Controversial street scheme ‘in danger’

On Thursday night, proposals for kerb adjustments and upgrading of paving, lighting and street furniture for the scheme were presented to a Council committee with an ‘approval’ by planners despite receiving two letters of objection and one petition of objection containing 29 signatures and 28 addresses.

This prompted Cllr Timothy Gaston to call for an office meeting with planners on behalf of the objectors who, he said, had “a right to be heard”.

However, it was pointed out to the meeting by a Planning Officer that the significant funding for the scheme, amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds, was time limited and that to put the issuing of a planning decision back a month could put the funding in jeopardy and the entire scheme at risk.

It had been hoped by Council that the groundbreaking changes could begin to take shape this spring followed by the tender process and then construction in early summer.

When put out to consultation last autumn, the plans angered numerous traders on Ballymoney Street who objected strongly to a proposed reduction on their on-street parking. However, in December councillors unanimously gave the go-ahead to move forward to the planning stage.

On Thursday night, a Planning officer pointed out that the proposed plans had been submitted by Council and that there had been major community consultation on them. She said that the application had only been received by the Department a couple of months previously and had been “turned around very quickly” because of the funding issue.

The planner suggested not deferring the determination but to meet with the objectors in the next couple of weeks to find out if any of their concerns could be addressed without bringing the matter back to Council.

Cllr Declan O’Loan said the suggestion was “generous and constructive”, adding: “It would be totally out of order for Council to ask for a deferral”.

Councillors PJ McAvoy, Beth Adger, Sam Hanna, Monica Digney and Jayne Dunlop were among those who spoke out against deferral along with the Mayor, Cllr Audrey Wales who said she was “baffled” by the “last minute” opposition given the lengthy consultation process which had been carried out.

“I would not like to see this town lose this money. We have an opportunity now to spend money to improve the town,” she said.

Cllr Wales said that as a former trader on Ballymoney Street: “I know how important it is to have car parking spaces but we have to move on. We’re talking about two car parking spaces. I’m really disappointed about this.”

Following the lengthy discussion, Cllr Gaston said he accepted the suggestion that the determination would be held until the following Friday during which time an objectors’ meeting would be arranged at which, he urged, “their concerns would be listened to and addressed”.