by NEIL GREENLEES
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The Irish Linen Centre
and Lisburn Museum in Market Square. |
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PLANS are being drawn up for a major facelift
which it is hoped will give Market Square a new lease of
economic life.
Measures on the cards include
pedestrianisation of the area; improvements to building facades
and building redevelopment.
The use of the building which houses Lisburn
Museum and Irish Linen Centre is also to be reviewed.
The measures were recommended in a
presentation to the Council's Economic Development Committee by
BDP Planning Consultants employed to review the physical and
economic conditions within the Square and propose ways of
increasing its economic activity.
A number of councillors felt
pedestrianisation was essential to ensure the success of the
overall scheme. They said they believed a city centre traffic
study, which must be carried out before pedestrianisation can
begin, should start as a matter of urgency'.
The councillors were told improvement to
building facades will involve investigation of potential funding
incentives to assist owners of private properties.
Building redevelopment, it was added, will
involve landowner and statutory consultations as well as
assistance with design of development briefs.
Detailed feasibility studies and development
of a preferred option are to be carried out in relation to the
Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum.
As revealed in the Star last week members of
the City Council's Leisure Services Committee recently visited
Castle House to consider its suitability as an alternative site
for Lisburn's leading tourist attraction.
A note of caution was sounded by Alderman
Ivan Davis during discussion of the matter at the recent monthly
meeting of the council.
He expressed reservations about a planning
application involving properties running from Market Square
along both Railway Street and Castle Street.
Mr. Davis told the meeting he had been told
of concerns about the plan and added he hoped the council would
take an interest in it.
Sunken garden to be completely refurbished
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Damaged seats in the sunken garden |
The disrepair in the sunken garden |
The area will be refurbished. |
THE sunken garden in the middle of Market
Square looks set to be the first part of the area to be
completely refurbished.
This was revealed by Deputy Mayor Ronnie
Crawford and Alderman Ivan Davis who said the council's
Environmental Services Committee had agreed to the provision of
new seats and fresh planting.
They also said a programme of regular
maintenance is to be carried out at the garden. The councillors
recently met with Council Chief Executive Norman Davidson and
Director of Environmental Services Colin McClintock at the
garden to discuss what they described as its 'appalling and
unacceptable state'.
They continued: "Timbers are missing from
seats, some of which are overgrown with moss, and the
landscaping is filled with uncollected rubbish. Despite requests
several months ago, missing slabs have not been replaced on the
raised area.
"Nothing can excuse the run down state of the
centre of Market Square and the Council has signally failed to
maintain the area in keeping with its status as the second
largest city in Northern Ireland."
Ulster Star
16/05/2008
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