Two objections have been received to what would be the first ever on street diplomatic car parking spaces in the north.
The Department for Infrastructure is currently considering a proposal to provide two dedicated parking spaces on the street outside the consulate general for the St Vincent and the Grenadines in Comber.
No other diplomatic parking spaces of their kind currently exist in Northern Ireland.
The consulate is one of only four diplomatic missions with brick and mortar presences in the north - the others being the United States, China and Poland.
The consulate to the Caribbean island nation of 100,000 population was first set up by Canadian Dr Chris Stange in 2018.
It is understood Dr Stange had also run a chiropractor surgery out of the same premises as the consulate on the Glen Road in the Co Down town.
It is proposed to dedicate one parking space on the Glen Road and another on Brownlow Street, specifically for the use of diplomatic vehicles.
While the content of the objections has not been made public, it’s understood they relate to the limited on street parking available in the area and were made during a consultation opened by DfI in August 2024.
If approved, motorists face a fine of up to £90 if they park in the designated spots.
When contacted by The Irish News, the consulate would not confirm whether it had submitted the application for the parking bays and would not make any comment on the proposal.
“It is proposed to provide two dedicated bays for the parking of diplomatic vehicles outside the Consulate General of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in Comber. One parking bay will be on Brownlow Street, the other on Glen Road,” a DfI statement said.
“This work is being taken forward in response to a specific request and there are currently no other requests for such bays elsewhere.
“Two objections were received during the consultation period, and as these are being considered their details are not publicly available. There are currently no on-street diplomatic parking spaces in Northern Ireland.”
Local Alliance councillor Patricia Morgan described parking capacity in the proposed area as “extremely tight”.
“Parking in the area of the Glen Road and Brownlow Street is extremely tight, and I would urge the Department for Infrastructure to consider the views of local residents as part of this proposal,” Ms Morgan said.
Approval was granted in November 2017 by Ards and North Down for a full resident SVG diplomatic presence in Comber, with the consulate established the following year.
It was said at the time the consulate would serve the interests of a growing population of 1,200 people of Caribbean descent currently living in the north, although exact numbers of how many of those hail from St Vincent and the Grenadines is unknown.
