NEWS

Housing Executive Staff and members of the Cloughmills Community Action Team, winners of the Cleaner and Greener Award sponsored by Northern Ireland Housing Council in the Housing Executive’s Rural Community Awards. Included are (back row, left to right) Noleen Connolly Housing Executive District Manager, Clare Lawlor, Arts Care, Jim Whitten, Cloughmills Community Action Team, Marie Semple and Eoin McKinney Housing Executive Rural Unit. (Front row, left to right), Freda McKni

How the new proposed buildings will look on North Street, Carrickfergus Planning permission has been granted by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for the construction of new apartments in Carrickfergus town centre on the site of a former pub. The approved proposal will see The Northgate bar and restaurant, at 59–63 North Street, demolished and replaced with an apartment block comprising 17 social housing units. The development includes four one-bedroom general-needs apartme

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons is pictured with Mark Graham, Chief Executive of Co-Ownership. More people and families across Northern Ireland could soon find it easier to step onto the property ladder after Communities Minister Gordon Lyons  announced an increase in the Co-Ownership property value limit. From 14 April 2026, the maximum value of a property that can be purchased through the Co-Ownership scheme will rise from £210,000 to £215,000, a move aimed at widening ac

A pioneering, youth-led programme giving Ballymena pupils real power over funding decisions has scooped a major all-Ireland award — and in doing so, showcased a new model of democracy in action. The Ballymena Schools Participatory Budgeting (PB) Programme was named winner of the Community Champions Award at the Chartered Institute of Housing All-Ireland Housing Awards in Belfast on Friday evening, recognising its transformative impact on young people and local communities. A

Pictured at Simon Community’s Ballymena temporary accommodation service are (left to right): Marianne McCaul, Senior Manager, Simon Community Ballymena; Colin Johnston, CEO, Galgorm Collection; and Harriett Roberts, Director of Growth & Management, Simon Community Northern Ireland. A long-standing partnership rooted in compassion and community impact has reached a powerful milestone, as Galgorm Collection celebrates 15 years of supporting people experiencing homelessness acro

Inset: Northern Ireland’s Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald Northern Ireland’s Economy Minister has moved to clarify what she describes as “misleading” claims about an £81 million support package aimed at helping households with electricity bills. Dr Caoimhe Archibald said inaccurate assertions about the funding risk confusing the public at a time when many families are already worried about rising energy costs. The funding, announced in the British Chancellor’s Autumn 20

Councillor Alan Barr Residents in Drumtara who have waited years for long-promised housing upgrades now face the prospect of further delays — or even cancellation — as mounting budget pressures threaten planned improvement schemes. Braid Ulster Unionist Councillor Alan Barr has raised alarm after being informed in recent days that renovation works in the area may not proceed as expected. The planned improvements include new kitchens and bathrooms for homes, but uncertainty ha

Households across Ballymena and more than 30 surrounding towns are set for another drop in their gas bills, as firmus energy Supply confirms a further double-digit tariff cut from April. The Newtownabbey-based supplier today (Thursday 5 March 2026) has announced it will reduce domestic tariffs for all customers in the Ten Towns Network area by 10.1% from 1 April 2026 — a move expected to save households an average of over £92 per year. It marks the third consecutive reductio

Channel 4's Location, Location, Location –a property show hosted by experts Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer Channel 4’s flagship property show Location, Location, Location is heading back to Northern Ireland — and this time, it’s the house hunters who are being called to step forward. The long-running primetime programme is casting for its 2026 series and is actively looking for individuals, couples and families across Northern Ireland who are ready to buy this May. For anyo

The location of a proposed HMO property on Galgorm Road, Ballymena A proposed change of use from a dwelling to a house in multiple occupation (HMO) at 46 Galgorm Road, Ballymena, has been refused. The application was turned down by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee at a meeting in The Braid, Ballymena, on Thursday, despite a recommendation to approve. A planning officer told the meeting the proposal involved the change of use of a five-bedroom, three-st

Northern Ireland’s homelessness system is under “extreme pressure”, trapped in a reactive cycle that is costing tens of millions each year while failing to deliver long-term solutions. That is the stark conclusion of a new report from the Northern Ireland Public Accounts Committee (PAC), published following an inquiry into the effectiveness and value for money of homelessness services. The Committee says spiralling spending on temporary accommodation — including a sharp rise

CGI of proposed new home at site of a former nuclear monitoring bunker in Kilrea Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has received plans for a new home and wine cellar at the site of a former nuclear monitoring bunker in Kilrea. The planning application proposes the renovation and extension of the redundant Royal Observer Corps (ROC) monitoring bunker at Blackrock Road in the village. According to the accompanying Design and Access Statement , the upper ground floor of th

The former Ruby’s Bar on Old Glenarm Road, Larne Planning permission has been approved by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for the demolition of a public house and the construction of new housing on Old Glenarm Road in Larne. The development proposal by applicant Harry Diamond of Ruby Homes (NI) Ltd relates to the site of Ruby’s Bar and includes a mix of social and private “market” housing. The scheme proposes 24 dwellings comprising 12 three-bedroom houses, eight one-bed

Elevations of proposed apartment complex Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s planning department is considering two separate housing proposals in the town centre area of Ballymena. A planning application has been lodged with the local authority for the construction of a four-storey apartment building to the rear of Broughshane Street. The application has been submitted by an agent on behalf of Galgorm Developments for four two-bedroom apartments, a communal hallway and amen

Millhouse Dale, Antrim The proposed change of use of a four-bedroom apartment to a house in multiple occupation (HMO) at 33 Millhouse Dale, Antrim, was approved by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Planning Committee at a recent meeting. Planning officer Ashleigh Wilson told the committee that 30 objections had been received, raising issues including insufficient parking and traffic concerns, potential noise and disturbance, negative impacts on the character of the ar

Pictured with tenant Doreen (second from left) is Alpha Housing Chief Executive Cameron Watt, Councillor Anna Henry of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council and North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston. The first tenants have moved into Alpha Housing’s £4.4 million residential development in Cullybackey, marking a significant milestone in the regeneration of the County Antrim village less than two years after construction began. Keys were officially handed over this week at the Main Str

Rising rents in Ballymena and across Northern Ireland are being fuelled by a chronic lack of housing supply, failures in waste water infrastructure and the use of taxpayer-funded accommodation for asylum seekers, North Antrim MLA Timothy Gaston has claimed. Speaking during an Assembly debate on housing affordability on Monday, January 19, Mr Gaston said pressures being felt acutely in Ballymena and surrounding areas were the result of structural failures that have been ignor

Robin Swann MP South Antrim MP Robin Swann has called on Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council to take a stronger and more ambitious lead in protecting the Common Swift, warning that continued habitat loss is contributing to a worrying decline in the species across Northern Ireland. The Common Swift, designated the borough’s official ‘Bird of the Borough’ in 2015, is a cavity-dwelling bird that depends on small gaps in older buildings for nesting. However, modern renovatio

The site of the approved housing development in Ballymena A planning application has been submitted seeking non-material amendments to a previously approved housing development at Crebilly Road in Ballymena. The proposal relates to a residential scheme that received planning approval from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in June 2021 for the redevelopment of a 1.3 acre site at 115 Crebilly Road, opposite the Ballykeel 2 estate. The approved development consists of 16 famil

Planning permission was refused for a change of use for a property at Waveney Road, Ballymena Planning permission for a proposed House of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) in Ballymena has been refused following a closely contested vote at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee. The decision was taken at a meeting of the committee held on Thursday 15 January 2025, where elected members voted five against , four in favour of the application, and two left the room , o