Issue 203 - North Down BT18 •BT19 • BT20 • BT21
Public Realm Scheme Supports Local Community
The Portaferry Public Realm Scheme is supporting the local community through the donation of wood to Portaferry Men’s Shed and through educational visits for schoolchildren.
John Hanna (PSNI Neighbourhood Inspector); Jonathan Gamble (NIFRS District Commander); Councillor Alistair Cathcart (Mayor of Ards and North Down); Graeme Bannister (Chair of the Community Resuscitation Group); Michael Allen (NIAS).
Every Second Counts: Display Numbers on Your Doors Ards and North Down Borough Council is supporting a campaign to encourage all homes and businesses in the Borough to clearly display numbers on their doors, making it easier for emergency services to identify their location. Every second counts during an emergency and the Ards and North Down Community Resuscitation Group is striving to ensure that houses and premises are numbered and clearly visible from the road. Emergency services responding to 999 calls can lose valuable time if numbers are not visible,
leading to potential lifethreatening delays. The Mayor of Ards and North Down, Councillor Alistair Cathcart, said: “Our Emergency Services need to get to 999 calls as quickly as possible. If a house does not have its name or number clearly displayed, this can cause a
potential life-threatening delay in reaching the patient. So it is vital that all properties display their name or number clearly and that it is visible from the road.” To help emergency services, signs can be placed at the side of the house that faces the road, or if this is
too far away from the road, the number can be displayed on gateposts. Ideally the sign should be lit at night but where this isn’t possible, reflective house address signs are encouraged.
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As the Scheme nears the completion of its third phase, members of the Men’s Shed have been grateful recipients of the wooden crates that were used to transport materials to Portaferry. The group has created a variety of useful products using the donated crates, including artistic signage and a large train that has captured the imagination of local children. Those children include the Year 6 students from St. Mary’s Primary School who enjoyed an educational visit to Market Square that was hosted by the appointed contractors for the works, Northstone Ltd. They gave the students an insight into the project before providing them with safety equipment ahead of some hands-on experience of laying cobbles and mixing up a batch of
tarmacadam. The project will deliver environmental improvements to the core of Portaferry and support the regeneration of the local area with upgrades across several areas including Market Square, Castle Street, Ferry Street, High Street and Meeting House Street. The works include the widening of footpaths, improved street lighting, better pedestrian connectivity and a redesign of the car park within Market Square to create a usable civic space. The Scheme commenced in October 2023 and is on schedule to complete later this year, marking a significant £2m investment in Portaferry. For more information, visit Portaferry Public Realm - Ards and North Down Borough Council