Church Street and Bridge Street can become vibrant again - DSD Minister

That was the clear message from DSD Minister Nelson McCausland in a letter to Ballymena Councillor and North Antrim DUP MLA Paul Frew which was tabled at last Monday night’s monthly meeting of Ballymena Borough Council.

Reflecting on his recent visit to the town during which focused on Church Street and Bridge Street, Mr McCausland wrote: “It was evident that there was quite a severe decline in the area with some properties falling into serious disrepair, becoming more and more inferior and ultimately leading to an increasing number of vacant units.

“This trend needs to be reversed and clearly those existing businesses in the area will need some help to make them sustainable”.

To this end, the Minister said that the Council’s Masterplan sets out a clear vision for the town centre and supports the town’s role as a major retail centre while implementing a new scheme for the primary retail core streets, including Church Street and Bridge Street, is included in DSD expenditure plans and is due to commence in 2013-14.

He revealed that this strategy will examine various options to promote better pedestrian circulation in the town centre by upgrading its pavements, lighting and public spaces, and that it can include any proposals brought forward for a pedestrian priority area and other possible improvements at Bryan Street.

While the Minister recognised that there were some issues around redevelopment of Bridge Street that still required some clarification, he ‘anticipated’ that consultants would be appointed early in the New Year to prepare a development brief for the scheme.

The Minister also pointed out that there would be scope to introduce a revitalisation programme which would help spruce up properties in a specific location such as Church Street and Bridge Street.

Councillors heard that these improvements could be implemented “fairly quickly” and would require the Church Street traders to work up a programme with the Council or Town Centre Development Ltd.

They were also delighted to hear that up to £150,000 is available this year for the programme which can also include improvements to the appearance of gap sties, window dressing and promotional activities to boost trade in that area.

His letter also pointed out that work was ongoing on development opportunity sites including St Patrick’s Barracks.

Regarding that site, he said the Department had already engaged a number of public stakeholders in masterplanning to ensure that it is not developed for inappropriate retail purposes which could be damaging to businesses in the town centre.

Commenting on the correspondence, Councillor Frew said: “I believe this year will be the defining year (for retail).

“We have held on reasonably well in Ballymena but I believe any small lever of relief we can get, we should grasp with both hands”.

The meeting also heard that Council had made a good account of itself last month when the Committee for Enterprise Trade and Investment rolled into Ballymena.

Councillors were left in no doubt that the Mayor, Hubert Nicholl, Cllr Martin Clarke and their Chief Executive Anne Donaghy, spoke pertinently and eloquently of the business community’s and council’s concern about the local economy and that the economy was a main priority of the local authority’s Corporate Plan.

They were told by Councillor Paul Frew MLA that the Committee Chair, Alban Maginness MLA had been “highly impressed by Ballymena’s attitude”.

“It is important that we in Ballymena not only meet the Ministers but the people that scrutinise and advise like this Committee,” he added.