How To Object
As part of the learning curve and due to the developers continual reference to it, we discovered that our Rural hamlet of Drumbeg in the Lagan Valley Regional Park had been reclassified as an Urban area for development. When or why it was re classified is a mystery but it does seem to assume therefore that concreting it over is not just acceptable but expected.
This development has been classified as approved from the first.
See Also the post on this site with reference to infill…
This is one of the objection letters.
14th September 2024
In Drumbeg townland there is a settlement within the Lagan Valley Regional Park, an area of outstanding natural beauty. It is situated between the cities of Belfast and Lisburn. It has a population of around 534 residents. (Downshire East A1)
Drumbeg has all the features of a rural community. The roads are B roads with footpaths being intermittent. The area has limited infrastructure and what exists lacks investment and is out of date. There are no shops, schools, medical or health facilities. While there are bus stops there is a very limited bus service either into Belfast or Lisburn making a car journey essential to access amenities and services. The drainage system is dated with pipes being of small diameter and functioning as combined foul and storm pipes, our water supply is questionable.
I consider that not designating Drumbeg as a rural area is irrational. This omission results in an absence of measures to improve the settlement and the quality of life for its residents. In comparing Drumbeg with Drumbo, which is categorised as a rural community, I think there are grounds for reclassification of Drumbeg from an urban to rural area. The following information is provided to support my views on the need for reclassification.
LCCC’s Drumbo Village Renewal Plan Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, 2016 fulfils the Council’s commitment under the Rural Needs (NI) Act 2016 to carry out a rural needs impact assessment on how it complies with the rural needs duty established by the legislation. (https://g17.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/uploads/general/Drumbo_Village_Renewal_Plan_13
The following points apply equally to both areas:
Strengths listed in respect of Drumbo include:
-Drumbo has a strong sense of community, it has had a community association for 10 years which meets regularly;
-The residents perceive the area to be a safe and pleasant place to live;
-Sited within the LVRP, an area of outstanding natural beauty;
-Location and proximity to Belfast.
Weaknesses listed in respect of Drumbo include:
-The village has had limited investment in its environmental surroundings … it has no civic core;
-The lack of civic / meeting space or recreational facilities;
-Footpaths are absent in parts of the village. The roads outside the main village are rural,roads which are poorly maintained and unlit. The feeder roads have bends with speeding a concern;
-Services opened in the Drumbo church are not perceived to be available to everyone;
-There is limited provision for the older population;
-Drumbo Glen is beautiful, it is overgrown and difficult to access. The Glen does not have a public right of way
Drumbeg has comparable strengths and weaknesses. It is recognised as a settlement yet it has not been afforded the designation of being a rural area by LCCC. It is also unclear from DAERA’s Rural Needs: Annual Monitoring Report 2022 – 2023 that LCCC’s section (Pages 95 – 108, https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/daera/23.24.137 Rural Needs Annual Monitoring Report final.PDF) includes Drumbeg within its section on Settlements.
As a long-term resident of Drumbeg I would ask that the area is reclassified from an urban area to a rural area and all further building in this area is stopped.
