Portadown traders left fuming after the town centre was closed to traffic ahead of the Christmas lights switch-on in December have been assured: “That will not happen again.”
Business owners were feeling a little light in the festive cheer department when shoppers were prevented from getting through as a result of total closure to traffic.
But while there will, as expected, be some restrictions required, it is to be limited in 2026 and held back as late in the day as possible.
Similar concerns arising in other towns and villages are expected to be similarly addressed where possible.
And it comes after Ulster Unionist Councillor Julie Flaherty raised a perennial problem which presents itself every year as reliably as – well, Christmas!
As ABC Council’s economic development committee considered a ‘how did we do?’ report card on Christmas 2025, there was room for a ‘could do better’ from Councillor Flaherty.
She was at pains to ensure that, as far as traders’ interests were concerned, the ghosts of Christmas past would not return to haunt Christmas yet to come.
While she lauded the “generally positive feedback” for the big event, Councillor Flaherty added: “The same problem persists, as always, in Portadown, and that is the road closure and the timings of the road closure.
“So if we can just please try to avoid that, because we know that that problem’s coming. It would really benefit those traders at the base end on Portadown.”
In for a penny in for a pound, the Portadown representative also felt there was a need to do more for businesses at the “bottom end of Portadown”, where many traders “still feel a bit left out of the festivity”.
Paul Tamati, director of development and community and wellbeing, indicated officers would try their best to lessen the impact.
But he advised: “I know we had a lot of debate around road closures and various things. With all of the events across the borough, essentially, if you want the Christmas stalls or the markets, you have to have a road closure.
“And whilst we try to mitigate and minimise that as much as possible, unfortunately, road closes are inevitable if you want Christmas stalls due to set-up and take down costs. If there’s other things we can improve around that and learn on from year to year, then we will continue to do that.”
Elaine Cullen, infrastructure and economic development manager, did, however, go further in terms of trying to placate those people affected.
“We had carried out quite an extensive consultation with all the towns. The town centre managers went and met individually with a lot of the businesses that were impacted by the road closure, etcetera, in Portadown,” she explained.
And then the sweetener: “I can give you an assurance that that will not happen again. We’ve taken everybody’s feedback on board. Whilst there will be one-way road closures or a single road closure – and that does have to come into effect because of the artisan stalls unfortunately – there will not be a full road closure.
“And we will be trying to minimise that until 4 o’clock in the afternoon for all towns, because we have to be respectful and mindful that it’s a key retail time and, whilst we want to have the light switch-ons and it kickstarts Christmas for our towns, it is a prime day for retail, so that really is taken on board.”
Turning to calls to “bring more activities to the bottom of the town”, Ms Cullen said: “Again we’re very mindful that everything happens up around Church Street and around the church. So we are trying to look at other activities.
“The other important thing that we’re trying to do this year, and the feedback from the chambers and from the retailers is that they would like to see more animation and more vibrancy, more festive festivities in the towns in the run-up to Christmas on the Saturdays in December. We’re planning to work with the Chambers around that.”
