Scrabo Stone (Hansard, 25 October 1999)

§ Mr. George Howarth

Responsibility for the subject in question has been delegated to the Road Service under its Chief Executive, Mr. C. James. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from C. James to Mr. John D. Taylor, dated 21 October 1999: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has asked me to respond to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question about the location of the original Scrabo Stone from the former Kinnel Marsh and Kennedy Bridges near Comber. I should explain that there are 3 former bridges still existing on the line of the Department of the Environment's proposed Comber Bypass, namely Marsh River Bridge, Kennedy's Bridge and Cherryvalley Bridge. All of these bridges are of Scrabo Stone construction. Over the years, stone has been removed from these bridges by persons unknown and recently Roads Service utilised some stone from Cherryvalley Bridge for use on accommodation works at a nearby road improvement scheme. The Department's proposed Comber Bypass scheme requires the replacement of the Marsh River Bridge and the design carried out to date does not include the use of Scrabo Stone. Consideration could, however, be given to the possible use of the stone. At present, discussions are ongoing between the Department and a consortium of developers regarding a proposed housing development in the area which might involve the completion of the Comber Bypass earlier than is currently planned. The proposed development may require some minor alterations to the line of the proposed Bypass and possible replacement structures for Kennedy's Bridge and Cherryvalley Bridge. As yet, however, no final decisions have been made regarding this proposal and no detailed design has been undertaken. I hope you find this information helpful.