Debate contribution: Infrastructure: Castlereagh South

Debate contribution by Mr Matthew O'Toole on 21 October 2025.

MLA

Mr Matthew O'Toole

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

21 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Adjournment

Heading

Infrastructure: Castlereagh South

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5197805

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I am really pleased to be debating this issue today, and I thank the Member who brought the Adjournment debate to the House. I am so proud to represent Carryduff, Newtownbreda and Four Winds — the BT8/Castlereagh South area. In many ways, calling it Castlereagh South is a bit of a let-down for the people who live there, because that is a council district electoral area (DEA). People who live there live in brilliant, shared communities, and one of them — Carryduff — is, in many ways, one of the original shared communities here in the North. There is a brilliant cross-community ethos and a brilliant set of community institutions, one of which, as Deirdre said, had a big moment on Sunday. Unfortunately, throw-in was delayed, and I could not make it down to the match, but Carryduff were unlucky again against Kilcoo. I hope that, next time, they will become the first Down county champions from the greater Belfast area. I think that they will get there — in fact, for the purposes of balance in the constituency, I should say either they or Bredagh will get there. Carryduff is an amazing and growing community, as are Newtownbreda and Four Winds. The truth is that people are coming from all over Northern Ireland and further afield to make their home in BT8/Castlereagh South, which is a shared community with brilliant sports clubs and community facilities. To be candid, they have been failed for too long. I do not say that to be churlish; I say it to be honest. They have been failed at Executive level but particularly at council level. I will be quite pointed in my remarks about this today, because people in Castlereagh South contribute the biggest volume of rates revenue to Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, but, as the SDLP discovered through an FOI request to the council, they consistently get the lowest level of spending in that council area. That is unacceptable, because people move there to invest their future in that community and to invest their children's future in the brilliant schools there, such as Cairnshill Primary School, St Ita's Primary School, Carryduff Primary School and St Joseph's Primary School. Those are all brilliant amenities. People move there and spend money — sometimes a pretty penny — on a house, and, when they get there, they feel that investment has not been made in that community when it comes to public transport, the public realm and other things. Indeed, there is lack of broader spending in that area, and Lough Moss leisure centre has been mentioned. I want to mention a few things that have already been mentioned that need to be resolved. I grew up in Downpatrick, and I now represent South Belfast, so a large part of my life, like the life of lots of people who live in that part of County Down, is spent driving through Carryduff and down the Saintfield Road. That is a problem, not because people are travelling to South Belfast — I want them to — but because it is treated like a motorway.

Carryduff, Newtownbreda and Four Winds are communities. They deserve to have a proper public realm and public transport all the way up the Saintfield Road and out to Carryduff, as part of the broader city. They do not have that at the minute. Will the Minister update us as to where things are? We have no clarity yet on the Glider. We do not know when it will go all the way up the Saintfield Road. I know that that is the intention, but the last that we heard was a let-down: it had been discontinued, and the Glider is going only so far as just beyond the Ormeau Bridge. We do not know when it will extend any further. Apparently, the Glider has been ruled out for the foreseeable future for Carryduff, which is a shame. However, if we are to have more Metro services, I would like to hear when the expanded services will be delivered. People want to go into the centre of Belfast and to move about without feeling that they have to drive to get from one bit of Carryduff, Newtownbreda or Four Winds to another. Lough Moss has been mentioned. It is not directly the responsibility of the Minister. It is a great facility, but it is now pretty careworn and old. If you are a family living in Carryduff and you want to take your kids swimming but you rely on public transport, you have to take two or three buses to get to Olympia or Lisnasharragh or to get the bus to Downpatrick to go to the leisure centre there. That is unacceptable. Why are people left with that quality of service in Carryduff? The investment in the public realm is just not there. If you drive through, there is an unkempt whin bush in the middle of Carryduff roundabout. What does that say to people who are travelling through that community? People take great pride in the community, but they are simply let down by the statutory authorities. Carryduff greenway has been mentioned. I welcome the fact that the working group has been set up again, but that has been going on for longer than 'The Mousetrap'. We need to have clarity from the council, in conjunction with the Department — a lot of this is on the council — as to when we will see action in delivering the greenway. There are issues around land ownership, but let us finally cut through them and deliver something for the people in that area. People in the area look to the east and west and see things happening in Dundonald and in Lisburn. As a political party, the SDLP has no issue in calling out these things: we do not have as much representation in Dundonald or Lisburn. People wonder, "What the hell is happening here?". I hate to be pointed about it, but our party did not vote for a £50 million, £60 million or £70 million Ice Bowl in Dundonald, which is great but is a vast drain on ratepayer resource in that area. When people in Carryduff ask me why they are not getting more investment in the public realm, I am willing to tell them. Mr Brooks is obviously unhappy with me saying it: that is fine. I do not think that it is a justifiable use of ratepayers' money, given the amount of resource that comes out of Castlereagh South and into the coffers of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council. People who have invested in their homes in Mealough and Baronscourt Green — the new developments that Deirdre mentioned — want to build an amazing community. Let us support them and back them with proper public transport and proper public realm. I welcome the fact that a further consultation happened recently on the public realm in Carryduff, but let us see proper delivery of that and proper ambition. Kate is right about road safety and allowing people to be pedestrians there, not just motorists. Let us properly invest in that community, because they have invested in it themselves. As of yet, they have not had the backing from statutory authorities. Let us finally get behind them. Our party certainly will not be found wanting. We have been tough in campaigning about this, and we will continue to be tough, because people in Carryduff, Knockbreda, Newtownbreda and Four Winds all deserve better.

1,253 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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