The move follows a request, by supermarket retailer Lidl , to designate the two towns as holiday resorts in order to avail of longer Sunday opening hours under the Shops (Sunday Trading etc) (Northern Ireland) Order 1997. At an Environmental Services Committee meeting of Causeway Coast and Glens Council on Tuesday, June 11, an officer said the council had previously designated Portrush, Portstewart and Ballycastle as holidays resorts under the order. 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.
“The order allows district councils to designate any area within its district as a holiday resort,” an officer added. “In a designated holiday resort area, large shops may open at any time on up to 18 Sundays, between March and September each year. “There is no interpretive definition of ‘holiday resort’ in the legislation, and before making a holiday resort designation the council must first consult persons likely to be affected by the proposed designation.
“The decision tonight is where we proceed to the consultation, so no matter what there has to be a consultation process that we go through if we decide to progress.” DUP Alderman Mark Fielding said he was opposed to the consultation as he felt it wasn’t essential and shop workers and unions were opposed. He proposed rejecting the request.
Advertisement Advertisement DUP Alderman Aaron Callan said a s.
