Social housing planned as major 74-home Ballymena town centre scheme moves forward
CGI of proposed town centre housing development in Meeting House Lane, Ballymena
Friday 06 November 2026
A major Ballymena town centre regeneration scheme has moved to full planning, with new documents revealing plans for social housing as 858 local households remain in housing stress.
The Housing Executive says Ark Housing Association intends to progress social housing within the proposed 74-home Meeting House Mews development at Church Street and Meeting House Lane, where it had previously supported 50 social housing apartments.
However, 50 social homes are not confirmed as part of the current scheme. The final number and mix remain under discussion, while the Housing Executive says design and layout changes mean the social housing mix it originally supported can no longer be achieved.
The development has now taken the significant next step following the public consultation highlighted by Love Ballymena in September, moving from an emerging 79-home proposal into a full planning application before Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.
From consultation to full planning application
The application proposes 74 residential units alongside retained shops, a community hub, amenity space, landscaping and cycle storage at Church Street.
Existing retail Units 2–6 would be retained, while Unit 1 would change use to become a community hub. Existing storage buildings would be demolished, with new residential accommodation constructed above the retained premises and a separate residential block also developed.
CGI of proposed town centre housing development in Church Street, Ballymena
It represents the next formal stage for a project which has changed substantially during its development. An initial Proposal of Application Notice received by the council on 10 July referred to around 91 residential units, before the detailed public consultation subsequently presented plans for 79 homes.
Following that consultation, the scheme submitted for full planning permission now contains 74 homes — five fewer than the version presented to the public and around 17 fewer than envisaged at the initial PAN stage.
858 Ballymena households in housing stress
The Housing Executive’s consultation response to the full application provides important new context about the scale of housing need locally.
It says the development falls within the Ballymena Town Housing Need area, where there is an unmet need for 394 social housing units during the 2025–2030 period. At June 2026, Ballymena Town had 1,078 applicants on its housing waiting list, of whom 858 were deemed to be in housing stress.
The waiting list comprised 125 elderly applicants, 401 families and 552 single applicants. Among those considered to be in housing stress were 78 elderly applicants, 320 families and 460 single applicants.
More than half of all households in housing stress were therefore single applicants, adding significance to the Housing Executive’s emphasis on the need for smaller accommodation in Ballymena.
Ark involved in social housing plans
CHI views across Meeting House Lane to the proposed Meeting House Mews development in Ballymena town centre
The Housing Executive confirms that Ark Housing Association intends to progress social housing within the Meeting House Mews development.
It had officially supported 50 social housing apartments at the location in January 2026, saying that support remains valid and was based on identified social housing need and the requirements of households in housing stress, particularly those seeking smaller accommodation.
At that stage, the indicative 50-home social housing mix comprised 13 two-person, one-bedroom apartments, including one wheelchair unit, and 37 three-person, two-bedroom apartments, including four wheelchair units.
But that precise mix can no longer be achieved within the development now before planners.
Design changes affect previously supported housing mix
The Housing Executive says “further design and layout changes” since its earlier assessment and associated consultations mean the current planning application contains a total of nine two-person, one-bedroom apartments.
As a result, the previously supported social housing mix of 13 one-bedroom and 37 two-bedroom apartments cannot now be accommodated in its original form.
The Housing Executive says the social housing mix should continue to comprise one and two-bedroom apartments and has provided Ark Housing Association with further advice on housing need.
While the Housing Executive confirms that further design and layout changes have been made, its consultation response does not specifically explain why the overall development has reduced from the 79 homes presented during public consultation to the 74 now seeking planning permission.
At least 15 affordable homes required by policy
The Housing Executive has also highlighted the council’s Affordable Housing in Settlements policy, HOU5, which it says applies to the development.
Under that policy, a minimum affordable housing provision of 20% is required, equivalent to 15 homes within the 74-unit scheme.
According to the Housing Executive response, the applicant’s Planning Statement says discussions are currently progressing to agree the delivery of appropriate affordable housing to address the live need in Ballymena town centre, with provision to be made in accordance with Policy HOU5.
That does not mean only 15 homes will necessarily be provided as affordable housing. While 15 represents the policy minimum identified by the Housing Executive, it previously supported 50 social apartments at the location and says Ark intends to progress social housing within the development. The final provision has not yet been established.
Housing details still to be agreed
The Housing Executive recommends continued discussions between the applicant and Ark Housing Association covering the social housing provision, including its mix, layout, design, finance, delivery and timing.
Once the social housing mix has been agreed, it wants a new site layout and floor plans submitted showing where the social homes would be located, together with a breakdown of house types and tenure and a schedule of accommodation.
It has also asked to be consulted on any new plans and says all newly constructed homes for social rent must comply with Department for Communities Housing Association Guide design standards.
The response means an important part of the development remains unresolved even as the overall 74-home proposal proceeds through the formal planning system.
Plans have evolved from 91 to 79 and now 74 homes
A Proposal of Application Notice, commonly known as a PAN, was received by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council on 10 July, beginning the formal pre-application process for the major development.
A PAN is required for certain major developments before a full planning application can be submitted. It sets out the proposed development and arrangements for consulting the community, giving residents and other stakeholders an opportunity to consider and comment on emerging plans before they are finalised. It is not a planning application or an approval of the development itself.
The initial PAN referred to around 91 residential units. Council planning officers subsequently determined the PAN to be acceptable, allowing the pre-application community consultation process to progress.
That was followed by the September public consultation reported by Love Ballymena, when a more developed proposal for 79 apartments was presented to the public. Following that consultation, the applicant has now taken the next step and submitted the 74-home scheme for full planning permission.
Regeneration plans retain shops and community hub
Aerial view showing access points to the proposed Meeting House Mews development in Ballymena
CGI showing massing of proposed new housing development in Ballymena town centre against current streetscapes
Meeting House Mews is intended to redevelop a vacant former foodstore, storage and service areas and other underused land while retaining commercial premises along Church Street.
During September’s consultation, the project included approximately 260sqm of retained and refurbished commercial floorspace, a dedicated 75sqm community hub and a landscaped mews designed to improve the pedestrian connection between Church Street and Meeting House Lane.
The formal application retains the mixed-use nature of the project, with retail Units 2–6 remaining and Unit 1 proposed for community-hub use. Associated amenity space, hard and soft landscaping and cycle storage are also included in the submitted development description.
The scheme also sits close to important elements of Ballymena’s built heritage, including First Ballymena Presbyterian Church and St Patrick’s Tower, placing the scale, massing and design of the new buildings among the considerations facing planners.
Parking and transport remain key considerations
Parking was one of the notable features of the earlier consultation proposals, which were presented as a “zero-parking solution” apart from two disabled parking bays.
The project team previously pointed to the site’s central location, public transport links and surrounding parking provision, while proposing measures intended to encourage more sustainable travel.
Transport and parking will now be assessed through the formal planning process alongside other matters including drainage, flood risk, archaeology, biodiversity, residential amenity and the development’s relationship with the surrounding town centre.
Full application now faces council assessment
For local residents, the crucial change since Love Ballymena reported on the proposals in September is that the pre-application consultation has ended. Meeting House Mews is no longer simply an emerging concept being presented by the developer for feedback: it is now a full planning application which Mid and East Antrim Borough Council must assess and ultimately determine.
The Housing Executive response adds another significant issue to that assessment. Against an identified unmet need for 394 social homes and 858 households already in housing stress, attention will now focus not only on whether the 74-home development secures planning permission, but on how many of those homes ultimately help meet Ballymena’s need for affordable and social housing — and when those homes could actually be delivered.
