The 300-year-old canal structure, listed as a scheduled monument, opened in 1742 and is one of the oldest man made canals in Europe.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s (NMDDC) strategy, policy and resources committee signed off on a budget for repairs on Thursday, June 12, for the works to ‘Forsythes Lock’ on the canal.
Committee chairperson, Oonagh Hanlon, in open session said:”It was agreed to approve the procurement and appointment of a contractor required to deliver the project as outlined in the officer’s report.
“To approve the business case and allocate the budget within the capital plan as outlined in the report.”
None of the reports were made available to the public or media with the discussions held in confidential session.
However, the work is understood to be part of a wider scope of upgrades to the canal with the cost of a previous Lock being repaired in 2019 at a cost of £150k.
Newry Canal is the oldest summit canal in Britain and Ireland. The canal has two main sections, the inland stretch from Portadown to Newry and the Ship Canal from Newry to Victoria Locks, halfway along Carlingford Lough. It closed to navigation in 1947.
In April, NMDDC unanimously agreed a motion to pursue funding and development of the city’s waterway.
The local authority move comes as elected reps look to increase pressure on Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Minister Liz Kimmins for a lifting bridge at the canal to allow tall ships to enter into the Albert Basin.
However, DfI has maintained that a closed bridge linked to the £130m Southern Relief Road project, is still the option for the canal.
The council is also due to identify funding opportunities with the Irish governments Shared Island Unit as well as the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) for the future use of the waterway as an economic driver for the city.
