Council Wins Prestigious Local Government Award for Newry Leisure Centre

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is celebrating a major award for the design and build of Newry Leisure Centre. The recognition came at the 2018 Local Government Awards, held at the Armagh City Hotel on 11 October 2018.

The Council won Best Local Authority Design and Build Capital Project. Finalists in the prestigious category included the Seamus Heaney Home Place and Magherafelt Public Realm Scheme. 

The £22 million Newry Leisure Centre opened to the public last November with cutting-edge leisure facilities including an 8 lane main swimming pool, leisure and teaching pool, a top of the range Health Suite, a flume and slide as well as a viewing gallery with Olympic standard seating. 

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairman, Councillor Mark Murnin, said, “This is a fantastic achievement for the Council and I would like to extend my personal congratulations to Michael Lipsett and his team at Active and Healthy Communities for all their hard work and commitment.

“They worked diligently to ensure a state of the art leisure centre was delivered for the citizens of Newry and the district and will be used for future generations to come.    

I would also like to commend and congratulate Sean McKevitt, Neighbourhood Renewal Officer, who was shortlisted under the category ‘Employee of the Year’, and to the team behind Digital NMD, which was shortlisted under ‘Best Enterprise Initiative by a Council’ at the ceremony.      

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chief Executive, Liam Hannaway, said, “Newry Leisure Centre clearly demonstrates excellence in urban regeneration and design. I am delighted to see the centre and the team receive this award and recognition. This is an important strategic project for council as it contributes towards both the economic and social development of our district.”

The Local Government Awards are co-ordinated by NILGA (Northern Ireland Local Government Association) and the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE). This year they attracted an unprecedented 78 entries and showcased brilliance in service provision, new initiatives and the personal commitment from councils, councillors, staff and partners.

Nominees were judged by an independent panel, the winners in each category were announced at the Gala Awards Recognition Evening which followed the NILGA’s Flagship Annual Conference, “Building Sustainable Communities, Delivering a Better Northern Ireland for Everyone”, at the Armagh City Hotel, Armagh on 11 October 2018.