Ards and North Down | |
|---|---|
 Ards and North Down shown withinNorthern Ireland | |
| Coordinates:54°33′43″N5°38′13″W / 54.562°N 5.637°W /54.562; -5.637 | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Northern Ireland |
| Incorporated | 1 April 2015 |
| Named after | Borough of Ards and theBorough of North Down |
| Administrative HQ | Bangor Castle |
| Government | |
| • Type | District council |
| • Body | Ards and North Down Borough Council |
| • Executive | Committee system |
| • Control | No overall control |
| Area | |
• Total | 177 sq mi (458 km2) |
| • Rank | 10th |
| Population (2024)[2] | |
• Total | 165,415 |
| • Rank | 4th |
| • Density | 930/sq mi (361/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Postcode areas | |
| Dialling codes | 028 |
| ISO 3166 code | GB-AND |
| GSS code | N09000011 |
| Website | ardsandnorthdown |
Ards and North Down is alocal government district inNorthern Ireland. It was created on 1 April 2015 by merging theBorough of Ards and theBorough of North Down. The local authority isArds and North Down Borough Council.
The new district is in the East of Northern Ireland, covering theArds Peninsula, most ofStrangford Lough and the southern shore ofBelfast Lough. It had an estimated population of 165,415 in 2024.[3] The original name of the new district was recommended on 17 September 2008.[4]
Ards and North Down Borough Council replacesArds Borough Council andNorth Down Borough Council. The first election for the new district council was originally due to take place in May 2009, but on April 25, 2008,Shaun Woodward,Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced that the scheduled 2009 district council elections were to be postponed until 2011.[5] The first elections took place on 22 May 2014 and the council acted as a shadow authority until 1 April 2015.
At a meeting of the shadow authority on 15 December 2014, councillors voted in favour of changing the council's name toEast Coast Borough Council, and to submit an application to the Department of the Environment to change the name with effect as of 1 April 2015.[6] However, the council's website launched on 1 April 2015 refers to the new council as "Ards and North Down Borough Council", and this name has continued in use.
The following have received theFreedom of the Borough of Ards and North Down.
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