STRANGFORD LOUGH CROSSING Strangford Lough Crossing is a proposed bridge between Strangford and Portaferry that would replace the ferry with a safe, 24/7 link for cars, commercial vehicles, farming vehicles, walkers and cyclists. Today many people face a 90‑minute, 75 km detour when the ferry is off, full, or shut at night; the bridge would […]
Strangford Lough Crossing Campaign — Status Summary, 12 March 2026 The campaign enters tomorrow’s meeting with Chris Hazzard MP having achieved meaningful but fragile progress. Minister Kimmins’ statement of 3 February 2026 (Hansard, Vol. 188, No. 2) — “why not? I am happy to keep that under review” — represents the most significant ministerial shift […]
Plan B for Strangford Lough Crossing – Why This Time Can Be Different For most people around Strangford Lough, talk of a bridge or tunnel has become a bad joke. It has been discussed since the 1950s and yet nothing has ever appeared. All talk, no delivery. This “Plan B” is about showing why this […]
The UK Government provides funding to Northern Ireland primarily through the Block Grant to the Northern Ireland Executive, calculated via the Barnett Formula (with a needs-based adjustment to 124% of comparable English spending per the Interim Fiscal Framework). This forms the core of the Executive’s Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) for resource (day-to-day) and capital spending.Additional […]
“If we are serious about reducing real‑world costs for families on both sides of the Lough, the honest choice is to stop paying for the same fuel‑sensitive ferry again and again—and start owning a bridge that can pay for itself” A fuel‑hungry ferry gets more expensive every time oil and operating costs spike, while a […]
The Man Who Would Not Accept No for an Answer James McMullan said it plainly in 1999: “The ferry is only a stop-gap service — a bridge is the answer.” He was a former Ards Borough Councillor, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph after yet another attempt to privatise the loss-making ferry had collapsed. He cited […]
The Narrow Water Bridge project, spanning Carlingford Lough (also known as Newry River estuary) between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, is located in a sensitive estuarine and coastal environment. This area includes designated conservation sites, migratory species, and protected habitats, leading to rigorous environmental assessments and strict mitigation requirements during planning and construction. […]
Casement Park Cutting Casement to 15–20k capacity: Why It Sounds Sensible — But Probably Isn’t ‘Let’s strip this right back’. ‘Cut the size to matching funding pot available !’ People hear:“Make it smaller and we’ll save money.” On the surface, that sounds logical. Fewer seats = cheaper build.But stadium economics don’t work like a garden […]
Strangford Lough Crossing — Practical Community Outcomes: 25 Towns and Villages The report covers communities across both Local Government Districts in the following geographic groupings: Immediate crossing communities: Portaferry and Strangford — with detailed reference to the 848 cancelled sailings recorded in the Ards and North Down Borough Council Annual Report 2024/25 and the 34% […]
Strangford Lough: Healing a Damaged Balance Between Land, Sea and Communities Strangford Lough has some of the strongest environmental protections in Europe – MCZ, SAC, SPA, Ramsar, ASSI, AONB, Geopark – yet the story on its shores is one of communities and landscapes slowly weakened in the name of “progress”. Environmental law has saved the […]