City Hall denies behind-closed-doors park destruction meeting was 'lobbying exercise' from developers, as Bangor residents complain they're being kept in the dark
Officials have denied that a behind-closed-doors meeting over demolishing a much-loved park was a “lobbying exercise” involving politicians and a property developer.
The statement from Ards and North Down Council came after around 100 people protested outside Bangor City Hall just before the meeting kicked off, complaining they’re being kept in the dark.
Marine Gardens on Bangor’s seafront is currently under the shadow of an axe, potentially being rubbed out to make way for a car park as part of altered ideas for an already in-construction £60m revamp of the area.
On Monday night, as politicians gathered for a briefing from the developers behind the scheme, angry residents showed up in person, wielding posters and placards while demanding councillors make sure the wrecking ball is called off.
Today officials told the News Letter the meeting was “a briefing session for elected members and not a lobbying exercise” and the developers are to publish last night’s presentation documents on their publicly accessible website.
The purpose of the meeting, said a local authority spokeswoman, was to “ensure councillors were informed about emerging proposals for the Marine Gardens site following several months of engagement, research and design work undertaken by the developer”.
The spokeswoman added: “The council recognises the importance of transparency in decision-making. In that context, the developer has confirmed that the presentation delivered to councillors will be published on its website later today so that members of the public can view the information shared.”
She went on to reinforce that any changes to the £60m revamp’s vision for the site would have to be run through planning approval.
The revamp has already demolished a 200-space free car park in the area to make way for construction. The developers have indicated a pay-and-display facility less than half that size will now be needed to service a larger than planned children’s play area they are to build, eyeing Marine Gardens as the location.
Last night, campaigners from the group Save Marine Gardens insisted there’s no need for a new car park.
Said Kathy Smith: “They’re spending a lot of money on this area, trying to do it up and get people into the city centre – but if you put a car park there, it’s like a stop sign.
“People will drive in, go to the children’s area and leave, when we want them walking around Bangor, boosting footfall.
“There are car parks a few minutes’ walk from this site that almost always have spaces, this isn’t needed.”
Nicola Thompson criticised the exclusion of the public and press from the meeting, stating: “Because it’s behind closed doors, you get rumour and speculation. We should know what our local government is doing with public land.”
Some councillors have thrown their weight behind the protesters, including independent unionist Wesley Irvine.
“We don’t want to see car parking in Marine Gardens,” he said, on his way into a meeting he described as “a listening exercise” in which he hoped other options could be discussed, such as building parking on another section of the revamp.
"Definitely not ripping up a park to do it, it’s a waste of a well-used and popular spot,” he added. “We’re trying to create community spaces, taking this away for tarmac doesn’t seem the right way of doing it.”