The removal of a peace wall at the end of Water Street in Portadown has been welcomed by a local community group in the area.
Obins Street & Park Road Community Association say that the decision can “only be welcomed by all” and that it’s “hopefully only the start of things for an area of the town long forgotten about”.
The move comes just months after plans were revealed for the proposed development of Water Street, an area which has been derelict for many years.
Water Street, which is located just off Garvaghy Road, was originally built for the workers in a local factory but has since become uninhabited, with the properties thereon turning into a hive of anti-social behaviour.
The peace wall in the area was erected, like others in the town, in 1998, at the height of the Drumcree parading dispute.
The properties on the street were recently purchased by Arona Developments, who aim to bring the area back to its former glory.
The scheme is currently in its initial design stages, but McCreanor Architects have confirmed to Armagh I that a planning application is hoped to be submitted soon.
They said that while it is still “early days”, the plans are for the development of replacement dwellings to the existing dwellings to help “recreate the street back into what it once was”.
Meanwhile, work towards removing the peace wall has been ongoing for some years, and the issue was raised at the December 2024 meeting of ABC Council.
Addressing councillors, Ruth Allen, head of Community Development said: “The Community Development Department has been responsible for working alongside the Department of Justice to manage the Interfaces Programme in our borough.
“Historically, there have been three interface sites that we’ve been engaged in working on to reach consensus with local residents, regarding them being decommissioned as security structures through removal, replacement or re-imaging.
“We can now advise that positive progress has been made with the Water Street structure.
“Acquisition of the properties in Water Street by a private developer has provided the opportunity to consider removal of the structure as an inherent part of the planned regeneration of properties in the street.
“Engagement is taking place with local community representatives, and all are in favour of the removal being progressed accordingly.”
