Plan for 189 new homes at Larne West includes traffic lights

The proposal is for 189 new homes – 47 detached, 120 semi-detached, 18 apartments and four maisonettes – and includes a neighbourhood centre with a filling station, a retail unit, childcare facility and children’s playground. The application includes traffic lights at the junction at Donaghy’s Lane and Antiville Road.

The new dwellings are planned for a site linked to Ballyboley Road adjacent to Lindara Close, Lindara Crescent and Blackthorn Rise.

Senior planning officer Denise Kerr indicated the proposed filling station will be accessed from the new spine road.

She said the improvements and signalisation at Donaghy’s Lane/Antiville Road junction will have to be put in place before construction of the 150th new dwelling and the operation of the neighbourhood centre.

She noted one letter of support and seven objections to the proposal. The objections related to concerns over traffic congestion, loss of cul-de-sac and amenity potentially at Lindara Close and duration of construction period.

Open Space

The officer indicated there is “adequate public open space and landscaping” included in the plan. She added the design of the proposed buildings is “acceptable”.

Ballymena DUP Alderman Audrey Wales MBE asked if electricity cables would be made available to facilitate electric vehicle charging points.

Larne Lough Ulster Unionist Cllr Keith Turner said: “There is a major problem with traffic at peak times at Donaghy’s Lane.”

Cllr Turner questioned whether the planned road improvements would be sufficient to have the “necessary impact” on alleviating traffic congestion.

He noted the new development could result in an additional 300 vehicles in the area.

“I do not think Donaghy’s Lane even with traffic lights will be able to cope with that.”

The planning officer pointed out a previous phase has already been approved so that “marker will be hit quite soon”.

Cllr Turner went on to say there will be a “planning impact on Lindara Close which will be opened to vehicles.

The officer said the link road has already been approved and Lindara Close was “left with the intention of linking it through to this development”.

Waste Water

Commenting on Cllr Turner’s concerns about waste water, the applicant’s agent Tom Stokes acknowledged there is a “massive issue” in Larne with the existing waste water treatment works.

He said: “In order to keep development moving, the developer sought planning consent for a standalone treatment works. This phase of the development would feed into that.

“We are very aware roads are one of the fundamental concerns in the area.”

He reported that the developer has delivered the next section of the spine road. “The next phase will upgrade Donaghy’s Lane,” he continued.

The committee heard the new system will include a pedestrian crossing.

Mr Stokes went on to say electric vehicle charge points are something that are “evolving” and it is a discussion that will be taking place with developers “going forward”.

Coast Road Sinn Fein Cllr James McKeown said: “I am happy to support the application for the housing but I have concerns about the proposals around Donaghy’s Lane. I know the area very well. I am puzzled how they are actually going to go about it without interfering with other people’s property.”

Following a vote, the planning application was approved unanimously.

In a statement after the meeting, East Antrim Ulster Unionist MLA John Stewart claimed another opportunity to resolve traffic congestion in the area had been “missed”.

He added: “One of the conditions of the approval is that the junction of Donaghy’s Lane and Antiville Road has to be signalised before a certain number of houses are occupied.

"That is fine as far as it goes but it is not going to change the fact that hundreds of new vehicle movements are going to be added to the Donaghy’s Lane bottleneck which is already horrendous at peak times with traffic backing up the Ballyhampton and Ballyboley Roads.”

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter