At a Leisure and Development Committee meeting on Tuesday, June 18, officers sought approval for an additional £24,507 in funding for the Business Improvement District (BID) initiative, which has been running since 2018 and “identifies actions for additional improvements” within Coleraine . According to the officers’ report, a BID can occur where a group of interested businesses “get together with their local authority to consider what improvements are needed in their area over and above statutory provision”. Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
UUP Councillor Darryl Wilson said the report was “quite timely”. “Coleraine town centre is in trouble,” Cllr Wilson said. “And I think the main town centres within the borough are in trouble.
“It’s good to see organisations like BID and the work they’ve done, and if we can support this that’s good thing, but I think we have to do more. “Could we look at bringing back a paper or initiative where we – starting with the four main towns in the borough; Coleraine, Ballymoney, Limavady and Ballycastle – start roundtable talks with stakeholders, put our heads together, and see what we can do collaboratively to try to rejuvenate town centres? Advertisement Advertisement "In many of the main towns in the borough there’s a shocking lack of events to bring people into those town centre. .
