Railings will cost '£300 per metre' to replace along stretch of famous east Antrim coastal route
Rusty seafront railings on the east Antrim coast have been brought to the attention of Department for Infrastructure (DfI) Roads officials.
They were reminded about the condition of railings in Larne and Carrickfergus following a presentation of the DfI Roads Northern Division’s annual report to Mid and East Antrim councillors at a meeting of the Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee.
Coast Road Alliance Alderman Gerardine Mulvenna said she has been asking about the Coast Road railings for “years and years”. The railings are believed to be approximately 140-years-old.
She was told prices are being obtained and “a bit of it may get done” next year.
“It has been left for years and years. It will just get dearer and dearer. The longer it is left, it is deteriorating,” said Ald Mulvenna.
She was told that the railings would cost £300 per metre to replace.
When Coast Road Ulster Unionist Ald Maureen Morrow raised the issue with the DfI in 2019, she was advised ownership and responsibility for the upkeep of the railings lies mostly with the Roads Service – part of the Department for Infrastructure.
As well as being hugely popular with tourists and day-trippers, the road provides the backdrop to the annual Antrim Coast Half Marathon, which draws thousands of visitors the area at the end of summer.
Meanwhile, the condition of the seafront railings at Marine Highway in Carrickfergus, facing the police station, was raised at the council meeting by Carrick Castle Ald Billy Ashe MBE who said: “The railings at the seafront in Carrick have been promised since 2015. It seems to have been forgotten again.”
Alan Keys, divisional roads manager, commented: “Railings is something that is on our agenda. We are pushing forward where we can. There is a big cost as well.”
Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter