6 wishes for Mid and East Antrim in 2025

In Carrickfergus, residents have repeatedly outlined the need for the regeneration of the waterfront to provide better facilities for locals and visitors alike.

With a family entertainment complex and a tourist information centre ranking high on the wish list, some have suggested that either facility could be located at the premises formerly occupied by The Swift.

However, with the building currently earmarked for redevelopment into apartments, it’s unlikely this would materialise in 2025.

Another eagerly expressed wish for the town is the provision of a dedicated community theatre, similar to The Braid in Ballymena or the McNeill Theatre in Larne.

Meanwhile, 2024 was a great year for the arts in Carrick with the success of music festival Around The Town, which is set to return this summer.

Independent retailer The Secret Bookshelf, based at The Courtyard, also hopes to host a literary festival in 2025.

In October 2024, the book shop was the venue for the opening event of the first ever Louis MacNeice Literary Festival.

Along the coast in Larne, the 2019 closure of Dunnes Stores was a huge loss for Main Street. With the premises having lain empty since and no word of the well-loved brand making a return, there have been calls for the building to be brought back into use – perhaps as a Primark.

A family entertainment venue is also high on the agenda for Larne residents, in particular for parents of young children who would like to see some soft play or indoor play facilities in the town.

Meanwhile, in Ballymena, the Fairhill Centre is on track to welcome Primark in 2025 – set to be the retailer’s second largest store in Northern Ireland.

However, many would like to see a focus on rejuvenating the town’s night-time economy too in the year ahead.

The closure of The Sportsbowl on Wakehurst Road in 2014 left a gap in the market for a local family entertainment venue, with many residents saying they’d love to see a facility similar to Coleraine’s Jet Centre come to the town.

Tackling the litter problem is also 2025 ‘must-have’ for many who live in the town and the surrounding areas.

Those are just a few of the wishes from within our community for 2025. Please share what you would like to happen in 2025 – Happy New Year to all our readers.