Public realm plan for village

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council have appointed an integrated consultant team to develop plans for a proposed future public realm scheme.

The event in the village is designed to give residents the opportunity to come and share their thoughts about the future of the scheme.

Lisburn and Castlereagh Deputy Mayor, and local Hillsborough Councillor, Alexander Redpath commented: “It’s a very exciting time for Hillsborough village.

“The redevelopment of Hillsborough Castle will present immense opportunities to develop our tourism offering and provide opportunities for local business to grow and develop by diversifying their offering and benefiting from increased footfall and visitor numbers.

“However there are also challenges to preserve and enhance village life while accommodating what will become one of Northern Ireland’s largest visitor attractions.

“That’s why we need the help of local residents to advise us on the nature of our proposed public realm works.

“Our objective is to deliver a programme of enhancements which might include improvements to existing footpaths, new street lighting and furniture and improvements to the setting of the Old Court House.

“This will obviously tie in with the development works taking place yards away in the Castle.

“The works will likely to focus around the courthouse.

“But they may include Main Street, Ballynahinch Street, Lisburn Street and the Dromore Road.

“Anyone with an interest in these areas would be very welcome to contribute at the consultation event.

“The exact nature of the enhancements will be subject to community consultation, discussions with our consultants and the deliberations of the council.”​