A formal planning application has been lodged for a new state-of-the-art children’s play area in Forkhill, on the site of the former military base in the village.
The application is one of 16 proposed new or upgraded play park plans brought forward by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
Several projects have already been carried out on the old south Armagh military base over the last decade to return it to community use, including a social housing scheme in and a £350k Greenspace Pathway Project, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and the council, which was completed last summer.
After a community consultation, the council agreed that the site was the favoured local choice for the new play park. The plans outline a number of exciting features, including a tree-top towers multi-play unit, a rope-end swing, a viking swing, roundabout, and a galleon multi-play unit.
There will also be a photo finish fantasy fun run, a fitness and agility trail, as well as sit-on animals, a pair of talking pirates, a cuckoo clock and interactive panels. A massive 30 metre long zip wire is also proposed for the new play park, with the site enclosed by a boundary fence and gated.
The planning application will be publicly advertised this week with a decision on the exciting new addition for the young people of Forkhill expected before Christmas.