Plans submitted for new coffee shop and amusement arcade in Ballymena

The vacant premises on Church Street in Ballymena town centre

Plans have been lodged with Mid and East Antrim Borough Council that could see a vacant retail unit on Church Street, Ballymena, transformed into a combined coffee shop and amusement arcade.

The application, submitted by Broad Enterprises Ltd of Belmont Crescent, Londonderry, seeks permission for a change of use at 41–43 Church Street from its current retail designation to a mixed café and entertainment venue.

According to the accompanying Planning Statement, the premises have hosted “numerous retail activities in recent times”, but have remained empty “for a few years” and are now in need of improvement.

The applicant argues that large retail units in town centres are “becoming increasingly less attractive to retailers due to rent and rate demands”, prompting a shift towards alternative uses that can sustain town centre footfall.

It adds that the proposed combination of coffee shop and amusement arcade has “been proven to complement each other in similar developments”.

Mixed-Use Venue for Town Centre Revitalisation

Proposed floor plan

Plans show a small coffee shop at the front of the building, with the rear section dedicated to a games area. The entertainment offering would include video, fruit and poker machines, alongside three full-size snooker tables.

The Planning Statement states that an “overall approach to both coffee shop and entertainment lends itself to town centre locations”, suggesting that the development could contribute to the wider regeneration of Ballymena’s retail core.

Policy Compliance Highlighted

The proposal has been assessed against the Mid and East Antrim Local Development Plan, specifically Policy 7.2: Retailing and Town Centres. The plan outlines several aims, including:

• Protecting and sustaining the vitality and viability of established town centres;

• Promoting town centres as the first-choice location for retail and other main town centre uses;

• Minimising the impacts of out-of-centre retail activity;

• Protecting and enhancing diversity in town centre uses.

The Planning Statement concludes that the new coffee shop and amusement arcade is “fully compliant with the policy aims”, describing it as an “other” main town centre use that would “enhance the diversity of the town centre by meeting the needs of the local community”.

If approved, the development would introduce a new leisure-led business to one of Ballymena’s busiest commercial streets, bringing a long-vacant property back into use.