Ballymoney Rugby Club seeking extension permission to 'facilitate the needs of the sporting community'
Extension plans for Ballymoney Rugby Club have been submitted to Causeway Coat and Glens Borough Council.
The plans were recently submitted to the council’s planning portal, and seek permission for change of use of an existing, vacant Farmlands, at Kilroughts Road in the town, to accommodate three grass pitches/practice areas with “betterment to existing access”.
In a supporting statement, agents, Manor Architects, said the club’s existing facilities include a clubhouse and gym, carparking and three grass pitches, but the proposed changes would “enable the club to become an exemplar to other clubs in all sporting arenas, striving for inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility for all”.
The statement added: “In line with these ambitions, the club has secured, with agreement of an adjacent landowner, the purchase of an additional six acres of land to accommodate pitches and practice spaces, which will alleviate some of the pressures on the current site layouts and site constraints.
“Expansion of facilities is not possible in any other location and must be located in the vicinity of the existing pitches and club house facilities.
“The well-established boundaries will be retained and augmented and existing vegetation around the site provides an adequate degree of natural screening to public views.
“The extension of the existing established use can be integrated into the surroundings with no significant impact to visual amenity or character.
“Ballymoney Rugby Club has been established as a local sports facility at this location for many years and is a well-known community resource.
“The site is constrained, and this opportunity would allow for a limited expansion of the existing sports pitches to facilitate the needs of the sporting community and promote health and well-being in the area.
“The proposed expansion will meet the ongoing needs of the club’s players and patrons and will facilitate concurrent home matches and sustain the club for years to come.”
Andrew Balfour, Local Democracy Reporter