By Iain Gray
ALLIANCE politicians have gone into battle with a Stormont Minister, demanding action on historic Grey Point Fort.
Two years ago, officials announced a £3m revamp of the site – but that overhaul still hasn’t started, and cash cuts have kept doors shut at the coastal defence battery turned museum and monument.
Officials from the Department for Communities (DfC) have previously admitted that they don’t even have enough in the coffers to carry feasibility studies ahead of the overhaul, let alone get properly started on the massive five-year rework.
Now Alliance MLAs Connie Egan and Andrew Muir are calling on Communities Minister Gordon Lyons to get on with reopening and improving the fort.
According to Ms Egan, frustrated constituents regularly complain to her about the stalled revamp, and that Grey Point Fort is still closed to the public.
The future of Grey Point Fort is incredibly important to many people right across North Down and beyond,” she said.
“Although the DfC Communities has expressed a desire to redevelop the site, plans have faced considerable delays since they were first put out for consultation in 2022.
“It is vital that the Minister gives this project the attention and priority it deserves, and that funding becomes available to ensure its transformation. I hope that the Minister will outline a proactive and comprehensive plan.”
The coastal battery near Helen’s Bay never fully reopened after Covid, but for two years the site has been shuttered completely.
The DfC has said it wants to upgrade visitor facilities, tackle drainage and water leakage issues, install new toilets, fix problems with electrics, create more car parking spaces and replace gates, fences and picnic tables in the fort.
Officials have previously stated that although reopening the site is a priority, the revamp plans unveiled in August 2022 are now ‘on hold’ due to budget pressures.
For Mr Muir, that’s an aggravating place to be for somewhere he believes could be turned into a hit tourist attraction.
“Local people and history enthusiasts across Northern Ireland care deeply about the future of this significant site,” he said.
“There is a huge opportunity here to bring more visitors to the area, providing a benefit to the local economy and a unique learning experience for young and old alike.
“We should be proud of the part people here played in World War Two, and protecting this piece of local heritage is essential for sharing that legacy with generations to come.”
Dating back to 1907, Grey Point Fort was built to house two massive artillery guns designed to keep the entrance to Belfast Lough safe from naval attack.
The site was expanded to include army accommodation in the First World War and further upgraded in the 1930s; during the Second World War, it was manned by a Territorial Army regiment and concrete overhead covers were added to the gun positions.
Decommissioned in the 1950s, 30 years later it was opened to the public and then restored and refurbished with replacement guns in the 1990s.
Until recently the facility was staffed by a volunteer group and boasted an extensive collection of vintage military radio equipment, as well as exhibitions hosting memorabilia detailing the history of the fort and local life during wartime.
Many of those exhibits were removed after the site was closed to the public during the Covid pandemic.
