Cloughan Project: consultation event to be staged in Ballyclare

Residents from across Ballyclare will have an opportunity to have their say on the proposed Cloughan Project development at a public consultation event on April 19.
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The event in Ballyclare Town Hall, will allow the public the chance to view Ballyclare Rugby Football Club’s plans to develop a multi-sports hub at their home facilities in the Doagh Road area of the south Antrim town.

The proposed development consists of the upgrade of existing rugby pitch and permitted floodlighting to 3G multi-sports pitch, upgrade of existing all-weather hockey pitch to synthetic pitch, including replacement floodlighting, roof covering to existing cricket training area, provision of trim trail, additional car parking, road access to permitted relief road and all associated site works.

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The club is inviting comments from the general public on this proposed development via the public event at the Town Hall, which will run between 4pm and 8pm.

The event will be held in Ballyclare Town Hall.The event will be held in Ballyclare Town Hall.
The event will be held in Ballyclare Town Hall.

The event will involve the display of the proposed drawings, a presentation at 6pm and the attendance of representatives to respond to any queries about the proposal.

Speaking to this newspaper ahead of the consultation event, Ballyclare RFC Grants Officer/Project Leader, Richard Lutton, said: “This is an opportunity for the public to have their say on the proposed development before it goes into planning.

"We welcome any feedback on the proposal and encourage members of the public to attend and to view the plans and see the reasoning behind them in detail and the huge amount of work that has already been done in getting to this stage.

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"We hope to have the planning application submitted by the end of June.”

The Cloughan Project site plan.The Cloughan Project site plan.
The Cloughan Project site plan.

In November 2022, the Newtownabbey Times reported how Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council had agreed in principal to develop a new 3G pitch at a projected cost of £1.25m as part of the Cloughan Project.

Detailing how the funding for the project is being sourced, Mr Lutton stated: “The majority of the additional funds are coming from the Sport NI Multi Facility Fund.

“The club has also secured some funding from the Ulster Rugby Levelling Up Fund Application to develop and enhance the changing facilities and any additional deficit will be funded through an IRFU loan scheme.”

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Mr Lutton confirmed the proposed timeline for the works, explaining how some redevelopment works are already underway. He said: “We were fortunate enough to secure funding from our main sponsor Hagan Leisure to install LED floodlighting on our training pitch in January this year.

"We have just completed a major upgrade of our upstairs toilets including the addition of a new disabled toilet thanks to a grant from Sport NI and we are planning major drainage and pitch works to our training and 1st XV pitches this summer, so the work has already begun.

“Templepatrick Cricket Club have also secured some funding to replace their artificial wicket and complete some minor drainage works on the bowlers’ run ups.

"The goal is for the upgraded facility to be fully operational by March 2025, this is allowing for a nine-month build out period, the majority of which is the upgrade of the existing hockey and grass pitches to the hockey astro and multi sports 3G.”

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Detailing how the plans have been received to date and what the new facilities would mean for the town, Richard added: “The feedback has been very supportive across the board.

“Local clubs such as Ballyclare Colts, Templepatrick CC and Ballyclare Ladies’ HC, local primary schools and the two post-primary schools have all expressed their support.

"There is a demonstratable need for additional floodlit sports facilities in the town and we look forward to welcoming a range of traditional and new sports to The Cloughan in the future and ensuring that people and clubs based in Ballyclare don’t have to leave the town to participate in their chosen sports.

"The completion of the new relief road is a great boost as when the new housing is built it will provide two new accesses into The Cloughan and our new facilities will be easily accessible to both existing and new residents.

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"It would be a great boost for the town. The population has boomed in the last decade and the infrastructure from a sporting point of view hasn’t kept up, especially when compared to other towns in the borough.

"We see The Cloughan as a multi sports community hub where participants and parents will have the opportunity to experience a range of sports at the same venue, with a focus on enjoyment, sports development and getting more people active.

"As a not-for-profit amateur club, we will be reinvesting any surplus from facility rental back into community sport through equipment, coaching, events and reinvestment in additional facilities and infrastructure.”

A spokesperson for the club explained: “Representations should not be made directly to the Planning Service within Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council at this stage.

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"When a planning application is formally submitted to Planning Service, following the three-month pre-application community consultation period, you will

have the opportunity to make representations regarding the proposed development at that time.

“Notwithstanding this, any person wishing to make a comment relating to the proposal at this pre-application stage can do so at the public event or via [email protected]

“Alternatively, a written submission can be forwarded by post, clearly marked ‘Multi-Sports Hub, Ballyclare Rugby Football Club’ to Richard Lutton, Ballyclare Rugby Football Club, The Cloughan, Doagh Road, Ballyclare, BT39 9JD.

“The deadline for submissions is 4pm on Thursday, May 18.”

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