Deputy Mayor joins multi-agency team supporting improvements in Carrick estates
Tuesday 14 October 2025
Deputy Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Councillor Tyler Hoey, has joined Communities Minister Gordon Lyons, residents, and multiple agencies for a collaborative estate inspection in Carrickfergus.
The initiative in the Sunnylands and Woodburn estates demonstrates a commitment to addressing local issues through coordinated action.
Hosted by the independent charity Supporting Communities, the inspection assembled representatives from Sunnylands & Woodburn Community Association, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), Department for Communities (DfC), Department for Infrastructure (DfI), Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to address ongoing issues and to work in partnership on enhancing residents’ quality of life and the environment.
The Deputy Mayor said: “It was important to engage with all stakeholders, but primarily residents themselves, to better understand the issues at play and ensure that any concerns can be addressed.
“The estate inspection proved productive and will help us to continue to work to deliver real solutions for our residents.
Minister Lyons said: "This was an excellent opportunity to engage directly with the community and agencies that work together to improve services and facilities in the area and I am pleased to be able to hear firsthand about the issues faced by the local community.
“Bringing all the relevant parties together ensures that we can deliver coordinated solutions that make a real difference to residents’ daily lives."
Problems such as illegal dumping, road issues, pathways, grass cutting and weed control, dog bins, improvements to parks and recreational areas, environmental health issues, and hotspot areas for loitering and anti-social behaviour can all significantly impact residents’ quality of life.
These issues typically fall under different jurisdictions – from the Housing Executive or Housing Associations to Stormont departments or the local council, while behavioural issues may require PSNI involvement. Rather than residents having to navigate these different agencies separately, estate inspections bring all relevant parties together to ensure coordinated action.
“Estate inspections represent a key step in addressing complex community challenges that often require coordinated responses from multiple agencies,” explained Colm McDaid, CEO of Supporting Communities.
“Our Community Development Officers work on the ground with community and resident groups to bring all parties together for a ‘walk-about’ to observe the situation at the same time and agree on steps to resolve any problems.”
Supporting Communities facilitates approximately 130 estate inspections each year across Northern Ireland, empowering communities to improve their quality of life.