no income, and indeed a loss of income.”
Marine Gardens is to be axed due to a £60m revamp of a central part of the Co Down seaside city. Already under construction, one of the revamp’s first acts was to get rid of a 200-space free car park – but the developers changed their plans to greatly expand a children’s play area, and now say an 81-space pay-and-display car park needs to be there to make it work.
They identified neighbouring Marine Gardens as the only useable site, and to the horror of campaigners were last month given council permission to send in the wrecking ball.
Stated a representative of campaign group Save Marine Gardens: “These are decisions the public don’t want.
“We’ve said it before and will say it again – replacing a free car park on Bangor’s seafront with another paid car park half its size, while destroying mature public green amenity space in the process, is irresponsibly short-sighted.”
Campaigners dispute claims the car park is needed for large numbers of people who will flock to the play area, but without parking would not visit.
Accepting it will likely be a popular attraction in summer, the representative told the News Letter: “We live in Northern Ireland, not the south of France. Outdoor play areas will not achieve high visitor numbers all year round.”
In information released amid continuing outcry, officials stated the developers had “outlined the car park is essential for families, elderly visitors and those with accessibility needs”.