How a former quarry could become a new Eco Village on the Antrim coast

Plans for a new lakeside Eco Village near Portrush are offering a detailed look at a holiday development designed to sit naturally within a former quarry landscape while delivering sustainable accommodation and local jobs.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has now received a full planning application from White Rock Eco Parks for a 45-unit Eco Village on a 4.72-hectare site at a disused quarry close to Ballybogey Road.

The proposal includes self-contained holiday lodges alongside car parking, communal recreation space, a site office, maintenance shed and yard, extensive landscaping and a newly designed access onto Ballybogy Road.

Design centred on landscape and lake

Site location off the Ballybogy Road, near Dunluce Road on the Antrim coast

Eco Village site plan off the Ballybogy Road, near Dunluce Road on the Antrim coast

According to an accompanying Design and Access Statement by agents TSA Planning, the development has been carefully planned to make the natural landscape the defining feature of the scheme, rather than something to be worked around.

The statement explains that the redevelopment will create a unique holiday park, “utilising the natural landscape features as a central part of the design”.

At the heart of the Eco Village is a large central lake, formed within the former quarry, around which the holiday lodges would be arranged. The layout has been designed to follow the site’s existing landform and quarry faces, allowing the buildings to nestle into the landscape rather than dominate it.

Developers say the proposal takes advantage of the site’s topography, ensuring the Eco Village is visually discreet, particularly when viewed from surrounding roads and neighbouring properties.

Timber lodges with sustainability at the forefront

The holiday units themselves are described as modern, timber-framed lodges, with sustainability a key consideration throughout the design process.

The Design and Access Statement notes:

“Focused around a large central lake the holiday units have been designed with sustainability at the forefront, taking advantage of the existing site topography.”

White Rock Eco Parks says all elements of the lodges are designed to reduce carbon impact where possible, offering guests modern, sustainable living options in a rural North Coast setting.

The consultation report adds that finishes and materials have been selected to be sensitive to the surrounding environment, helping the development blend into the quarry landscape and maintain the area’s rural character.

Native planting is proposed throughout the site to soften views, enhance biodiversity and reinforce the natural feel of the Eco Village.

Bespoke cabins and on-site facilities

The scheme would provide visitors with a self-contained holiday experience, supported by shared facilities across the site. Plans include:

• 45 self-contained timber holiday lodges

• On-site car parking

• A communal recreation space

• Site office

• Maintenance shed and yard

• Extensive landscaping and native planting

White Rock Eco Parks, founded in 2019, says it has been designing and building luxury hand-crafted log cabins, with each customer given the opportunity to help design and create their own timber-framed cabin, allowing for “their individual and unique interior tastes.”

Access to the Eco Village would be taken from Ballybogey Road via a redesigned entrance created through the stopping-up of an existing access serving Hampton Conservatories, ensuring suitability for the protected route.

Jobs boost and local economic impact

In addition to expanding the North Coast’s tourism offering, the developers say the project would deliver economic benefits locally.

TSA Planning states the construction phase would create around 20 local construction jobs, supported over a period of three to five years, along with five full-time and part-time jobs once the Eco Village is operational.

Community consultation response

Ahead of submitting the planning application, White Rock Eco Parks carried out a statutory Pre-Application Community Consultation, including a public drop-in event and an online consultation platform.

While engagement levels were limited, the single formal response received — from a neighbouring resident — was strongly supportive of the proposals.

During the consultation White Rock Eco Parks described the proposal, set just less than 800m from White Rocks Beach, saying:

“Our bespoke timber framed cabins will offer a warm and exclusive lifestyle, sensitively positioned to soak up the breathtaking surroundings of this excellent location.

“Each client will be offered the opportunity to experience many off grid living solutions, aimed at reducing our ecological footprint and maximising the experience of our unique natural environment. Each client will have the opportunity to help design and create their own timber framed cabin allowing for their individual and unique interior tastes.

“Our Eco Park will offer its own exclusive beach club with associated activities along with a members only gymnasium and short nature walks.”

What happens next

The application will now be assessed by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council’s planning department.

If approved, the Eco Village would deliver a low-impact, design-led holiday park, combining timber architecture, lakeside views and landscaped quarry features, while supporting jobs and sustainable tourism on the North Coast.