‘A expensive disgrace’: Anger over car park closure in Strabane

A STRABANE business owner has condemned the decision to re-close the Canal Basin car park at night, describing it as an expensive disgrace  that wastes public money and unfairly impacts local businesses.

Terry Mahon, who runs Northwest Locks and Mahon Engineering, also criticised Derry City and Strabane District Council for spending nearly £12,000 annually on a key-holder service to manage the car park’s barriers.

Barriers were closed on the car park in 2017 following antisocial behaviour, however following feedback from a Strabane Business Improvement District (BID) survey, they were reopened in March last year as part of a pilot scheme.

Now, following numerous reports of further anti-social behaviour, where ‘boy racers’ would congregate at the car park before racing through local streets causing distress to numerous residents, a decision was taken by the BID to once again close the barriers just before Christmas.

Mr Mahon said: “I’m very annoyed that the council has, once again, decided to close the car park. The decision affects not only my business but the other businesses here on Dock Street, meaning that we and other people who use the car park have to be out by a certain time.

“We do training exercises which require staff to remain late and we need the car park to remain open to facilitate these sessions. I have personally witnessed people who have had their cars locked in and I have had to move barriers to help them retrieve their cars. In addition, council currently employs a key-holder service to facilitate the opening and closure of the car park at a cost to the tax payer of £912.63 per month. Using almost £12,000 of public money to open and close a car park every year is a disgrace.”

He added: “I do not believe that justification for closing the car park is there.

“Patrons of the Alley Theatre park there, as do people who might go out for a meal or make use of late-night shopping.”

Mr Mahon said he has been in contact with council about extending CCTV cameras into Dock Street, and has even suggested that residents on the Derry Road would be willing to put up their own if it helped.

Furthermore he believes that the issues of anti-social behaviour could be easily resolved if the PSNI were more vigilant in catching the perpetrators.

He continued: “If the police know that these boy racers congregate at Dock Street why don’t they do something about it?

“All it would take is a couple of them losing their cars for them to wise up. If they close Dock Street, this only pushes the problem onto the streets or other car parks in town. It only moves the problem rather than eradicating it. This car park is for the people to use and it should be left open for that purpose.”

Council were asked about the cost to the tax payer from closing the car park and a spokesperson said: “As a temporary measure over the Christmas period, council engaged the services of a company already contracted to look after security at a number of other council-managed car parking sites throughout Derry and Strabane. This arrangement is set to be reviewed in the New Year when a full report will be brought before the Business and Culture Committee.”