Over 70 people at public meeting as DUP comes out against Ballycarry houses plan

A proposal of application notice has been lodged with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for new homes on land to the west of St John’s Church, which is a listed building and historic graveyard, at Main Bentra Road, Ballycarry.

The application for the 3.9 hectare site has been submitted by an agent on behalf of Alan Topping, Millbrook.

A letter issued by the Carrickfergus DUP and distributed to Ballycarry residents said: “Following the recent community meeting on 26th March, attended by Councillor Gregg McKeen and Cheryl Brownlee MLA, we wanted to take this opportunity to assure you that we are here to support you throughout the planning process and will be objecting to the proposed development.”

Last week’s public meeting at Ballycarry Community Centre was attended by more than 70 residents.

The letter stated: “In this case, we believe there are several strong grounds for objection, including, but not limited to, infrastructure concerns, The proposed development could place significant strain on existing roads, utilities and local services which may not have the capacity to support such an increase in demand.

“The additional traffic generated by the development could exacerbate existing speeding issues in the area, posing a risk to pedestrians and road users alike. This is particularly concerning given the lack of traffic calming measures in place.”

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The letter went on to claim: “The proposed development is close to the historic Templecorran ruins in Ballycarry, a site of significant local and historical importance. Any large-scale development risks undermining the setting and heritage value of this important landmark which should be preserved for future generations.

“The scale, design or purpose of the development does not align with the existing character of the community, potentially undermining the unique identity of the area.”

Commenting in a social media post after the meeting, Cheryl Brownlee MLA said: “It’s clear that there are a lot of strong feelings about this proposed development.

“The Planning Committee is independent and must make decisions based solely on planning policy. This means that objections need to be clear, specific, and based on planning grounds to be considered.”

St John’s Church, a grade B1 listed building, is located to the east of the site and Templecorran cemetery to the west with a late 16th/early 17th century bawn to the south.

A planning application for 21 new homes on the site was approved by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee in December 2021.

Principal planning officer Gary McGuinness said at the time that there would be “no negative impact on St John’s Church, a listed building”.

However, an email from NI Monuments urged hedging boundaries to be retained. The correspondence suggested that “outstanding concerns” about Templecorran seem to have been “dismissed by council without being resolved”.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter

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