NEWS

CGI of Church Street, Ballymena showing a preliminary design of a new apartment complex, including ground floor retail space. (Image: ©Love Ballymena) Tuesday 03 November 2026 A major regeneration scheme in the heart of Ballymena has taken its next significant step, with a full planning application now lodged for 74 new homes, retained shops and a community hub at Church Street and Meeting House Lane. The application for Meeting House Mews follows the public consultation high

Proposed site of new concept Lidl store in Ballymena with inset CGI of store entrance. Friday 30 October 2026 Lidl has revealed it has spent more than a decade searching for a second supermarket site in Ballymena, as fresh planning evidence outlines an £8 million investment, 50 permanent jobs and the retailer's intention to keep its existing store open. The discount supermarket chain says its current Ballymena branch, which opened in 2002, is now the third smallest of its 44

CGI showing the newly approved hotel in Cushendall Thursday 29 October 2026 A landmark Cushendall hotel that has stood empty for around eight years could finally welcome guests again after councillors approved ambitious plans to transform it into a 38-bedroom destination with a restaurant, bar, function room and gym. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved the major redevelopment of the former Glens Hotel on Coast Road on Wednesday evening, 28 O

CGI of the approved new Home Bargains store in Antrim Friday 23 October 2026 Plans for a new £8 million Home Bargains store in Antrim have been approved by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Planning Committee, paving the way for a major retail investment expected to create 95 jobs and regenerate the former Townparks Car Sales site. The development, located at the junction of Ballymena Road and Springfarm Industrial Estate, will see the existing site transformed into a

Wednesday 21 October 2026 Plans for a new petrol filling station and retail outlet on Ballycraigy Road in Antrim have been unanimously approved by councillors, with a condition requiring a zebra crossing following concerns over pedestrian safety. Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Planning Committee granted reserved matters approval at its meeting in Mossley Mill on Monday evening (19 October). The development, proposed by Solo Direct Ltd, will include a petrol filling

Sunday 18 October 2026 Plans to open a new ice cream parlour within the historic Clotworthy House at Antrim Castle Gardens have been unanimously approved by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Planning Committee. The proposal will see the building’s existing shop, reception and garden exhibition area converted into an ice cream parlour with an indoor seating area, offering visitors another place to enjoy refreshments at one of the borough’s major tourist attractions. Co

The Garron Plateau overlooking the Antrim coast Saturday 17 October 2026 Plans for a major wind farm in the Antrim Glens have come under renewed scrutiny after Mid and East Antrim Borough Council maintained its concerns over the development’s potential impact on one of Northern Ireland’s most distinctive landscapes. The proposed Unshinagh Wind Farm, located approximately five miles south-west of Carnlough and five miles west of Glenarm, has been scaled back from 14 turbines t

Dr Emily Wray, a Planning Assistant with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council Friday 16 October 2026 A Coleraine planning professional is celebrating national recognition after being named among the UK finalists for a prestigious award honouring the next generation of talent in the planning profession. Dr Emily Wray, a Planning Assistant with Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, has been shortlisted for the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Young Planner of the Ye

The applications seek permission for modern phone kiosks offering free non-international calls, an interactive map and a defibrillator at locations in Coleraine, Portrush, Ballymoney and Limavady. Saturday 03 October 2026 New planning applications could see modern public phone kiosks introduced at 12 locations across Causeway Coast and Glens. Applicant New World Payphones has submitted proposals for “new communications kiosks” offering free calls, an interactive map and a def

Thursday 01 October 2026 Pilgrim’s Europe says around £155 million of potential investment in Northern Ireland farms is being held back by planning delays, warning that future growth and jobs could depend on speeding up decisions needed to expand poultry capacity. The warning comes as the food giant, which incorporates Moy Park, reported increased revenue and operating profit for 2025 and highlighted the scale of its Northern Ireland operations, including four food plants and

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

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

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 showing the newly approved Warehouse set to bring investment and jobs in County Antrim with the arrival of James Latham Timber PLC Tuesday 22 September 2026 A new £10 million warehouse and distribution facility has been approved for County Antrim, with the investment expected to create around 10 jobs and contribute an estimated £2.76 million a year to the local economy. The development at Houston’s Corner, Newtownabbey, will become a new facility for James Latham Timber P

Sunday 20 September 2026 Plans have been lodged for a new recreational fishing pond near Ballymoney which would be open to the general public and work with local groups and charities to provide access to what developers describe as a “calming outdoor hobby”. The proposal is for land approximately 250 metres south-west of 63 Glenstall Road, outside Ballymoney, and also includes an ancillary toilet and storage building. Planning documents say the facility would be fully accessi

CGI design drawing showing aerial view of the proposed IFA National Football Centre outside Ballymena Tuesday 15 September 2026 A campaign opposing the proposed location of the Irish FA’s National Football Centre in Galgorm has challenged North Antrim MP Jim Allister to subject the project to the same level of scrutiny he applied to Casement Park — prompting the MP to insist he will not be “pressurised or bullied” into adopting objectors’ position. The intervention from the R

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

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

The new soon-to-open arcade and coffee shop in Ballymena town centre A new coffee shop and amusement arcade planned for Ballymena town centre could operate around the clock under an application submitted to Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. The premises at 41–43 Church Street already have planning permission to change from a vacant retail unit into a coffee shop and amusement arcade. The approved operating hours are 9am to 9pm from Monday to Saturday and 11am to 9pm on Sun