Leading charity St Vincent De Paul is remaining quiet over the future of a recently rebuilt holiday centre with “stunning views” overlooking the Co Down seafront but closed since the start of the pandemic more than four years ago.
Clare Lodge in Newcastle, rebuilt at a cost of more than £1m with help from donors across south Down and beyond, was designed to accommodate visitors to the seaside town, including groups of vulnerable adults and children.
Opened in the 1970s as a respite holiday home for those escaping areas hit hardest by the Troubles, particularly children, the building was demolished in 2012. It re-opened in 2016 as a 20-bedroom holiday and conference centre on a “magnificent site” on the seafront and in the shadow of the Mournes.
Following the start of the pandemic the doors closed and never opened again, leading to speculation locally over its future and whether it might be put up for sale.
Questioned whether there were any plans to sell the building or more generally about its future, a spokesperson for the society said: “The Society of St Vincent de Paul is a member led organisation. Decision making regarding any of its assets, services or activities are a matter for internal consultation with senior members of SVP.” It confirmed the centre has not re-opened since the pandemic.
The society carried out a major donor drive to help fund the rebuild, which was described by the society as opening up a “wealth of opportunities”.
It was described as “bright, fresh and welcoming with stunning views” on a magnificent site overlooking the beach. The new building has a range of spacious ensuite bedrooms suitable for single, double and family stays along with others designed for community organisation gatherings, the society said when it opened as a new holiday centre.
Clare Lodge on Castle Place, named after Lady Clare Annesley, later a committed pacifist and socialist, was built in 1896. The building was acquired by the SVP in the early 1970′s and over the years thousands of children and adults passed through its doors during the Troubles and beyond.
