£8,000 barrier proposed for Carnlough Harbour car park to combat anti-social behaviour

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 already in the car park would still be able to leave after 10pm.

Overnight access restrictions proposed

The council’s Environment and Economy Committee was told at a recent meeting that the local authority wanted to reintroduce enforcement of the car park’s 10pm closure.

A committee report said:

“To improve the management and security of the car park and address frequent reports of anti-social behaviour, council is proposing the re-introduction of the enforcement of closure at 10pm.”

The committee was told the council did not have the resources to close the car park manually at that time. An automated barrier would restrict entry from 10pm and reopen at 7am the following morning.

More coach bays could mean fewer car spaces

The committee also heard of a “significant increase” in coach arrivals in Carnlough, creating greater demand for parking and reportedly causing congestion within the car park. Safety concerns were also raised.

Officers proposed increasing the number of coach parking bays from one to four. However, this could reduce the number of car parking spaces from 30 to 19, with the proposed total including two disabled parking bays and two bays for electric cars.

The proposal prompted debate about the number of spaces and whether a coach drop-off and pick-up area could be considered.

According to the committee report, the proposed layout was designed in consultation with the Department for Infrastructure’s Roads service and the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland. It will also form part of the public consultation.

Councillor questions parking proposal

In a statement after the meeting, Larne Lough DUP Councillor Gregg McKeen expressed concern about the proposed parking changes.

“I believe it won’t work. This proposal will cause even more difficulties with parking and traffic flow in the area. I do understand the need to do something but I don’t think this will work.”

The committee’s decision allows the proposals to go to public consultation; it does not constitute final approval to install the barrier or change the parking layout.

Barriers elsewhere in the borough

In June, the committee approved the installation of automatic barriers at Church Street Car Park Three in Ballymena, allowing the facility to close at 8pm and reopen at 7am.

That decision followed complaints from neighbours about “erratic driving and noise disturbance at a meeting place for groups of drivers”, which continued “throughout the night” despite CCTV cameras and signage.

In October 2025, councillors decided against introducing additional car park barriers along the Antrim Coast.

According to the report, barriers are installed in 10 of the council’s 62 car parks, including eight of the 13 between Larne and Garron Point.