I welcome the decision by Margaret Ritchie to extend the consultation on the proposed Marine Gardens Development until 24th July.
I wrote to the Minister following the recent public meeting and called for an extension and for the DSD to hold a meeting to hear the public concerns.
Ms Ritchie’s response on the consultation period is welcome but there still needs to be a public meeting at which residents can question the Department and the developers.
The Minister’s decision to agree to a deferment calls into question why the council refused to accept my proposal to delay any decision for a month. It would appear that they were determined to railroad the agreement through the council without giving councillors the opportunity to examine the plans in detail.
There are still are many issues to be resolved including traffic flow, the design and massing of the buildings, the impact on other premises in Queen’s Parade particularly the Methodist Church and the decision to ignore the Bangor Town Centre plan which did not allow building on the seaward side of Queen’s Parade.
Ms Ritchie’s extension has provided us with a breathing space and I would call on the residents to take on the opportunity to submit their views to the DSD.