No movement on new fire station for Rathfriland

But South Down UUP MLA John McCallister has vowed to continue to track the progress of the station's refurbishment scheme.

Speaking last week, Mr McCallister said he was disappointed the business case for the Rathfriland Fire Station had not been discussed at the September Board meeting.

However, he said he has been reassured that this business case is "very close to finalising."

"I am confident we will have a refurbished Fire Station in Rathfriland, but sometimes these things don't happen just as quickly as planned. The Fire Service is continuing to work with Health Estates in the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. I am getting another update in two weeks and will continue to monitor this situation as closely as possible."

Meanwhile a Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) spokesperson said, "Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) is working on finalising the detailed design and costings for the rebuild at Rathfriland Fire Station.

“We expect that the business case will be submitted to the NIFRS Board and our sponsoring government department, DHSSPS, very soon.”