A NEW housing development in Co Down has been named by a local schoolboy to reflect the history of the area.
Olivet Court in Ballygowan was chosen by Corey Breen, a P7 pupil at Alexander Dickson PS in the village.
His suggestion reflected the history of the area, where an old stone building beside the school was originally known as Olivet Home.
Corey and his 21 school mates were asked to come up with ideas by Radius Housing, with the winning suggestion for the new 11 house development later approved by Ards and North Down council.
The £1.8m development is scheduled for completion in August 2023.
John McLean, chief executive of Radius Housing, said it was "a fitting name".
"The children came up with wonderful suggestions, which they had clearly spent time researching to bring connection to the local community and environment," he said.
"At Radius we aim to build communities, not just homes, and having local school children contribute to the area in this way gives them some ownership in helping do that. We want people in Ballygowan to be proud of their community, and Corey and his friends can know they played an important part in the success of Olivet Court."
Principal Richard Lawther said it was a great honour to be asked to help select the name.
"The children started the exercise by studying the site plan and selecting the most appropriate suffix," he said.
"They then set about researching Ballygowan’s past and came up with a list of fitting suggestions which incorporated the history of the area and I think it’s extra-special that the children chose to reflect what was a former children’s home in the new name.
"They will forever look at Olivet Court and remember the contribution that they played in shaping this area of our community."
