𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭

 

𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭.

 

At the Economy Committee meeting of 13th January  I again raised the issue of our sports clubs being unable to avail of the LRSS grant scheme via Land & Property Service. 

 

 

 

This policy to exclude sport clubs is completely unacceptable and fails to recognise the significant overheads these clubs have. Ultimately they were forced to close under the current restrictions and should be entitled to the same level of support as everyone other business under the scheme. 

 

𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 & 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐛𝐬.

 

I have also lobbied the Economy Minister to ask for the ‘Wet Pubs Scheme’ to be extended to include these clubs. 

 

Thank you to all the committee members of clubs across the country who have contacted me on this issue. I will continue to lobby and do all I can to fight for a change in these schemes.

Please tag or share with local sports clubs you are aware of. 

 

JS

P.S apologies for sounds quality.

Larne sewerage treatment capacity a monumental error- Stewart

Larne sewerage treatment capacity a monumental error- Stewart

Ulster Unionist MLA for East Antrim John Stewart has described confirmation from NI Water that the Larne Wastewater Treatment Works has already reached its capacity as a monumental error with serious repercussions for house building and economic growth in the Larne area.

John Stewart MLA said:

“In July I wrote to the Chief Executive of NI Water (letter attached) regarding rumours that the Wastewater Treatment Plant at Redlands was already at full capacity- despite having only been officially opened 11 year ago, with statements at the time stating that it was future proofed up to at least 2030. 

At Larne Water Treatment Works

The senior managers who were dispatched to my office to answer the points made in my letter have confirmed the worst fears- the treatment works at Redlands is already at full capacity and there is little or no room to expand the works on the site.  They blame added pressure from the Caterpillar plant and the Blackhead area.  Why they did not expect this remains unanswered.

“This is a monumental error and a colossal miscalculation on behalf of those who planned, designed and commissioned the Redlands Plant.

“Statements made at the time are now, with the benefit of hindsight, plain wrong.  It is now up to NI Water to come up with a solution to this major failure, but as it stands, any new housing development is not going to be given permission to connect to the public sewerage system in Larne. 

“This will have a major impact on planned new development because they will now have to factor in the provision of onsite waste treatment in order to get their plans passed and permission to build.  What effect this will have on the price of a house remains to be seen.  What is clear is that this failure to plan for the future will have serious repercussions for house building and economic growth in the Larne area.”

ENDS

Note to Editor

See attached letter below from John Stewart to Sara Venning, CEO of NIW dated 17 July 2018

Victoria Rise Traffic calming delay excuse ‘ridiculous’- Stewart

Victoria Rise Traffic calming delay excuse ‘ridiculous’- Stewart

Ulster Unionist MLA for East Antrim John Stewart, has expressed his deep disappointment that proposals to increase traffic calming in the vicinity of Ulidia Integrated College in Carrickfergus have been delayed by bureaucracy.

John Stewart said:

“The number one local issue for the residents of Victoria Rise, when I canvassed the area in the springtime was traffic congestion in and around Ulidia and Acorn schools at the opening and closing of the school day.  After site meetings and correspondence, the Department for Infrastructure’s Roads Service came up with a first step proposal to basically extend the waiting restrictions in the streets around the schools.

“Back in March a sketch map was circulated showing the waiting restriction legislation Roads Service were hoping to implement.   This would ensure that one side of the road is kept obstruction free for residents accessing their homes, as well as parents collecting their children at Ulidia.

“It was hoped that this proposal would be implemented to be ready at the start of the new school term.  However, and frustratingly, we are now at the start of the new school term, and nothing has changed.  When I chased this up during the summer, DfI Road officials told my office that it needed legislative approval from a Minister at Stormont. 

“It seems that the lack of an Executive at Stormont is being used as an excuse for government inactivity to the ridiculous extent of blocking the extension of double yellow lines.  This is clearly not a major and controversial regional public policy decision, which was the issue highlighted in the High Court recently, when a policy decision made by a senior civil servant on the Arc21 incinerator was deemed unlawful. I have written to the Divisional DfI Roads manager complaining about this unacceptable and absurd delay and will again be meeting DFI next week.

“The residents of Victoria Rise deserve better; they certainly cannot continue to be effectively prisoners in their own homes twice a day.” 

Press coverage below welcoming the gas extension decision for Whitehead

Ulster Unionist Infrastructure spokesperson & MLA for East Antrim John Stewart has welcomed a milestone in the campaign to get natural gas availability extended to Whitehead.

Mr Stewart said:

“News that the Utility Regulator has issued a notice confirming that it has approved the application from Phoenix Natural Gas to extend its licence area to include the town of Whitehead is a significant milestone. This has opened up the prospect of the natural gas operator extending its mains pipe from Carrickfergus and bringing the availability of natural gas as a heating/ cooking option for over two thousand domestic and commercial properties in Whitehead in 2019.

“This has been a long time coming and I have had numerous meetings and correspondence with Phoenix, the Regulator and the Housing Executive about this in recent months. This is particularly good news for the tenants of Housing Executive properties at Windsor who, I know, are very keen to replace their outdated and inefficient Economy 7 storage heaters. I have been liaising with the Housing Executive and I know they are keen and willing to develope a new heating scheme for Windsor and district once the pipework is installed.

“This is about choice and competition in the energy market. While not everyone will want to take up the option of natural gas, and many will prefer to stay with their local oil supplier, at least the option will be there for the residents of Whitehead. Whilst timescales for construction are still being finalised I understand that mains construction will begin this year with actual properties having gas available in 2019.

“What needs to happen next, and what I will continue to push for is another agreement between the Regulator and the gas operators to infill the areas where natural gas is available to allow more people to be able to afford to be connected to the existing network in the urban areas of Larne, Carrickfergus and Newtownabbey.”

ENDS
Note to Editor
The UR notice can be viewed at:
https://www.uregni.gov.uk/news-centre/gas-whitehead-approved

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