Larne: Department responds to concerns about future of Kilwaughter depot

Larne DUP representatives Sammy Wilson MP, Gordon Lyons MLA, Cllr Gregg McKeen, Ald Paul Reid, Cllr Angela Smyth and Cllr Andrew Clarke had raised concerns on October 25 about the removal of services from Kilwaughter, arguing that the east Antrim site should remain ‘fully functional’.

The elected members were commenting after it was announced that winter gritting services would be moved from Kilwaughter to the Rathmore depot in Antrim.

In a joint statement, the DUP representatives explained: "We remain deeply concerned about the impact this removal of services could have on emergency response times should a road closure be required due to, for example, a fallen tree or an oil spill. Will this inconvenience motorists and take up valuable police resources more than should be necessary?

“We’ve sought assurances that the Minister and his Department are not seeking to permanently close Kilwaughter depot by stealth, by removing services one by one. This is a vital asset for Larne and the wider east Antrim area and should remain fully functional.”

The Department for Infrastructure has moved to allay concerns, stating that there are “currently no long-term plans for the closure of the Kilwaughter depot”.

Responding to this newspaper on October 28, a Departmental spokesperson said: “The consolidation of winter service operatives within the Rathmore Depot is due to staff shortages in this area and the decision was made as a temporary measure to ensure that service delivery is appropriately maintained throughout Mid and East Antrim whilst our competition to recruit more staff is completed. There are currently no long-term plans for the closure of the Kilwaughter depot.

“The Department is continuing to monitor the staffing situation and can confirm that the relocation of staff to neighbouring depots remains a temporary measure. The Department remains committed to delivering road maintenance functions within the Larne area.

"Due to staff shortages at the Kilwaughter depot the Department took the decision to temporarily stop using it as an operating base during the working day in 2022 and routine road maintenance functions moved to the Ballykeel depot. Kilwaughter continues to be a base for delivery of out of hours incident response.”