The council’s Environment and Economy Committee was considering options for ”revitalising town centres” at a meeting at The Braid, in Ballymena, on Tuesday evening. These include three additional “living” walls featuring shrubbery which could be installed at a total cost of £120,000 in Larne , Carrickfergus and Ballymena. The council is also seeking four town centre sites in the borough for “parklets” at a cost of £80,000.
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. In Larne, negotiations are taking place between the local authority and land owners to create a £200,000 “pop-up” community garden on vacant land between Main Street and Point Street, featuring “a mix of green space and seating” with sites being considered at North Street, Market Place and Albert Road in Carrickfergus and Wellington Street and Bridge Street in Ballymena. These are among a number of projects that have been proposed for a funding application to the Department for Communities (DfC) for the second year of its post-Covid ‘Revitalising Town Centres’ programme.
Mid and East Antrim Borough Council received funding of £414,500 in 2023/24 through the programme. Of this sum, almost £170k was used for a shop front grant scheme, aiding 55 businesses to date, three town centre “pop-up” shops, cafe furniture, installation of ten “smart” benches, planting of t.
