NEWS

County Hall, Ballymena A review of the environmental service that advises councils on major planning applications is being pursued by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council amid concerns over delays, accountability and confidence in Northern Ireland’s planning system. Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has welcomed the move to examine Shared Environmental Services (SES), which is based at County Hall in Ballymena and provides specialist environmental advice to councils as part of the

St Patrick’s Church, Ballymena Four hundred years to the day since King Charles I granted the Ballymena Estate to William Adair, people from across the town and wider borough are being invited to come together for a special Service of Thanksgiving marking the historic anniversary. The civic service will take place at St Patrick’s Church, Ballymena, on Tuesday 25 August at 7.30pm, forming part of this year’s Ballymena 400 celebrations. The anniversary provides a rare opportuni

Changing facilities at the local Broughshane Community Centre Mould, leaking water, inadequate toilets and concerns about water close to electrical installations have prompted a renewed demand for Mid and East Antrim Borough Council to take urgent action at Broughshane Playing Fields. UUP Councillor Alan Barr and TUV Councillor Chrissy Jamieson say local clubs, players and volunteers have endured “plainly substandard” changing facilities for long enough and now need a firm pl

Mrs Clover Bell is pictured with the century-old, beautifully framed portrait of the Dinsmore sisters, which she has generously donated to the council’s museum collection, in memory of her late husband Nelson. The Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, received the donation while former Ulster Museum curator of art, Mrs Anne Stewart, was delighted to see the painting once again – having last seen it as a child in the Dinsmore family home. A striking portrait p

Design drawings showing the planned new IFA National Football Training Centre in Ballymena The Irish FA says it remains “steadfast” in its plans to create a National Football Centre at Galgorm after two residents threatened legal action over how the development’s potential environmental impact has been assessed. Responding to a pre-action letter concerning the major six-pitch development, the association said the project represents a “once-in-a-generation investment” in footb

(Left – right) Dr Martin Lester (acoustics / noise expert), Ryan Colton (architect), Sarah Herbison (local resident and key figure in the Right Facility, Wrong Location campaign), Liam Vallely (legal expert), Una Somerville (planning consultant), John Herbison (local resident), Andrew Ryan (partner TLT solicitors). The group was pictured at a public meeting held by the campaign group on Thursday evening in Ballymena. The meeting provided an update on the work of the campaign

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon and Roy Smyth, Chairman of Ballymena BID get ready to promote a day of colour and fun in Ballymena. Ballymena will celebrate its 400th birthday with a day of family entertainment, storytelling, music and community events before fireworks light up the sky over the town on Tuesday 25 August. The programme will mark 400 years since the signing of Ballymena’s Charter in 1626, with celebrations running from the morning through t

The Five Apples Project in People’s Park, Ballymena North Antrim MLA Jon Burrows has called for park wardens to be equipped with body-worn cameras after the latest vandalism at Ballymena’s People’s Park, where public art features were damaged and a fixed litter bin was set on fire. Both Burrows and the local policing team have also called for parents to step up and take responsibility. The latest incident comes little more than a month after a council park warden was threaten

CGI artist’s impression of the proposed new i4C CleanTech Centre in Ballymena People in Ballymena will get their first opportunity this week to examine plans for a new four-storey Innovation and CleanTech Centre proposed for the former St Patrick’s Barracks site. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is beginning a statutory public consultation on its proposed i4C development, with an in-person event taking place at the ECOS Hub on Wednesday, 12 August. The project would create

A public consultation on proposals for two new dog exercise areas in Mid and East Antrim has been approved by councillors. The sites identified by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council are at Wilson Crescent in Ballymena and Eden Playing Fields outside Carrickfergus, with the proposals intended to provide secure areas where dogs can exercise off-lead. However, councillors have raised questions over the locations, parking, potential equipment and safety, while one Ballymena repr

Some services provided by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council could face disruption later this year after local government staff rejected a 3.3% pay offer, councillors have been told. Members of the council’s Corporate Resources Policy and Governance Committee received an update on the 2026/27 pay award negotiations at a meeting in The Braid, Ballymena, on Monday evening. The report covered pay negotiations for council chief executives, chief officers (directors) and staff em

Waiting on the chinook for extraction… Alan Barr serving with the Intelligence Corps in Afghanistan Tuesday, 4 August 2026 Military veterans, armed forces personnel, and frontline emergency service workers across Mid and East Antrim will now be able to access discounted memberships at the borough’s leisure centres under a new council scheme aimed at recognising their service. Eligible veterans as well as those currently serving, PSNI officers and staff, Northern Ireland Fire

Site for proposed apartments complex on Springwell Street, Ballymena Plans for a nine-apartment development at Fountain Place in Ballymena have been refused by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council over concerns about privacy, overlooking and the quality of accommodation for future residents. The application sought permission to demolish an existing dwelling and outbuildings at 23 Fountain Place and replace them with a development of nine apartments. Access to the site would ha

Pictured at the new pop-up park on Main Street in Larne are (l-r) Ald. Thomas Gordon, Mayor of Mid & East Antrim Borough Council; Eamon McMullan, Capital Regeneration Manager, MEABC; Ryan Black, Director of Growth & Major Projects, MEABC; Communities Minister Gordon Lyons MLA; Gail Kelly, Town Centre Development Manager, MEABC A previously derelict site in Larne has been transformed into a new pop-up park as part of a wider £367,750 regeneration programme aimed at improving t

A total of 260 new homes were completed across Mid and East Antrim during the financial year from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, according to a new council report. Presented to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee at The Braid in Ballymena on Thursday, the Housing Land Availability Report shows Ballymena accounted for 41 per cent of all new homes completed during the year, ahead of Carrickfergus (13 per cent) and Larne (almost 12 per cent). The report also

Preparations are continuing to get the premises in Ballymena town centre ready for the new coffee shop and amusement arcade. Planning permission has been approved by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council for the change of use of a retail unit into a coffee shop and amusement arcade in Ballymena town centre. The proposal relates to a vacant retail premises at 41–43 Church Street, which planning documents say has stood empty for several years after accommodating a number of diffe

CGI showing elevations of approved plans to create 19 town centre apartments at a historic former bank building in Ballymena. Planning permission has been granted to transform a historic former bank building in Ballymena town centre into 19 apartments. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved the application at a meeting in The Braid on Thursday morning. The proposal will see the partial demolition of the building at 97 Mill Street, alongside its ada

Electrical recycling point at one of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s Household Recycling Centres (HRC) Residents across Mid and East Antrim are being urged to take extra care when disposing of batteries, vapes and electrical items after a series of potentially dangerous fire incidents at the borough’s Household Recycling Centres. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council says several recent near-misses have been caused by items being placed in the wrong recycling containers,

Inset: Alliance councillor for Braid, Chelsea Harwood Mid and East Antrim Borough Council has committed to providing all elected members with training on violence against women and girls (VAWG), including the harmful effects of victim blaming, after Alliance councillor Chelsea Harwood raised the issue at Monday night’s council meeting (27 July) following recent remarks by DUP councillor Reuben Glover. The confirmation came in response to a question submitted by Councillor Har

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Thomas Gordon, is pictured alongside Ross Oliver of Galgorm Castle Golf Club ahead of the NI Legends event coming to the borough from the 2 to 6 September 2026. Northern Ireland’s biggest names in senior professional golf will return to Galgorm this September as the NI Legends tournament brings Major champions, Ryder Cup stars and international players back to Mid and East Antrim. The tournament, part of the Staysure Legends Tour, takes