‘Cosmetic improvements’ planned for Dunluce Street amid wider Larne town centre renewal

Dunluce Street, Larne

Mid and East Antrim councillors have been told of planned “cosmetic improvements” for Dunluce Street in Larne.

A report presented to a recent meeting of the borough council’s Environment and Economy Committee said the scheme will include the cleaning and painting of property façades and gable walls, treatment of downpipes and guttering, and the replacement of hoarding at a derelict gap site.

Dunluce Street, a key town centre thoroughfare, was previously closed to traffic for 18 months as a safety precaution due to the condition of a derelict building.

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council took legal action in relation to the premises, resulting in a court order being served on the property owner to undertake repairs before a council contractor carried out the work.

According to an audit carried out by the council last year, a quarter of properties in Larne town centre are vacant. Of these, 12 buildings are either derelict or deemed unfit for occupation, with Dunluce Street and Point Street the worst affected.

At the committee meeting, councillors were also reminded of plans to create a temporary ‘pop-up park’ in Larne town centre, between Main Street and Point Street.

In October, the council held a public consultation event to seek community views on proposed designs. Further engagement has also taken place with the voluntary group Larne Renovation Generation and representatives from Jubilee Farm, a community farm and social enterprise.

Speaking at the consultation event, Andy King, of Larne Renovation Generation, said:

“We have been praying for this for years. We would be 100 per cent supportive. It has been an eyesore for a long time.”

The council has secured £154,000 in funding from the Department for Communities (DfC), which represents almost 90 per cent of the total cost of the project.

The local authority plans to create a temporary community space on the derelict site of the former Cellars pub, with a landscape architecture team appointed to design the facility.

Eamon McMullan, the council’s capital regeneration manager, previously explained:

“It is an opportunity to do something on a short-term basis that opens up the space and makes it more attractive for the people in the town, businesses and people coming to shop.”

He indicated that the development would be in place for between two and four years.

Meanwhile, a proposed Dilapidation Bill would give local authorities in Northern Ireland new powers to address dilapidated, dangerous or neglected buildings and sites. It would allow councils to carry out work themselves and recover costs where owners fail to act.

Under the legislation, councils would be able to issue a range of enforcement notices, from maintenance notices for minor neglect to dilapidation notices requiring a person with an interest in a premises to demolish all or part of a building within a specified period, or to carry out remedial work within a set timeframe.