Consultations

Recently Added Consultations

• Consultation on Free Period Products

  Status: open Closing Date: Monday 18 September 2023

  Period products are essential items for personal care to address a normal biological need and should therefore be available to everyone who needs them, regardless of their economic status.

  The purpose of this consultation is to consult with people in relation to the provision of free period products on:
  
  a) How they ought to be able to obtain period products free of charge;
  
  b) Where period products ought to be obtainable free of charge; and
  
  c) What types of period products ought to be obtainable free of charge.

  Please visit the Executive Office for Northern Ireland's consultation section for details and documents.

• Carrickfergus car park charges

  Status: open Closing Date: Thursday 16 November 2023

  A recent review of car parking charges across Mid and East Antrim resulted in the introduction of a 60p an hour rate at paid-for Council car parks in the Borough.

  As a result of that process, and following feedback from citizens, Council agreed to introduce a special all-day rate of £2.50 in Council pay and display car parks, to mitigate the impact on workers and business owners.

  This is also complemented by a six-month discounted rate of £250 or a quarterly rate of £130, which equates to a daily parking rate of around £2, subject to availability.

  Alternative free car parking would remain in the Carrickfergus area, including at the Windrose, Marine Gardens, St Brides Street Park and Ride, and the Train Station Park and Ride.

  The planned introduction of charges at the Castle Car Park was among the measures agreed by Council during the rates-setting process for 2023/2024.

  These measures were designed to minimise the rates increase on residents amid the cost of living crisis, while also ensuring Council was in a position to safeguard and where necessary enhance frontline services and facilities for residents.

  Carrickfergus, which is set to benefit from more than £42m of investment through Belfast Region City Deal, has one car park identified for the introduction of parking charges (at the Castle), while there were a further three in Ballymena and two in Larne.

  As part of the Carrickfergus City Deal Project, the Castle car park would be revamped to allow for the transformation of that area of the town.

  This aspect of the project includes the creation of a visitor and community hub with a public events space. Work is due to commence in 2027.

  All Council car parks, with the exception of the multistorey in Ballymena, remain free on Sundays.

  Anybody wishing to provide an objection to the plans or make other representations may do so.

  Any objection or other representation must be in writing and must specify the grounds on which any objection or representation is made and be sent to:

  The Car Park Manager
  Carrickfergus Museum and Civic Centre
  11 Antrim Street
  Carrickfergus
  BT38 7DG

  or

  The Car Park Manager
  Ardeevin
  80 Galgorm Road
  Ballymena
  BT42 1AB

  or

  The Car Park Manager
  Smiley Buildings
  Victoria Road
  Larne
  BT40 1RU.

  Please mark correspondence for the attention of The Car Park Manager within the next 12 weeks.

  Alternatively, submissions can be made to CarPark.Manager@midandeastantrim.gov.uk and must specify the grounds on which any objection or representation is made.

• Cemetery Management Rules and Regulations

  Status: closed Closing Date: Wednesday 19 April 2023

  Have your say on proposed amendments to Council’s Cemetery Management Rules and Regulations.

  We are calling upon residents to take the opportunity to have their say regarding proposed amendments to Council’s rules and regulations which govern the management of its cemetery sites.

  A preliminary consultation exercise has been carried out with key stakeholders before Christmas. Funeral Directors, clergy, stone masons and elected representatives were written to in order to obtain their views on a number of proposed amendments including; extension of circumstances when resident concessions are applied, resident concessions for expatriots in certain circumstances and acceptable conduct towards cemetery staff.

  The public are invited to attend drop-in sessions to speak to an Officer and have their say. Drop-in sessions will take place as follows:

  	Date	Time	Location
  Ballymena	Wed 15 March 2023	2pm - 4pm	Committee Room, Ardeevin
  Larne	Wed 22 March 2023	10am - 12noon	Larne Market Yard
  Carrickfergus	Thurs 30 March 2023	10am - 12noon	Carrickfergus Museum & Civic Centre

  Residents are therefore urged to get involved in the consultation process by reading the proposed amendments and then completing a short survey online by visiting the Cemetery Rules Survey on the SurveyMonkey website.

  The survey will be live for 6 weeks from Wednesday 8 March 2023. Closing date Wednesday 19 April 2023 at noon.

  Should you require any further information or hard copies of this survey please contact:

  E: cemeteries@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

  T: 028 9335 8232

• Mid and East Antrim Forest Masterplans

  Status: closed Closing Date: Tuesday 28 February 2023

  Council has recently appointed Outdoor Recreation NI (ORNI) to develop masterplans for three forest sites. This follows the production of a Recreational Strategy for the Borough in 2019.

  These sites are:

  • Portglenone Forest
  • Woodburn and North Carn Forest
  • Glenarm Forest

  As part of the Masterplanning process, ORNI wants to hear from you about how you currently use these forests, and how you would like to see them used and managed in the future. Currently, the Council has very limited remit across these sites but following the production of Masterplans it is intended that the Council will have the evidence to consider adopting a greater role to ensure the benefits of these sites can reach their potential.

  Details for each of the sites and how you can provide feedback is as follows:

  Portglenone Forest Masterplan Survey and Public Meeting

  Note that this Portglenone Forest consultation may form one of a series of consultations informing various development opportunities across the whole village area.

  • Public Survey
  • Public meeting:
    • Pre-registration essential*
    • Date & Time: Wednesday 15 February 2023, 7.30pm - 9pm
    • Venue: Portglenone Community Centre

  Woodburn and North Carn Forest Masterplan Survey and Public Meeting

  • Public Survey
  • Public meeting:
    • Pre-registration essential*.
    • Date & Time: Tuesday 21 February 2023, 7.30pm – 9pm
    • Venue: Carrickfergus Town Hall

  Glenarm Forest Masterplan Survey and Public Meeting

  • Public Survey
  • Public meeting:
    • Pre-registration essential*.
    • Date & Time: Wednesday 22 February 2023, 7.30pm – 9pm
    • Venue: Glenarm Presbyterian Church Hall

  *pre-registration information allows the facilitators to understand how many people will be in attendance and given an indication of your interests so that these events can be appropriately resourced.

• Corporate Plan 2023-2027 & Performance Improvement Plan 2023-2024 Consultation

  Status: closed Closing Date: Tuesday 4 April 2023

  We have launched a public consultation on our new Corporate Plan covering the period of 2023-2027 and our new Performance Improvement Plan covering the period of 2023-2024.

  During the consultation period, which extends to 4 April 2023, residents, businesses and community groups across the Borough are invited to review the draft plans and to have their say on Council’s proposed strategic themes, objectives and improvement projects.

  Our Corporate Plan sits at the heart of everything we do. It steers our strategic direction, shapes our services and sets the performance targets against which we will measure our success. It is revisited every four years to ensure our work meets the needs of the borough and delivers on behalf of everyone who lives, works and invests in Mid and East Antrim.

  Participation in this consultation is very important to us and we welcome all comments. Each response will be carefully analysed and considered to help shape both the new Corporate Plan and Performance Improvement Plan.

  Should you require any further information or the survey in an alternative format such as large print or another language please contact Performance@midandeastantrim.gov.uk.

• Draft Dog Control Orders Public Consultation

  Status: closed Closing Date: Monday 7 November 2022

  Council drafted these Dog Control Orders to ensure that its parks and open spaces can provide an enjoyable experience for all users.  It appreciates that the majority of dog owners and walkers have control of their dogs and clean up after them. 

  However, due to those who fail to clean up after their dog when on our pitches this has created a bad experience for players of all ages who end up stepping or falling into dog mess.  Also, some dog owners fail to have control of their dogs in these public spaces and the Council has considered these facts in its Orders.

  This consultation was open from Monday 10 October 2022 to Monday 7 November 2022.

  Those wishing to respond to the consultation could do so in a number of ways.  They could complete the online consultation survey or fill out a hard copy at one of the following drop-in sessions:
  
  Pubic ‘drop in sessions’ sessions from Mid-October – 2pm to 8pm

  • Larne Town Hall - Thursday 13 October
  • Carrickfergus Civic Centre - Wednesday 19 October
  • The Braid -  20 October

  Or if they wished to submit a personalised response they could send it in writing to:
  
  The Enforcement Officer Team
  Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
  80 Galgorm Road
  Ballymena
  BT42 1AB 

  or email it to MEA.envhealth@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

  Mid and East Antrim Borough Council looked forward to hearing from residents, visitors and users of its green spaces.

   

  EXISTING DOG CONTROL ORDERS	NO PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
  The Fouling of Land by Dogs (Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) Order 2015	No proposed amendments
  The Dogs on Lead by Direction (Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) Order 2015	No proposed amendments
  The Dogs Exclusion (Carnfunnock Country Park Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) Order 2015	No proposed amendments
  The Dogs on Leads (Peoples Park Mid and East Antrim District Council) Order 2016	No proposed amendments
  The Dogs Exclusion ((Peoples Park Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) Order 2016	No proposed amendments

   

  EXISTING DOG CONTROL ORDERS	WITH PROPOSED AMENDMENTS
  The Dogs on Leads (Promenades and Cemeteries Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) Order 2015	Proposals to amend this existing dogs on leads order as follows: Larne Promenade Extend existing dogs on leads to include the grassed areas and carparks in the immediate vicinity of the leisure centre. In addition, to extend the dogs on leads beyond the bollard to where the path meets the Old Glenarm Road. Carrickfergus Promenade including  Marine Highway, Harbour and Marina ​Extend the dogs on leads to where paths are now constructed around the Marina; to extend dogs on leads to private carparks where there are existing ‘breaks’; to include the carpark adjacent to the primary school; to include King William Pier; to include the grassed areas and carparks in the immediate vicinity of the Castle. Whitehead Promenade, incorporating Blackhead Path Introduce the promenade, the entirety of Blackhead Path and the carpark as dogs on leads. Memorial Parks To extend existing dogs on leads to Memorial Parks on council land, namely Ballymena Memorial Park, Carrickfergus Cenotaph, Whitehead Cenotaph and Larne War Memorial Park.
  The Dogs On Leads (Carnlough, Ballygally and Browns Bay Beaches Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) Order 2015	Proposals to amend this existing dogs on leads order as follows: Introduce Portmuck Beach to include grassed area and the carpark as dogs on leads.
  Dog Control Order Exclusion Children's Play Parks Oct 2016	Proposals to amend this existing dog exclusion order as follows: Legg Park Play Park Reflect the redevelopment of this play park by including the whole area within existing fencing to the exclusion zone. Amphitheatre Play Park Introduce this area, which was previously uncontrolled. Windsor Mews Play Park (Whitehead) Extend the existing play park area to incorporate the gaps between equipment and include surrounding grassed areas, all of which are within the play park fencing. Ahoghill Nature Park Play Park Reflect the development of this new play park facility as a dog exclusion area. The proposal also to include a future proofing clause where new play parks are introduced or existing play parks expanded then the order would apply.

   

  NEW DOG CONTROL ORDERS	PROPOSALS
  Dog Exclusion (Playing Surfaces Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) Order 2022	Proposal is to include all council owned playing surfaces (MUGAs, artificial pitches, grassed pitches, kick-about areas, bowling greens, golf courses and tennis courts) as dog exclusion areas. The area excluded would be shown as per the boundary on the map. The proposal also to include a future proofing clause where new playing surfaces are introduced or where existing playing surfaces are expanded then the order would apply.
  Dog on Leads (Ancillary Areas Mid and East Antrim Borough Council) Order 2022	Proposal to introduce new dogs on leads for the following areas: Marine Gardens, Carrickfergus To include the grassed area between the café and the play park, to also include the carparks as dogs on leads. Amphitheatre Ponds and Paths To include the Millponds and pathways at the nature reserve; and the carpark as dogs on leads. ECOS Paths To include the entirety of the pathway as dogs on leads. Portglenone Marina To include the entirety of the Marina and carpark as dogs on leads. Ahoghill Nature Park With the exception of the play park (dog exclusion) to include all other areas as dogs on leads. Allotments To include existing allotments at Eden, Greenisland, Larne and any future allotment spaces as dogs on leads. Areas adjacent to playing surfaces (as identified) Where it is deemed appropriate, to have dogs on leads in areas adjacent to identified pitches.

• Carnfunnock Country Park Consultation

  Status: closed Closing Date: Wednesday 8 June 2022

  Carnfunnock Country Park is a 191-hectare park located between Drains Bay and Ballygally, near Larne.

  It is conveniently situated on the A2 Antrim Coast Road, 3.5 miles north of Larne. The park consists of mixed woodland, gardens, walking trails, adventure play park, café, caravan park, and stunning Antrim Coast and North Channel views.
  
  The country park opened in July 1990 and has remained largely unchanged since then.
  
  Recognising the need to future-proof the park and ensure that it continues to meet changing public needs, Park Hood was engaged to complete a draft masterplan for the Park and a number of potential actions were identified in 2018.

  Some of these actions have been completed, however, the rest will require significant investment. An opportunity has arisen for Council to apply for external funding to help deliver these actions at Carnfunnock so now is the opportune time to re-engage with the public to ensure that the priorities previously identified are still valid.