A Newry playground named after an IRA hunger striker could be set for sale on the open market following approval by Sinn Fein and the DUP.
Raymond McCreesh Park on Patrick Street has been at the centre of controversy since it was renamed after the Armagh republican in 2001.
McCreesh had been linked to a rifle used in the 1976 Kingsmill massacre, in which 10 Protestant workmen were killed by the IRA,
The naming of the park after him had infuriated unionists.
Raymond McCreesh
In October 2018, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) identified McCreesh Park as “surplus to requirements” despite community support for the playground being retained, resulting in a court case in 2019.
A judicial review ruled that residents would need to be consulted on the future of the playground.
However, a decision on its future was made at this month’s strategy, policy and resources committee in confidential session.
In open session, committee chairperson, Tierna Howie (Alliance) said: “Surplus asset report, on the proposal of Councillor Mathers (Sinn Fein) and seconded by Councillor Lewis (DUP) the following was agreed.
“To approve the marketing of the asset detailed in the officer’s report through the D1 process for a further period of six months to identify any interested parties.
“Then at the end of the six month period if there is no interest shown, to progress disposal of the asset through sale on the open market.”
The D1 process is a stage employed by the council to seek interest in the surplus lands from government and community bodies at the market value.
It is now over a year since councillors were given a behind closed doors update on efforts to dispose of the ‘surplus assets’ site at Patrick Street.
It’s understood that a housing association had shown initial interest, but this did not progress.
The city centre park has been a long-running source of controversy, with unionists bitterly opposed to it being named after a republican paramilitary.
McCreesh, from Camlough, was one of 10 prisoners who died in the 1981 Maze Prison hunger strikes.
Children in the Patrick Street area, where the Raymond McCreesh park is located, were provided with a consolidation playground at Martin’s Lane in 2022, which serves both them and young people in the Barcroft area. The Martin’s Lane park is around half a mile away.
The McCreesh site is still in recreational use, including a recent community family festival weekend held in August with financial assistance from NMDDC, the Policing and Community Safety Partnerships Programme and the Department for Communities.
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News Catch Up: Monday 21st October