Craigavon the place to be

The survey was conducted by Northern Ireland daily newspaper The Irish News and rated towns based on economy, education, health and transport.

Craigavon came up against Ballymena, Coleraine, Enniskillen, Downpatrick, Omagh and Cookstown and despite the fact the borough didn’t finish outright first in any of the categories, it had the highest cumulative score - 31 out of a possible 40.

Speaking at Monday’s council meeting Alan Carson said: “This is excellent news for the borough. Craigavon is an excellent place to live, to work and to invest.

“I’m very proud to be mayor of this borough.”

Craigavon Borough Council’s Chief Executive, Dr Theresa Donaldson, commented: “We are delighted with this wonderful news.

“Residents and businesses worldwide are attracted to this vibrant borough thanks to its diverse and unique mix of historic market towns, new development areas, well established small towns, flourishing villages and a rural hinterland set in a spectacular natural and man-made environment. It’s a place where more and more people are coming to live, work and enjoy.”

Craigavon is a thriving destination with a wide range of successful businesses.

The area has a much stronger than average manufacturing base in NI with 2,970 VAT or PAYE registered businesses in 2010, the fifth highest of the local council areas in Northern Ireland.

In addition, there are a range of community constituted groups within the area increasing involvement in community life, giving local people the confidence to actively participate in local communities/groups and identify needs in their areas.