Newry town centre is to benefit from a £1.8million public realm scheme.

Social Security Agency Financial Social Development Minister, Alex Attwood, made the announcement.

Attwood commented: "This investment is good news for the people of Newry and the many residents and visitors who will come to the City in future years. The scheme will help establish a modern vibrant city centre. It will also help make the town accessible to all by creating a safer environment to encourage more people back into it. This £1.8million investment is only the start of a wider three-year investment by DSD in the public realm that is proposed in the draft Newry City Centre Masterplan.

"I appreciate we are working in unprecedented difficult economic times, however, I want to encourage investment in our towns and cities that contribute to our economy. In my view, there is a good argument that pound for pound, government investment in urban regeneration is as effective an economic tool as other job interventions."

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During his visit to Newry, the Minister also announced the establishment of a Departmental regeneration office in the City.

"The relocation of civil servant jobs to Newry City is a testament of my Department’s support for urban regeneration in the South East Region. It will also strengthen partnership working with local councils, including Newry & Mourne. I believe that functions should be decentralisation so that they are closer to the region that they directly service and I plan to make more announcements on the decentralisation of more jobs to other towns and cities in the coming days."

Major of Newry & Mourne District Council, Cllr Mick Murphy stated that: "The Department for Social Development’s (DSD) decision to relocate jobs to Newry is welcomed and it is a vindication of the Council’s on-going efforts over a long period of time to encourage the decentralisation of public sector jobs.

"The council have worked in partnership with DSD and a range of local partners during the concept design stage for the Hill Street and Monaghan Street schemes. I hope that this close relationship will continue in order to secure on the ground delivery of these much needed physical infrastructure improvements and to a continuing close working relationship with the new DSD South East Regional Development office across a range of other projects within the area."

Attwood's announcement comes days after he was openly accused of 'electioneering' and 'misrepresenting the role of First Minister', by First Minister Peter Robinson.

The First Minister slammed Attwood's plans to build houses on the Girdwood former military base, branding them 'doomed' from the outset.

Since they were announced, the plans for the former military base have met with an eclectic response from parties who can't seem to agree on them. See: Former Army Base Housing Plan Hits 'Robinson-Shaped' Wall

(JG/KMcA)