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St. Patrick’s Regeneration, Ballymena Community Connections Project Public Consultation
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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. Mid and East Antrim Borough Council (MEABC) 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.
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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 ve project are provided on the following ne A s e Dem exhibition boards.
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St Patrick’s Regeneration, Ballymena
Aerial view of St. Patrick’s Community Connections Proposal
Proposed Event Space
Future development site
Proposed Bridge to Ecos Hub
Proposed Clock Tower
Proposed Bridge landing landscape Proposed Sensory Garden Proposed Interpreta�ve Space
Future development site
Future development site
St. Patrick’s Regeneration, Ballymena Community Connections Project Public Consultation Future development: i4C Innovation Centre
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.
Proposed Pedestrian Bridge to Ecos Hub en lopm eve lding i re d Futu ffice Bu O
Proposed Housing
Future Development
Proposed Pedestrian Bridge
Future development: Leisure, Health and Wellbeing centre
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Proposed Sensory Garden Proposed Interpretative Space Proposed Clock Tower
Proposed Sensory Garden / Interpretative area incorporating Clock Tower
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MEABC 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. Ecos Hub
Proposed Event Space
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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 MEABC 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.
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St Patrick’s Regeneration, Ballymena Proposed Event Space
Aerial of proposed event space looking towards pedestrian bridge Eventview Space
View within landscaped seating area
View across proposed event space towards Ecos Park
View of proposed event space from Demesne Avenue footpath
The Event Space will provide a large platform for a variety of activities. The space is envisaged as being used for markets, festivals or other large events. It will also provide pockets of semi enclosed green spaces with seating for the public to enjoy.
St Patrick’s Regeneration, Ballymena
Sensory Garden / Interpretative area incorporating Clock Tower
Aerial view of proposed Sensory Garden / Interpretative area incorporating clock tower
Plan view of proposed Interpretative area incorporating clock tower The sensory garden and interpretative area together create a new public space. A sequence of sub-spaces incorporating interpretative boards tell the history of the site. The content of these boards will be developed in the future with the help of an interpretative designer and in consultation with the public. A clock tower occupies a central position in the interpretative area. This will be a replica of a clock tower that once stood in the former St Patrick’s Barracks (See images adjacent).
Proposed interpretative space concept diagram
The proposal includes an interpretative area surrounded by a tiered sensory garden. The garden encourages the senses of smell, touch, sight and sound stimulated through plant choice and selection. The entire space is accessible with seating proposed around the planting beds where there is opportunity to sit and enjoy the space.
A quantity of brick was retained from the buildings originally on the site. These bricks will be incorporated in the construction of the interpretative area and clock tower, providing a tangible representation of the site’s recent history
View on approach to interpretative area from the road
St Patrick’s Regeneration, Ballymena Clock Tower
View of proposed replica clock tower set within interpretative area.
Within the interpretative area the proposal includes a replica of a clock tower that once stood in the former St Patrick’s Barracks. The clock tower will be built with brick retained from buildings originally on the site and will include stone plaques incorporating regimental cap badges replicating the originals shown in the adjacent photographs.
View of clock tower showing interpretative boards and stone plaques.
Photos of cap badges from original clock tower
St Patrick’s Regeneration, Ballymena Proposed Pedestrian Bridge connecting to Ecos Hub
View of proposed bridge looking east towards Ecos Hub
The Regeneration of the St Patrick’s site provides an opportunity to improve connections between Ballymena Town centre and the ECOS Nature Park. The proposed scheme enhances and enables connections through a series of proposed landmark spaces concluding with the new pedestrian bridge. The organic shape of the pedestrian bridge draws reference from the fluid movement of the Braid River below.
View from pedestrian bridge looking east towards Ecos Hub
Pedestrian bridge from Ecos Nature Park below
Plan view of pedestrian bridge and landscaped landing