Orangemen purchase town Twelfth ‘field’
THE Portadown Orange District has bought the traditional Twelfth ‘field’ at Armagh Road for an undisclosed sum.
The 18-acre field is used for the County Armagh Twelfth demonstration once every 11 years, and the town’s Orangemen purchased it for future county and local events, with a hint that it may become an open-air concert venue.
District Master Darryl Hewitt refused to confirm the purchase, but it is known that the District outbid all-comers in an open auction and secured the field which is on the Armagh side of the Northway roundabout.
The move comes as the District intimated that it may apply for the use of the Public Park when Portadown’s turn to host the county demonstration comes round in 2016 - a statement which caused controversy in republican circles. But Mr Hewitt responded that it would be a litmus test over claims that the planned £7m revamp of the park would make it a shared space.
At the time, the borough council said the Shared Process and Community Engagement’ (SPACE) project, which has received cross-council support, will transform the park and create a space for everyone to enjoy. “The funding will enable the council to develop and implement high quality landscaping, signage and lighting improvements in the park - opening up views and access for everyone,” the statement continued.
Mr Hewitt responded at the time, “That description would make it an ideal venue for the demonstration. It would show off Portadown to perfection, and we aim to apply and prove whether this is just empty talk.”
This week he confirmed that the District would go through with its application for the use of the park, while refusing to comment any further on the Armagh Road field purchase. He added, “One way or the other, it won’t do any harm to see whether this shared-space talk is genuine or simply empty rhetoric to secure the cash and refurbish the park for the use of one community, as is the case right now.”
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Weather for Portadown
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
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