Aire provision in N. Down Ards

I received an email today from N. Down & Ards council which follows on from my involvement in the council area tourist development plan and the subsequent survey that many of you completed.

The council is now actively looking at the provision of Aires at
Luke’s point,
Ballywalter amenity centre,
Portaferry ( as part of a bigger development) and
Groomsport harbour.

They are also considering Motorhome parking at,
Millisle beach park,
Cloughey main road,
Shore road Whiterock,
Island hill and
National trust Greyabbey (subject to agreements)

They have asked me to open the subject to your thoughts on these locations. I in turn have asked them to include us in the active implementation of any developments in order to get the best result for all parties.
Thoughts on location within the carparks would probably be useful with regard to size of Motorhomes, access routes, slopes, views (if possible) etc.
It might be useful to have a few site visits to assess the suitability of locations. I would expect that one or two of you might help me with this aspect, especially if you have knowledge of specific locations. This will assist by allowing us to more fully advise the council as to what is the best plan is for each spot, as their knowledge will be limited as to the needs and wishes of our community.

This development has the ability to be a game changer for parking in the north, so lets make the most of it.

I intend to provide the relevant council officers with a link to this topic to allow them to monitor individual thoughts.

Unless the survey turned up something unusual, we shall be asking for simple drive over grey drains and a black disposal point together with protected taps (vandal and cassette proof) at the locations selected to be aires. So the discussion really centres on locations and suitability.

We look forward to your participation.

Davy

Starting to take shape folks, it is the small points that gathered together will help present a good feedback to the council. I will certainly take you up on the offer Mark. It would be good to have a couple (or more) people visit each site to work out what is good or bad about each location especially those who have experience of the likely parking arrangements. Preferred location at each site, potential for grass overhang to suit longer vans, sun direction, wind, road noise etc.

I don’t think the council would object to any other potential locations being raised either.

Davy

I spent a pleasent day yesterday visiting all but one of the potential locations being considered for parking by N. Down & Ards council. I was joined by Mark for 4 or 5 that are local to him. Useful to have another pair of eyes and brain to compare thoughts.
I also have some great feedback on Millisle from the fat controller and Ally has posted thoughts on Island Hill near Newtownards.

I want to get something submitted to the council by next week and will spend time over the weekend pulling it together. I would value any other input from members who know or have stayed at the locations in question. Feel free to PM me if you don’t want to post on open forum.

Davy

Feed back on the potential locations with advice was submitted to N.Down & Ards council last Monday. Hopefully it will help progress the process a little more.

Davy

Mark and I met with officials of the N. Down and Ards council yesterday at their request. They wanted to get an insight into Motorhomes, aires and other technical aspects of our hobby.

A very useful hour of chat and questions answered for them. They want to meet with us in future as their programme of rural tourism develops.

I have to say that I am very pleased with their outlook and willingness to work towards further provision.

A word of thanks to Baguette also for a valuable insight into the Cobh spacing of parking bays.



Davy

Hi dewagon, welcome to the forum. I hope you find a good van in the not too distant future.
I am not campaigning for EHU on the aires that are being considered for a variety of reasons. It is expensive to provide, needs maintained on a regular basis, encourages people to stay for longer than the normal 48 or 72 hour limit on staying. I have seen heated arguments about the fair use of the points. An increasing number of vans install solar in order to remain independent for long periods (together with led bulbs). It is not a hardship to move after a few days to charge the batteries or book into a site for a night. I am also trying to encourage the council to provide lots of parking locations at the lowest possible development cost to the councils. Once a basic provision is made we can look at upgrades in the future.

The one group who might benefit from EHU are those with mobility scooters or other medical issues requiring electricity. Since there are very few locations throughout the whole island, those users have developed a pattern of use to suit their needs. Most of the locations being discussed are simple parking with only 3 or 4 having services at diverse places in the district.

Davy