Townscape
Post war decline of the heavy industries had a huge impact on the urban fabric of the town, leaving large scale town centre sites either disused or vacant. Housing came to fill many of these sites while some such as the Old Bleachworks and Howden’s Quay still remain vacant today. While Larne does not have a great collection of historical landmarks, the greatest feature of Larne’s history has been the individual characters that have pursued a vision and in so doing brought prosperity to the town. Larne now needs future visionaries to take up this mantel once again. The historical development of Larne has drawn on the natural resource of the area; the original fishing village and existing port using the natural harbour of Larne Lough and the overseas connections this enabled. This natural resource still exists as one of Larne’s greatest assets. While the Port of Larne remains busy and prosperous, the vitality of the town centre has gradually suffered decline. The reasons for this need to be identified so that the masterplan can work to overcome these issues and bring vitality back to the town centre.
Larne Town Centre Investment Plan and Strategy 2021-2031
There is great opportunity in relation to the Townscape of the town. The traditional commercial streets remain largely intact and form the historic core of the town. While there is opportunity for infill and repair this will largely conform to the existing scale and form of the street. This presents a distinct and well-defined character. Other key sites around the town centre present the opportunity for a new townscape to develop. There is sufficient space and capacity within the town centre to accommodate a number of medium and large-scale developments. The design of these sites should establish a new character that sets out a positive message about the town of Larne. There should be a strong relationship between the built form and the public realm. In particular the key sites at Waterfront and Riverdale should be used to good effect. This Investment Plan also recognises the planned capital investments by a range of statutory organisations. This includes: • NI Water plans to upgrade the Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) as it is currently operating above design capacity. This in turn, will help support additional development in Larne Town • The Education Authority is currently completing a Business Case for a major capital development project for Roddensvale Special School • NIHE will action the demolition of the last remaining tower block (Latharna Tower Block) at Riverdale. It also has an agreement with Radius Housing to develop 25 units housing units for older people on the site of the former Gardenmore House Tower Block and a new social housing scheme within walking distance of the town centre (84 Curran Road)
