FOUR Northern Ireland councils banded together in a £40 million millennium proposal to restore the Newry Portadown canal. Built in 1742, it is one of the oldest canals in these islands.
Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon, Newry and Mourne councils have placed a bid with the British Commission for to carry out the long project commission is charged with handing out millions of pounds for suitable ventures to mark the millennium, and the four councils believe that their proposal is a practical and realisable project.
The canal stretches for about 20 miles from Newry, passing through Jerrettspass, Poyntzpass and Scarva, by passing Tandragee and Gilford, before arriving in Portadown.
The last full journey on the canal was in 1937 when a pleasurecraft travelled from Newry to Portadown, although the canal did not fully close to navigation until 1947. In 1954 it became a designated water course.
The councils making the bid own the complete stretch of waterway. They believe they can transform the canal into a significant leisure and tourism attraction. Some of the £40 million funding will come from the private sector if the bid is successful.
The Ulster Unionist MEP, Mr Jim Nicholson, said that the project had the potential to provide significant social and economic benefits to the local communities and to Northern Ireland as a whole.
Mr Eddie McGrady, the SDLP MP for South Down, said he looked forward to a successful outcome to the bid. "A rejuvenated canal will provide new tourism opportunities along its lengths as well as offering local people enhanced job prospects and a new range of recreational facilities," he said.
Mr John Douglas, secretary of the committee running the project, said that it was an important cross community venture which deserved to succeed. "We have already invested significant resources in developing facilities along the route of the canal, but now we need to refurbish the waterway itself," he added.
