What next for the Coastal Path? The formation of a working group is up for discussion at this Wednesday's council meeting. Your voice matters so please read for more details. Thanks as ever
Dear Petition Signatories
It feels like much more than eight months since your input and support resulted in our elected representatives listening and withdrawing the unpopular planning application for a Greenway along the North Down Coastal Path.
As you will recollect, the conditions at the time of the withdrawal included that a working group would be set up to address areas of improvement along the path.
We are now entering a crucial time for our coastal area; a recommendation for the Terms of Reference of a Task & Finish Working Group for the North Down Coastal Path is included in the minutes of the most recent Community and Wellbeing Committee Meeting. These are on the agenda for ratification and are likely to be discussed at the full council meeting on Wednesday night, when decisions will be made.
You will have a range of reasons for your original support for our group, and we are emailing now to suggest that you contact your councillors to reinforce your views, tell them how important the coastal path is to you, and what aspects of the coastal path area you really want to see protected/improved/enhanced. Do you have any questions for the councillors to consider in their discussions?
The letters sent to council during our campaign to prevent the coastal path from becoming a greenway revealed just how much the coastal path means to so many people, and how profoundly a walk in nature can affect our mental, spiritual and physical health. If you can find the time, please take a few minutes to email your councillor (addresses at the end of this update).
Some issues you may want to raise include:
Will the working group ensure that the protected environment is preserved completely?
Will the working group contain representation from environmental groups?
Will councillors ensure that the working group will not include representation from parties with a financial or vested interest in the path being developed?
Will councillors ensure that the many thousands of people who use and love the path will have their voices heard this time round?
Will a variety of disability groups be consulted, including those for sight and hearing impairment?
Do you worry that your mental health will be affected by inappropriate development of the path?
Of course, we all have our individual stories and wishes. Please, please share these with your councillors as soon as you can, preferably before the meeting which starts at 7pm this coming Wednesday 27 September.
You can also tune into the meeting by using the below link, scrolling down to the appropriate date, and then clicking onto the You Tube link. If this link fails, you can find it on the ANDBC website.
Many thanks, and please see below a full list of councillors and email addresses.
alan.graham@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP,Holywood and Clandeboye)
alan.mcdowell@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Newtownards)
alistair.cathcart@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Bangor Central)
barry.mckee@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Green, Bangor West)
chris.mccracken@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Bangor West)
christine.creighton@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Bangor West)
colin.kennedy@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Newtownards)
craig.blaney@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (UUP, Bangor Central)
david.chambers@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (UUP, Bangor East and D'Dee)
david.kerr@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Ards Peninsula)
david.rossiter@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Holywood and Clandeboye)
gillian.mccollum@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Bangor East and D'Dee)
hannah.irwin@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Bangor East and D'Dee)
james.cochrane@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Bangor East and D'Dee)
janice.macarthur@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Bangor East and D'Dee)
jennifer.gilmour@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Bangor West)
joe.boyle@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (SDLP, Ards Peninsula)
karen.douglas@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Bangor Central)
libby.douglas@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Comber)
linzi.mclaren@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (UUP, Holywood and Clandeboye)
lorna.mcalpine@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Ards Peninsula)
mark.brooks@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (UUP, Bangor East and D'Dee)
martin.mcrandal@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Holywood and Clandeboye)
naomi.armstrong-cotter@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Newtownards)
nigel.edmund@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Ards Peninsula)
patricia.morgan@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Comber)
pete.wray@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (UUP, Bangor West)
peter.martin@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Bangor West)
philip.smith@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (UUP, Comber)
rachel.ashe@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Comber)
rachel.woods@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Green, Holywood and Clandeboye)
ray.mckimm@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Independent, Bangor Central)
richard.smart@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (UUP, Newtownards)
robert.adair@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Ards Peninsula)
stephen.hollywood@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (UUP, Bangor West)
stephen.mcilveen@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Newtownards)
steven.irvine@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Independent, Newtownards)
trevor.cummings@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (DUP, Comber)
victoria.moore@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Alliance, Newtownards)
wesley.irvine@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk (Independent, Bangor Central)