Practical proposed steps for Mid Ulster.
The stages explain what should happen first. They are not promised completion dates. Funding, powers and ongoing costs need to be established before a proposal is adopted.
Proposal
Town-centre improvements have a completion record
Maghera’s first public-space stage was officially launched in October 2025.
Proposed response: Keep the new routes accessible and well maintained.
Evidence
Who could lead: Mid Ulster District Council with the named delivery partners.
- Short term
Publish accessible routes and fault reporting.
- Medium term
Check crossings and surfaces with users.
- Long term
Review repairs and everyday use.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Maghera town-centre public space: First stage officially launched on 3 October 2025
Measure: Usable routes and defects resolved.
Trade-off: Public-space maintenance requires ongoing spending.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Maghera town-centre public space →
Proposal
A scheduled reopening still needs confirmation
The Cookstown release gives a refurbishment timetable, not a completion statement.
Proposed response: Keep users informed about actual available facilities.
Evidence
Who could lead: Mid Ulster District Council with the named delivery partners.
- Short term
Confirm the work and safety-check status.
- Medium term
Publish the current timetable and alternatives.
- Long term
Review reliability after the suite reopens.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Cookstown Leisure Centre health-suite refurbishment: Closure and refurbishment scheduled; reopening unverified
Measure: Verified availability and cancellations.
Trade-off: Maintaining alternatives may require extra travel.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Cookstown Leisure Centre health-suite refurbishment →
Proposal
Use the canal route for everyday activity
Coalisland has delivered walkway and cycle-facility improvements.
Proposed response: Connect the route to practical local journeys.
Evidence
Who could lead: Mid Ulster District Council with the named delivery partners.
- Short term
Check links to nearby homes and services.
- Medium term
Resolve access and wayfinding gaps.
- Long term
Measure use and maintenance needs through the year.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Coalisland Canal walkway: Enhanced walkway officially launched in June 2026
Measure: Continuous accessible links and observed use.
Trade-off: A recreational route does not automatically replace car journeys.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Coalisland Canal walkway →
Proposal
One finished stage is not the whole programme
Maghera’s business and wetland parks are distinct from the completed town-centre works.
Proposed response: Publish the remaining scope and funding milestones.
Evidence
Who could lead: Mid Ulster District Council with the named delivery partners.
- Short term
Separate completed and planned elements.
- Medium term
Review remaining delivery risks and dependencies.
- Long term
Report each later stage when actually usable.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Maghera town-centre public space: First stage officially launched on 3 October 2025
Measure: Verified stage completion and approved costs.
Trade-off: Delays in later stages can reduce wider regeneration benefits.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Maghera town-centre public space →
Proposal
Make room for homes people can afford
The average home price is £195,000 (July 2026) in Mid Ulster council area. This is about £7,000 lower than the Northern Ireland average for the same month. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.3% in Lower Glenshane to 32.1% in Cookstown East — a gap of 24.8 percentage points.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
Who could lead: The Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Department for Communities, housing associations and the council planning authority.
- Start now
Publish the local waiting list, temporary accommodation and affordable-home delivery figures together. Start by checking the different needs in Cookstown East and Lower Glenshane; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Test proposed housing sites against affordable-home need, access to work, school places and water capacity.
- Over the longer term
Check whether completed homes reduce unmet need, rather than counting planning permissions as delivery.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The average home price is £195,000 (July 2026) in Mid Ulster council area. Homes rented privately ranged from 7.3% in Lower Glenshane to 32.1% in Cookstown East — a gap of 24.8 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 40 of 40 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Affordable homes completed, households waiting, time in temporary accommodation, and rent compared with local earnings.
Trade-off: More homes can put pressure on infrastructure and land. Affordability requirements also affect development viability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: Average home price →
Proposal
Plan homes and care around an older population
15% of people in Mid Ulster council area were aged 65 or over (21 March 2021). People aged 65 or over ranged from 11.5% in Coalisland South to 18.9% in Fivemiletown — a gap of 7.4 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
Who could lead: The Department of Health, local Health and Social Care Trust, housing providers and Department for Infrastructure.
- Start now
Compare the location of older residents with access to care, shops and transport. Start by checking the different needs in Fivemiletown and Coalisland South; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Prioritise home adaptations and care capacity in places with the clearest unmet need.
