£160k to refurbish Carnlough boathouse but new Whitehead provision on hold

A listed heritage building on the Antrim Coast is to be refurbished at a cost of £160,000.
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Carnlough boathouse is to be given a new roof and external renovation including re-pointing.

The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs will contribute the sum of £140,000 to the overall cost as part of a coastal regeneration project. The remainder of the cost will have to be met by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

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Initially, the council had anticipated that the coastal regeneration project would enable the provision of a new boathouse in Whitehead. Construction work had been expected to commence last spring.

CarnloughCarnlough
Carnlough

However, last April, members of the council’s Borough Growth Committee agreed that it would not be “financially viable” to progress both projects as planned “due to escalating costs and mixed views and feedback from the public consultation”, a report has stated.

It was recommended that the local authority would proceed solely with the Carnlough boathouse project “with a view to progressing the Whitehead project at a later date”.

The council had been planning to “enhance and provide facilities for boat owners  who rent berths within the boat park in Whitehead”.

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Proposed new boathouse facilities were expected to include a boat storage area, gym, toilets, shower and a small meeting area.

Boat owners have been warned that those who have not paid berthing fees face would have their boats removed and removal notices would be issued for boats which do not have adequate records. Click here

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter