Plans for a Newcastle park and ride facility have surfaced in a new Stormont travel consultation following the Irish Open golf tournament. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC) had been quizzed to provide infrastructure data during its recent environment committee, due to a potential change in direction from its 10 year Active Travel Masterplan (2019). However, management did not have the information. READ MORE: Newry, Mourne Council "could make a lot of money" turning old dumps into solar farms. READ MORE: USPCA chief executive steps down amid "workplace dispute". Instead, a draft consultation on the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Active Travel Delivery Plan (opened in November 2024) was approved, which could see other park and rides now take priority. Slieve Croob Alliance rep, Helena Young said: "This report references the council's Active Travel Masterplan 2019, which didn't contain anything about park and ride plans for Newcastle. "It speaks to building Newcastle's reputation as a tourist destination with particular focus on the town's promenade. The document also recognises the certain areas in the town that are dominated by vehicle congestion and proposes several improvements, including pedestrianising the main street. "So, why does this new proposal put a park and ride in when other towns were mentioned in the masterplan for park and ride, but not Newcastle?" She added: "Are we able to see the park and ride usage data, outside of the golf (Irish Open 2024) in Newcastle for council run events in the last five years or from any time park and ride was used? "Historically people in Northern Ireland don't use park and ride other than to get to city centres. The 2019 Masterplan makes so much more sense than this new submission. In Newcastle there is already the Translink busy bus running through the tourist season as well as private businesses servicing mountain hikers all year round. Has the council surveyed how this draft will impact on the businesses?" A Park and Ride Programme Board, governed and funded by DfI, oversees the development and delivery of the Park & Ride Programme. There are currently only two park and ride locations in NMDDC at the Newry train station and Sheepbridge. In the council's 2019 Active Travel Masterplan report there are four proposed park and ride sites at Downpatrick, Ballynahinch, Crossgar and Saintfield. However, the DfI consultation response from NMDDC suggests other such zones including Newcastle, Warrenpoint and Kilkeel. Crossgar and Saintfield are not included. As the consultation deadline is before the next full council meeting, the response can be retracted by elected reps when the meeting takes place (March 3). A council officer responded: "The Masterplan has been submitted and discussed with DfI, ongoing with their Active Travel Unit. "We provided quite a lot of information to them, the Masterplan and the routes were discussed in that. "In terms of the park and ride scheme in Newcastle, there has been a site used in the town for some events. That proposal is supposed to link people into the town through a bus and also act as an active travel hub, which would allow people to cycle and walk in from the site. "The site has not yet been decided, there are ongoing discussions with DfI and Translink and I don't know what the outcome of those will be. That's another department within the council that is working on that. "I wouldn't have any data on the park and ride usage outside of the golf, it could be the environment, regeneration and tourism committee....I don't know who has that information." For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.