- Over the longer term
Build accessible homes and joined-up care into local development plans.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 15% aged 65 or over; 21 March 2021. People aged 65 or over ranged from 11.5% in Coalisland South to 18.9% in Fivemiletown — a gap of 7.4 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 40 of 40 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Waits for home adaptations and care, avoidable hospital stays, and accessible homes delivered.
Trade-off: Services need skilled staff and ongoing funding. Age profiles alone cannot measure unmet care need.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 65 or over →
Proposal
Bring support closer to people in poor health
6.1% of people reported bad or very bad health in Mid Ulster council area (21 March 2021). Across Northern Ireland, the figure was 7.7%. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.9% in Caledon to 9.5% in Cookstown West — a gap of 5.6 percentage points.
This is how residents described their health in the census. It can reveal differences between neighbourhoods, but does not diagnose illness or measure current waiting times. Age profiles differ between places, so these shares do not measure service quality.
Who could lead: The local Health and Social Care Trust, Public Health Agency, employers and community organisations.
- Start now
Use neighbourhood evidence to find where poor health and barriers to services overlap. Start by checking the different needs in Cookstown West and Caledon; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Test accessible local support and publish who is reached and who is missed.
- Over the longer term
Review whether health gaps narrow, alongside housing and employment improvements.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 6.1% reporting bad or very bad health; 21 March 2021. People reporting bad or very bad health ranged from 3.9% in Caledon to 9.5% in Cookstown West — a gap of 5.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 40 of 40 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Access to services and the health gap between neighbourhoods, using comparable age-adjusted measures when available.
Trade-off: A census snapshot is dated. New service decisions also need current needs assessments and residents’ experience.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People reporting bad or very bad health →
Proposal
Connect local skills to local opportunities
29.3% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or equivalent (21 March 2021) in Mid Ulster council area. Across Northern Ireland, the figure was 32.1%. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 20.4% in Coolshinny to 46% in Ballysaggart — a gap of 25.6 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
Who could lead: The Department for the Economy, colleges, universities and employers.
- Start now
Compare vacancies and employer needs with training available to local residents. Start by checking the different needs in Ballysaggart and Coolshinny; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Link training to real jobs, including routes for people without formal qualifications.
- Over the longer term
Track sustained employment and earnings after training, not just course starts.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 29.3% with a degree or equivalent; 21 March 2021. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 20.4% in Coolshinny to 46% in Ballysaggart — a gap of 25.6 percentage points. 21 March 2021; 40 of 40 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Sustained jobs, earnings and training completion for residents who face barriers to work.
Trade-off: Training takes time and cannot create demand for jobs on its own. Qualifications are not a complete measure of ability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 16+ with a degree or equivalent →
Evidence: People aged 16+ with no qualifications →
Maghera town-centre public space →
Proposal
Target safety work where problems repeat
Mapped police records are available for neighbourhoods in Mid Ulster council area.
Published locations are approximate and some crimes are not mapped. Counts show recorded incidents, not the chance of an individual becoming a victim.
Who could lead: The Police Service of Northern Ireland, Policing and Community Safety Partnership and relevant services.
- Start now
Check recurring places and categories alongside local police priorities and residents’ reports.
- Over the next few years
Test focused prevention and support, with a comparison period agreed before the work starts.
- Over the longer term
Publish whether problems fall, move elsewhere or return, and adjust the response.
How to judge progress
Crime evidence and coverage →
Starting point: Use the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate.
Measure: Comparable recorded incidents, repeat victimisation and residents’ reported experience; never a single crude league table.
Trade-off: More reporting can increase recorded crime. Enforcement and support may work differently for different problems.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Proposal
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
Who could lead: The named project owners and council scrutiny bodies.
- Start now
Put the scope, owner, funding position and next milestone in one public place.
- Over the next few years
Report delivery against the agreed scope and explain delays or changes.
- Over the longer term
Check the benefits residents actually receive after completion.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The dated stages in Projects; unknown costs and funding remain unknown.
Measure: Milestones met, costs against the approved budget, and measured outcomes after delivery.
Trade-off: Delivery reporting takes staff time, but a launch announcement alone cannot show value for money.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Coalisland Canal walkway →
Maghera town-centre public space →
Cookstown Leisure Centre health-suite refurbishment →
