By Julie Waters
ARDS and North Down Council has given the green light for an environmental improvement scheme to breathe ‘regeneration and revitalisation’ into the heart of Ballywalter.
The two phase public realm scheme is set to transform the main retail area between Harbour Road and The Square, with the second phase including Ballywalter Lime Kilns and Dunover Road.
The projects includes high quality surface materials, improvements to the footpaths, junctions, new street furniture and planting; the design aims to create an accessible, vibrant and welcoming Main Street in the centre of Ballywalter.
Councillors at the recent Place and Prosperity committee agreed to prepare and submit a planning application; however funding still needs to be secured by the council to deliver the scheme.
According to a report presented to the committee, design consultants AECOM were appointed to review the previous 2019 design as part of the council’s regeneration ‘working up’ projects budget.
It outlined the first phase at Main Street will include natural stone paving with raised planters and reliant planting at the Square.
There will be an additional green space near the town’s WAr Memorial as well as new and refurbished benches, and replacement bins in the Square. The second phase will also include natural stone paving and resurfacing to the Lime Kilns, with additional controlled crossings to access green spaces and the seaside.
Proposing the council move to prepare and submit a planning application, alderman Robert Adair said there was a ‘real buzz’ about the public information event held in Ballywalter village hall, back in September last year.
The DUP alderman said: “The message we got was loud and clear, the plans are good, people support them and we want to move forward to submit a planning application and develop the scheme.”
Mr Adair said the public realm scheme would bring ‘revitalisation and regeneration’ into the village and he called for the rural development grants, delivered by the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, ‘to be opened’ to help deliver the scheme.
Councillor Nigel Edmund praised the ‘well attended’ public consultation event and said local people were ‘enthusiastic about the scheme’. “Hopefully we can get through planning and get the funding and we can have something to be proud of,” he said.
Each committee decision must be ratified by the full council at the end of the month.
