PLANS for Warrenpoint’s long-awaited new £7.1m community centre, which the council aims to have completed by the end of 2025, have been submitted.
The local authority lodged the proposal to develop the ‘two-storey community facility building and outdoor space’ at the town’s Clonallon Park with its own Planning Department on 30 June, and all associated documentation was published online last week. A planning statement highlights that the Warrenpoint Health & Wellbeing Hub – as well as adjacent car parking and outdoor landscaped areas – would be built on council property between Clonallon Road and Warrenpoint Bowling Club, and that it would be ‘a modern, fit for purpose and sustainable building to provide community spaces and facilities for the local population and community groups’.
It is confirmed that plans for the ground floor include: a reception/lobby and office area; a 691m2 main hall (drawings illustrate that this is large enough to house four badminton courts) and associated store; a changing area, including family changing space; two external changing rooms with showers and toilets, and a separate referee’s changing room; an Education Authority resource room with associated office, kitchenette and toilets; a children’s activity room with associated office, kitchen, toilets and direct access to an outdoor terrace; a sensory room; a dance studio; a plant room; and an internal ‘street’ circulation space.
The first floor will consist of: a music room; an activity room; two meeting rooms; office space; a kitchen; an advice room; toilets; circulation space, which will include seating and viewing onto the main hall below; and access onto the building’s green roof, which will be enclosed by a parapet. The main parking area will be ‘located at the building’s northern edge, close to the primary access point, and will be accessed via an existing access point on Clonallon Road, which is also shared with the bowling club’, and disabled parking will be ‘located at the main entrance’. Parking will increase from the existing 16 unmarked spaces to 31 marked spaces, four of which will be designated accessible spaces, whilst one twin electrical charging point will be provided.
There will also be a total of 16 cycle stands – eight at both the front and rear entrances – to ‘encourage cycling to and from the site’. ‘The existing vehicular access is maintained off Clonallon Road, where pedestrian walkways are extended from the road through the site and to the building,’ the statement adds. ‘Pedestrian links are designed around the building, and will connect into the existing pathway network. ‘The building is triple-fronted with pedestrian access on the north, south and west elevations. ‘Textured paving is designed at the main front (northern elevation) and rear (southern elevation) to permit easy access from the footpaths surrounding the building. ‘The third access point on the eastern elevation is facilitated by steps and an accessibility access ramp adjacent to the children’s terrace.’ The proposal also includes ‘an attractive health and wellbeing garden area at the south facing rear entrance’. ‘In this area will be five low-level and raised planting beds, designed for mixed ability access,’ the document reads. ‘There is a total of 22 trees and 320 m2 of shrubs proposed for the scheme. ‘Bench seating (eight) is also proposed at the rear access and within the health and wellbeing garden. ‘Solar PV panels (total area 56.1m2) are provided on the roof of the building for the provision of renewable energy. ‘A green living roof partially covers the roof, and is provided to absorb rainwater, provide insulation, create a habitat for wildlife, increase benevolence and provide a more aesthetically pleasing building.’
The statement says that it is ‘anticipated that the construction will take 13 months’. ‘It is expected that construction of the new community facility and associated work would start in 2024 and be completed by 2025,’ it continues. ‘The design team intend to create a multifunctional space to enable the building’s function to be maximised for and by the local community. ‘Allowing flexibility within the design has increased the sustainability of the building, allowing for its programme to change when necessary and therefore increasing its longevity. ‘The provision of a flexible space will also have the benefit of attracting a wide range of occupants, if the building’s internal space can be easily adapted to meet their needs. ‘The main hall will be the focal point of the building, and is dimensioned to host a variety of sports, whilst providing a space for community performances and events.’
The document notes that the 0.29 hectares required for the facility will amount to a loss of ‘only 6.2 per cent of existing open space’ within Clonallon Park, which it adds is ‘minimal’ in the context of providing ‘a modern and fit-forpurpose community building for the wider Warrenpoint area and for future generations’. ‘This represents a significant public benefit,’ it adds. ‘It is the intention of the applicant to maintain the fluidity of the park, which is an urban park and green corridor for the surrounding residential areas. ‘Whilst attracting a plethora of community users until 10pm on Monday to Friday and until 6pm on Saturday and Sunday (a significant portion of the week), the building is the only element of the proposal that will be secured. ‘The remainder of the proposal will remain open and fully integrated to the wider Clonallon Park.’ The statement concludes that the proposed scheme is ‘a result of significant pre-application discussion and consultation’, and that it will ‘provide a long-term, positive legacy for the town and wider area’.
A public information event on the community centre plans was held in Warrenpoint Town Hall last November, and a report on this and associated online consultation has been submitted with the plans. In a statement issued by the council on Thursday, its chairperson Valerie Harte said that she was “delighted” that the planning application has now been submitted. “This is an important milestone in the project, and I look forward to seeing these plans come to life,” she stated. “I would like to thank everyone involved in getting the project to this stage, and especially recognise the dedicated ongoing work of the local community. “One of the council’s key aims is to provide high-quality community facilities, and the development of this new centre will create important health and wellbeing opportunities for the people of Warrenpoint and surrounding areas.” The statement confirmed that it is ‘expected the new facility will require an investment of £7.1m and will be delivered by December 2025’. The town’s disused police station was originally earmarked by the council as the preferred location for a community centre; however, attention switched away from the Charlotte Street site after the PSNI paused the process to dispose of it – this lasted from May 2018 until September 2021 – due to uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
