Councillor’s parks warning

A councillor has warned Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council’s parks “may be closed again” if people continue to drive to them.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, independent Councillor Paul Berry said that people should not be parking in lay-bys or road sides to use the council’s parks.

“It is vital that only pedestrians enter the 23 parks we have in our Council area,” said Cllr Berry.

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“The guidance states that only necessary travel should be undertaken so please adhere to the guidelines.

“There should be no parking in lay-bys or road sides as they were only opened for those that are near a park, like Lurgan Park which is in an urban area.”

The councillor warned that if guidelines are not followed, the Council may be forced to close the parks again.

“If these guidelines are abused, then the parks may be closed again for health and safety reasons,” said the Cusher representative.

“The message still remains stay home and stay safe.”

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Councillor Berry’s warning came as a Council spokesperson issued a “gentle reminder” that parks are open for pedestrian access only.

“Gentle Reminder: Our parks are open for pedestrian access only,” read a post on the Council’s Facebook page.

“Residents are asked to please adhere to the social distancing measures and guidance in place, to enable all users to stay safe whilst exercising.

“All car parks are closed and people are advised not to travel to parks at this time.”

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For further information and to see the Council’s guidelines in relation to parks and coronavirus in general, visit

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