Wave of opposition to £22m Mallusk homes plan

An application has been lodged with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council for 126 new homes comprising of detached, semi-detached, townhouses and apartments and associated parking on a 15-acre site.

The proposed site encompasses land from Mayfield Park between Mayfield Dale and Alderley Crescent extending to Hydepark Road, in Mallusk.

The proposal includes the retention and enhancement of existing open space and creation of new open space and equipped children’s play park.

It is being developed by Maghera-based residential and commercial property development company South Bank Square Limited.

Concerned residents opposed to the “reduction of open space” in Mayfield Garden Village have come together online to express opposition to the Hyde Park Gate development plan with 97 objections to date.

One told the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he feared the loss of at least two thirds of 2.5 acres of green space.

He went on to say that the green area has been “very important” to the community during the Covid pandemic.

“We have an elderly population who use the area. It would be a significant loss to the community. The loss of green space is unnecessary and it would mean the loss of natural habitats for foxes and bats.

“It is a backward step. If we lost that space, we will not have that totality.”

South Bank Square Limited says that the application site comprises two parcels of land, extending to 15.6 acres within the existing Mayfield development in Mallusk.

A spokesperson for South Bank Square Limited said: “As shown on our plans, we are aiming to make the open space provision better and more usable for all of the local residents. Our plans show a newly equipped play park situated more centrally within Mayfield Village so that it is accessible for all the residents in both Mayfield and Aylesbury.

“There has been no play park provision in Mayfield for a long number of years and our new plans for the area address that obvious shortcoming in play provision.

“The existing open space is hidden away on Mayfield Dale and doesn’t have any play equipment and for those reasons, it is not very usable for all the residents of the wider Mayfield and Aylesbury areas.

“As shown on our plans, the existing pitch is being retained in its current location and in fact, we are showing some enhancements to that area with a new path around the existing pitch and more formal pedestrian links to both Alderley Crescent and Mayfield Dale.

“As part of our comprehensive proposal, we are aiming to rebalance the open space provision right across the wider area with improvements being proposed to numerous other smaller areas of open space.

“We are also proposing to make improvements to the Mayfield High Street road alignment which will hopefully benefit the local residents and businesses.”

Michelle Weir

Local Democracy Reporter