Larne West link road upgrade campaign given fresh impetus

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has been urged not to permit any further development of Larne West without an upgrade of the road infrastructure.
The Larne West link road which is undeveloped.The Larne West link road which is undeveloped.
The Larne West link road which is undeveloped.

In a statement, Ulster Unionist MLA John Stewart said that there should be a  “moratorium on new approvals until the link road is completed to take the pressure off Donaghy’s Lane”.

Planning permission was approved recently for 119 new homes north and east of Ballyboley Road comprising of 44 detached, 62 semi-detached, four maisonettes and nine apartments.

This proposal includes realignment of Ballyboley Road, a new section of distributor road and right turn lanes (read more here).

Mr Stewart also noted that the Ballyboley Road site has outline permission ‘in principal’ for 500 houses.

In addition, he indicated that 31 new homes are being completed on the former Highways Hotel site and 19 more units are proposed in a current application opposite the derelict Ballyloran House at Ballyhampton Road.

Mr Stewart added: “I have yet again written to the council’s head of Planning and the Divisional manager of the Department for Infrastructure, Roads.”

He said it was time the long-standing issue of an unfinished 100-metre stretch of road at the bottom of the Ballyloran link road  was sorted out.

“The building of the roads infrastructure was meant to happen at the same pace as the house building by various developers over the years but that simply has not happened.

“In the absence of improvements and a joined up roads infrastructure in Larne West, the council’s planning committee needs to step up and stop their officers simply granting planning permission for all these new houses. There should be a moratorium on new approvals until the link road is completed to take the pressure off Donaghy’s Lane. “

DUP representatives have also called on the Department for Infrastructure to intervene and complete the unfinished stretch of road in the Larne West area to improve traffic flows and allow for sustainable development into the future.

East Antrim MLA Gordon Lyons said: “Traffic congestion on Donaghy’s Lane and the Linn Road has been a long-standing frustration for local people trying to go about their daily business. As the number of homes in the Larne West area continues to grow, this problem has only gotten worse.

“Developing the small stretch of road which connects Millbrook to the Ballyhampton Road is one option which the Department must explore to help ease the congestion.

“The motion, which my DUP colleagues Gregg McKeen and Paul Reid are bringing to next month’s council meeting, will call on the Department to intervene to resolve this issue and take steps to improve traffic flow in the wider area.”

Councillors McKeen and Reid said: “it is simply not sustainable to continue as we are and while we appreciate that this is a private stretch of road and is not yet adopted, we believe the case for the Department to act is strong.

“That is why we are bringing a motion to the next meeting of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to seek support for this intervention.”

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter.

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you.