St Patricks Regeneration Site

St Patrick’s Regeneration

Pre-Planning Public Consultation 2023

Before we submit our planning application for this project, we would like to invite you to a Public Consultation Day to discuss the development of the designs.

Introduction

The St Patrick’s Regeneration project led by the Department for Communities has begun to transform this key location spanning 15 hectares close to the centre of Ballymena.  St Patrick’s Link road, a key piece of infrastructure, central to unlocking access to the regeneration site is now open.  Radius Housing is progressing at pace with their new development at St Patrick’s which will see construction of 135 mixed tenure residential properties providing shared housing for all.  Northern Regional College also continues to make impressive progress with their new campus at Farm Lodge. 

We are working with these key partners and others to deliver a high quality, mixed-use development at St Patrick’s, aiming to create a wide range of social, economic and cultural benefits across the Borough.  Proposals are being developed for three new buildings at St Patrick’s; the i4C Innovation and Cleantech Centre; a leisure, health and wellbeing centre and an office building. We have also drawn up proposals for the development of new public spaces to host a range of uses along with infrastructure to help connect St Patrick’s to the wider Ballymena area.  Working together with our regeneration partners, we aim to create a new Smart and sustainable district at St Patrick’s.

Previous Consultation

The Department for Communities carried out extensive consultation work on the regeneration of the St Patrick’s site in 2016/17.  The results of this consultation were used in support of an outline planning application for the redevelopment of the site. Outline planning permission was granted in 2019 and this confirmed that the land could be used for the creation of a shared, mixed use, housing-led regeneration scheme. 

Next Steps

A full planning application is currently being prepared for Council’s “Community Connections” public space and infrastructure project at St Patrick’s. The central element of the proposal is a new public event space, designed to provide a focus for the wider St Patrick’s development and a shared place for community activity.  

This space is to be complemented by a sensory garden and an interpretative area which will communicate the history of the area.  Plans for the interpretative area include the construction of a replica of a Clock Tower that once stood on the site, using brick salvaged from buildings previously occupying the site.   An upgraded path and carriageway network along with a new mobility hub will help to improve connections between the St Patrick’s site and Ballymena town centre, as well as nearby residential areas.  A new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Braid will extend these connections into the recreational parkland around the Ecos Hub.

Get Involved

Event: St Patrick’s “Community Connections” project Pre-Application Community Consultation public drop-in event:

Date: Wednesday 25 October

Time: 12noon - 7pm

Location: Seven Towers Leisure Centre, 74 Trostan Avenue, Ballymena, BT43 7 BL

You can also view the latest designs on this page.  The Design Boards below show our Community Connections project proposals. You can provide feedback on the Community Connections project via the link below.  The animation below shows how the Community Connections project integrates with our wider vision for the St Patrick’s Regeneration site.

Alternatively, comments on the proposals are welcome by emailing: stpatricksregeneration@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

Written submissions can be forwarded by post clearly marked ‘St Patrick’s Regeneration’ to:

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
The Braid
1-29 Bridge Street
Ballymena
BT43 5EJ

The deadline for submission of feedback is Wednesday 22 November 2023 at 6pm.

Survey

Proposals for our Community Connections project

Introduction

The St Patrick’s Regeneration site is a strategically important location of approximately 15 hectares, close to the centre of Ballymena.

The former St. Patrick’s Barracks was closed by the Ministry of Defence in 2007 and the site was transferred to the Northern Ireland Executive.

Following this, a Development Plan was prepared with the aim of delivering high-quality regeneration across this site.

The Department for Communities (DfC) has since led on the delivery of a housing-led regeneration programme for the St Patrick’s Regenaration site.

Council now intend to submit a new Full Planning Application to seek consent for a key element of the St Patrick’s Barracks Development Plan - the “Community Connections” project.

Proposed Development - Community Connections Project

The central element of the ‘Community Connections’ proposal is a new public event space, designed to provide a focus for the wider St Patrick’s development and a shared place for community activity.

This space is to be complemented by a sensory garden and an interpretative area which will communicate the history of the area.

Plans for the interpretative area include the construction of a replica of a Clock Tower that once stood on the site, using brick salvaged from buildings previously occupying the site.

An upgraded path and carriageway network along with a new mobility hub will help to improve connections between the St Patrick’s site and Ballymena town centre, as well as with nearby residential areas.

A new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Braid will extend these connections into the recreational parkland around the Ecos Hub.

The ‘Community Connections’ project proposals will help to transform this part of Ballymena, helping to create wider economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits across the Borough.

Further details of the individual elements of the Ballymena Community Connections project are provided on the exhibition boards.

Context

The St Patrick’s Regeneration site is subject to three interlinked planning permissions.

The approvals comprise one Outline Planning Application for the creation of a flagship, shared, mixed use, housing-led regeneration scheme; along with two Full Planning Applications for the proposed Northern Link Road and Southern Link Road, including adjoining foot and cycle paths, site preparation works, landscaping and junction upgrade at Larne Road Link.

Previous Consultation

DfC carried out extensive consultation work on the regeneration of the site in 2016/17.

The results of this consultation were considered during the preparation of the Outline Planning Application, which was granted by Council in 2019.

The themes from the previous consultation, along with the principles embedded within the Outline Planning approval, have been used as a baseline for further developing design proposals for the Community Connections project.

Future Development

Council also intend to construct a new Leisure, Health and Wellbeing facility, Office building and an Innovation Centre, which have been identified as pillars of regeneration within the St Patrick’s Development Plan.

These proposals will be brought forward under separate planning applications and therefore do not form part of this community consultation.

Our vision for the wider St Patricks Regeneration site.