NEWS

Wednesday 7 October 2026 The roll-out of blue recycling bins across Ballymena, Carrickfergus and surrounding areas is scheduled to be completed by 31 July 2027, a Mid and East Antrim Borough Council committee report has revealed. A Performance Improvement Plan presented to a recent meeting of the council’s Corporate Resources Policy and Governance Committee at The Braid in Ballymena sets out the timetable for the change. Blue bins ready to roll Councillors were told the mixed

Councillor Aaron Skinner, Chairman of the Mid and East Antrim Disability Lived Experience Group is pictured with the volunteer members and council officers at the inaugural meeting of the group. Sunday 04 October 2026 Twelve residents with lived experience of disability are to help shape how Mid and East Antrim Borough Council designs its services, facilities, policies and projects. A direct voice in Council decisions The new Disability Lived Experience Group (DLEG) held its

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council received two complaints in relation to the opening of a wrong burial plot at one of its cemeteries, a report to councillors has revealed. The council’s Complaints, Comments and Compliments report for quarter one, covering 1 April to 30 June 2026, was presented at a recent meeting of the Corporate Resources, Policy and Governance Committee at The Braid in Ballymena. Overall, the council received 99 complaints during the quarter, compared wit

Sunday 04 October 2026 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council recorded 2,424 days lost to staff sickness in the final four months of 2025/26, although average absence fell below its target and improved on the previous year. Councillors were told that 155 employees were absent between 1 December 2025 and 31 March 2026, with mental health-related absence accounting for the largest number of days lost. The figures were presented to the council’s Corporate Resources, Policy and Gove

Carnlough Harbour car park Thursday 01 October 2026 A proposed £8,000 automated barrier at Carnlough Harbour car park would prevent vehicles entering between 10pm and 7am following residents’ complaints about “late night anti-social behaviour”. Mid and East Antrim councillors have approved a public consultation on the proposal, alongside a potential redesign that would increase coach parking but reduce the number of car parking spaces. Under the barrier proposal, vehicles alr

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon is pictured at the launch of the Connexus project funded by PEACEPLUS with Gobhnait Swift, Libraries Development and Community Policy at Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht; Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive at SEUPB; Karalynn McCutcheon, Head of Investment Branch at Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Ryan Black, Director of Growth & Major Projects at Mid & East Antrim Borough Council.

The former Halifax bank building on Main Street, Larne at the centre of a proposal for a new coffee shop and galateria. Wednesday 30 September 2026 Plans have been submitted to turn Larne’s former Halifax bank into a coffee shop and gelateria. An agent acting on behalf of Assemble Brunch Company has applied to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for a change of use at 33 Main Street. The proposal would bring the vacant premises back into use as a coffee shop and ice cream bus

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, helps launch the new Go Succeed AI Advantage Programme at the Ecos Hub in Ballymena Tuesday 29 September 2026 Small businesses across Mid and East Antrim are being offered practical help to use artificial intelligence in everyday work, from handling customer enquiries and processing documents to marketing and planning. The new AI Advantage Programme will combine five specialist workshops with tailored one-to-one mentoring,

Waveney Road, Ballymena Monday 28 September 2026 A refusal by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to grant planning permission for a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) at 49 Waveney Road, Ballymena, has been overturned by the Planning Appeals Commission. The proposal, involving a change of use from a four-bedroom dwelling to a five-bedroom, five-person HMO, was turned down by the council’s Planning Committee in January. There were 40 objections to the proposal, raising concer

Site for Lidl’s proposed new concept store in Ballymena Thursday 24 September 2026 Plans for one of Northern Ireland’s largest Lidl stores have come under fresh scrutiny after independent retail experts said they are not yet satisfied that the need for the major Ballymena development has been demonstrated — or that it would avoid significant adverse impacts on the town centre. The findings are contained in a detailed independent Retail Audit commissioned by Mid and East Antri

Wednesday 23 September 2026 Residents across Mid and East Antrim can now check their bin collection information and report a missed collection through a streamlined online service launched by the borough council. The new waste and recycling dashboard is intended to give households quicker access to everyday collection information, including real-time updates when services change. Check collections and report missed bins Residents can use the dashboard from home to check their

CGI giving an impression of what the new CRS Ballymena base could look like when constructed. Image: © Love Ballymena 2026 Tuesday 22 September 2026 Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is considering a planning application for a new purpose-built training centre and station in Ballymena for the Community Rescue Service (CRS). The proposal would see a single-storey building constructed at Kernohan’s Lane, around 70 metres from the Ecos Centre, together with 28 car parking spac

CGI design drawing for the proposed new i4C CleanTech Centre at St Patrick’s Link, in Ballymena. Tuesday 22 September 2026 Mid and East Antrim ratepayers face the continuing financial impact of an operating deficit at Ballymena’s proposed £27.3 million i4C Innovation and CleanTech Centre — but Council has refused to disclose how large it expects that deficit to be. The local authority has confirmed it will meet the operating deficit and that the commitment has already been in

Monday 21 September 2026 Dogs – with the exception of assistance dogs – look set to be banned from Mid and East Antrim Borough Council buildings under a new policy approved by councillors. The council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee, which met at The Braid in Ballymena last week, agreed the policy following an increase in people bringing animals onto council premises and requests involving dogs, birds and reptiles. The policy must still be ratified by the full coun

Sunday 20 September 2026 More than £148,000 has been awarded to eight projects working across Mid and East Antrim to help prevent violence against women and girls, with initiatives involving young people, families, schools, sport and community organisations. The latest round of the Local Change Fund will support grassroots work aimed at challenging harmful attitudes and behaviours, promoting healthy relationships and addressing some of the root causes of gender-based violence

Seven Towers Leisure Centre in Ballymena Wednesday 16 September 2026 Mid and East Antrim councillors have backed plans to restore bank holiday opening at the borough’s three main leisure centres, giving members access to facilities in Ballymena, Larne and Carrickfergus on public holidays. The council’s Neighbourhoods and Communities Committee, meeting at The Braid in Ballymena on Tuesday evening, approved the move, which would see the centres open from 8am until 4pm on bank h

CGI design drawing of the proposed new Ballymena Health, Leisure and Wellbeing Centre Consultancy and related expenditure disclosed across four major Mid and East Antrim Borough Council projects had reached more than £3.55 million by the end of June — including almost £1.14 million across two Ballymena projects. The figures have prompted Ulster Unionist Party Braid Councillor Alan Barr to press the council over whether delays, changes or contract extensions could result in fu

CGI image of how the new development could transform the streetscape in Ballymena town centre. Final design drawings with a full planning permission application have not yet been submitted. Image: © Love Ballymena 2026 Plans for a major redevelopment in the heart of Ballymena have been unveiled, proposing 79 new apartments alongside refurbished Church Street shops, a community hub and a landscaped pedestrian route through the town centre. The emerging “Meeting House Mews” sch

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Tom Gordon The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Tom Gordon, has led tributes to four respected figures with connections to communities across the borough who died recently. Speaking at a meeting of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council at The Braid in Ballymena earlier this week, the mayor paid tribute to Janetta Scott, Joe Carmichael, Liam Kelly and award-winning Ballymena journalist and author Stephen Walker. Ald Gordon offered con

CGI showing an impression of the new building Planning permission has been granted for the proposed partial redevelopment of St Louis Grammar School on Cullybackey Road, Ballymena. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved proposals including a new school meals block, improved outdoor areas and a reconfiguration of the front of the site aimed at improving traffic flow and reducing congestion on Cullybackey Road. New school meals block and play area The