The only catering facility at Oxford Island, a national nature reserve on the southern shores of Lough Neagh, remains closed to visitors every Monday and Tuesday, even during the busy summer months.

Alderman Stephen Moutray told a full meeting of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council that he visited the site on a Monday morning and found the café shut. He informed members the closure applies every Monday and Tuesday.

Moutray said hundreds of people were out enjoying the sunshine that day at the reserve, which was rated the second most visited tourist attraction in Northern Ireland fifteen years ago, behind only the Giant’s Causeway. He described the catering situation as unacceptable.

The matter was raised during discussion of the council’s Business Plan for 2025/26. Moutray noted that a council-led Catering Review has been running for three years without a final outcome. He said the same issue was not confined to Oxford Island and that other facilities in the borough were underperforming. He told council there was a cost to ratepayers and urged the matter be addressed with urgency.

Councillor Julie Flaherty told the meeting she had visited the café on a Sunday, when it was open, and found it extremely busy. She said the short opening hours were a factor. Flaherty described the service as excellent but said elected members appeared to be struggling to make progress on the issue, with efforts becoming stuck.

Oxford Island is a designated National Nature Reserve and a long-established visitor destination on Lough Neagh. The council has not set a date for the conclusion of the Catering Review.