HANSARD ADJOURNMENT DEBATE – 25 NOVEMBER 2025- Traffic Flows in Newtownards COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS: Technical Engineering Context and Traffic Demand Evidence Document Reference: Official Report (Hansard), Tuesday 25 November 2025, Volume 185, No 2, Pages 59-66 Debate Topic: Traffic Flow in Newtownards Technical References: DEBATE CONTEXT AND PARTICIPANTS How the Debate Came About The Adjournment Debate […]
Top 20 Credible Revenue-Raising Options for Northern Ireland (Ranked by Real-World Feasibility & Yield) Northern Ireland faces a structural fiscal gap of £1–2 billion per year, leaving the Executive with two choices: raise more revenue or cut already thin public services. Here are the 20 most credible, defensible and realistic revenue-raising options, ranked from highest […]
How Many of the 29,000 Daily Journeys Would Actually Use a Strangford Bridge? One of the stock lines we hear from DfI officials is this: “You have no proof that anyone from the wider traffic corridor would use a bridge. All we know is how many vehicles use the ferry today.” On the surface that […]
Why the Ards Peninsula Is Gridlocked — And How a Strangford Crossing Fixes It If you live anywhere on the Ards Peninsula, you already know the problem:the Newtownards–Portaferry Road (A20) is bursting at the seams. Click on image below for more in depth calculations Every weekday brings the same routine: What most people don’t realise […]
Ranking Northern Ireland’s Road Schemes by Safety Priority A Neutral, Evidence-Led Assessment of Major Current and Proposed Schemes Improving road safety remains one of the most cost-effective interventions available to policymakers in Northern Ireland. While discussions about road investment often focus on economic development, regional balance or political visibility, the single most important criterion for […]
Alert: Vacant Property Rates About to Skyrocket to 100% – NI Owners, Don’t Let This Drain Your Profits! As a non-domestic property owner in Northern Ireland, the clock is ticking on your vacant units. Finance Minister John O’Dowd recently confirmed plans to phase out the 50% relief on rates for empty commercial properties, ramping up […]
The 32 Core Subjects in Any Serious Debate About a United Ireland A balanced, structured framework across nationalist and unionist concerns — and how solvable each issue actually is. Debate around a potential United Ireland is usually loud on emotion and quiet on structure. To have a genuinely useful conversation, each side needs a clear […]
“We can’t afford a £300m bridge.” Really! Every time the idea of a fixed link across Strangford Lough comes up, somebody in or around the Executive says the same thing: “We’d love to – but there’s simply no money.” Not that money is being asked for but simply a proper independent feasibility study into an […]
Summary of the Northern Ireland Constitutional Preference Index (NICPI) The NICPI is a professional, evidence-based composite indicator designed to assist the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in objectively assessing whether a majority in Northern Ireland would likely support Irish unification in a border poll, as required under the Good Friday Agreement. It aggregates data […]
Northern Ireland Schemes – Deep Soundings, Week Ending 7 November 2025 This week in NI construction feels like classic “two steps forward, one step sideways”: some long-promised regeneration schemes finally clear planning, tourist projects move into the spotlight, but the big strategic roads and stadiums are still stuck in the mud. Here’s a QS-style sweep […]