Looking back... Whitehouse residents oppose shopping centre plan

And residents were preparing to voice opposition in a letter of protest being forwarded to Newtownabbey Town Hall.

A report in the East Antrim Times stated that residents were exploring the possibility of legal action if their protests were unsuccessful in halting the development.

The local community objected to the building of a new shopping centre on a proposed site between Mill Road and Merville Garden Village.

It was claimed that this would involve the demolition of more than 100 homes.

Residents also objected to the close proximity of the development to the city boundary, located a quarter-of-a-mile from the site, fearing a significant increase in traffic.