Save park group to protest at council meeting

It has been organised by the Save Craigavon City Park and Lakes group and will take place just before the monthly meeting of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council.

The group was set up to oppose the building of a new Southern Regional College (SRC) campus on the site.

It is accusing the council of “arrogance and disrespect”, claiming there are plans to sell off even more land at the park than was previously thought.

It points to a brochure published by the council late last year which highlights development opportunities in the area.

Among the areas highlighted is a further large swathe of ground at the city park - adjacent to the sites already earmarked for the new super leisure centre and the proposed Southern Regional College campus.

The pressure group claims that approximately 24 per cent of the park will be lost, with around 70 per cent of the South Lake Zone redeveloped.

On its Facebook page, it adds, “This is not just a bit of land at the side of the lake after all. We need your support to help us fight this.”

An ABC Council spokesperson said the inclusion of any site in the ‘Place Position Potential brochure’ does not indicate the site is for sale, although they added that anyone interested in redeveloping any of the lands identified would need to seek out ownership and agree a sale.

The brochure was published in October 2016 to highlight potential development and redevelopment sites throughout the borough.