North Down Alliance MLA Andrew Muir has called for a much more ambitious plan to tackle backlog of road repairs after it emerged just three roads will be resurfaced in the year ahead.

The Minister for Infrastructure recently informed Mr Muir that Church Drive, Bangor; Manse Road, Bangor and Cultra Avenue, Holywood will be resurfaced with two schemes deferred till Spring and no Strategic Road Improvement Schemes planned. The Minister has stated “additional schemes may be added as finance permits.”

Highlighting his concerns, Andrew Muir MLA said: “With a massive backlog of road repairs built up over recent years I was shocked to learn the Department for Infrastructure only plan to resurface three roads across North Down in the current Financial Year. Whilst I welcome plans to fix the appalling road surface in these areas just tackling three roads simply isn’t good enough coupled with news no Strategic Road Improvement Schemes are planned and grass cutting will continue to be reduced from five to two cuts a year.

“My office has records of many requests for roads to be resurfaced right across North Down alongside junction improvements, puffin cross requests and more. To see other areas in Northern Ireland earmarked for many projects and high profile Strategic Road Improvement Schemes just adds insult to injury. People in North Down pay their taxes like everyone else and deserves the same level of investment as everyone else.

“I urge the Minister to allocate more finances to permit additional schemes to proceed in North Down in order to get more work delivered over the months ahead.”